J. Drew Lanham is a Distinguished Professor at Clemson University, and an author, orator and Poet Laureate from Edgefield, SC. As a Black American, he’s intrigued by how ethnic prisms shape perceptions of nature and its care. His writing focuses on his passion for the natural world, and the personal and societal conflicts that sometimes put conservation and culture at odds. His award-winning book, The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature, came out in 2016.

In this episode of Threshold Conversations, host Amy Martin talks with Drew about his relationship to wild things, wild places, and social justice, and his experiences as a Black scientist and birder.

Threshold Conversations is an ongoing series featuring interviews with environmental thought leaders on some of the most urgent environmental and social issues today.

Threshold Conversations is supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, as well as the Park Foundation, the High Stakes Foundation, and our home public radio station, Montana Public Radio.

Learn more about Threshold on our website.