Noted Author, Photographer and Naturalist Fred First to Speak at Ferrum College Feb. 5

1/27/2013

First will give a beautifully illustrated lecture on the topic “Knowing Where We Are: Sense of Place and a Sustainable Future.”

Ferrum, Va. (January 28, 2013) – Noted author and naturalist Fred First will speak in Ferrum College’s Garber Hall Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. on Tues., Feb. 5, 2013 as part of the College’s “Sustainability: More for Less, for All” annual theme programming. Also known for his photography, First will give a beautifully illustrated lecture on the topic “Knowing Where We Are: Sense of Place and a Sustainable Future.” Discussion will follow the presentation and the program will conclude by 8:30 p.m.

“Fred will explore ‘personal ecology’ as an ethic for the anthropocene, which is a way of seeing ourselves that can lead to reconciliation with nature, place and planet,” said College Professor Dr. David Johnson, Chair of the Theme Programming Committee. “He has devoted the past ten years to exploring the sense of place, which has given Fred a strong sense of self.”

An avid naturalist, former biology teacher, and a physical therapist, First moved to Floyd County in 1997. In 2002, his personal focus shifted from what he did for a living to where it was that he lived. He continues to explore the beauties and perplexities of his rural Blue Ridge home in words and images, including a daily photo-journal called Fragments from Floyd.

The author of “Slow Road Home: a Blue Ridge Book of Days” and “What We Hold in Our Hands -- a Slow Road Reader”, First has been a regular essayist on Roanoke's NPR station and his written and photographic works are published in various places including Blue Ridge Country Magazine, Petlife, Greenprints, Birmingham Arts Journal, Smith Mountain Laker and Nantahala Review. He contributed a regular column, "A Road Less Traveled", to the Floyd Press for seven years and to Roanoke’s Star Sentinel for three. He currently serves on the board of SustainFloyd and is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. First and his wife, Ann, live in a remote valley in Floyd County where they enjoy what he calls “progressive life in the slow lane.”

“Fred has the wisdom that comes from a life well-lived,” said Dr. Johnson. “His musings appeal to folks of all ages but his message is especially relevant for college students who are engaged in the important task of finding their place in the world.”

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