Gary Ferguson - 1956
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I. Biography Gary Ferguson was born on June 8, 1956 in South Bend, Indiana. He moved to Montana thirteen and a half years ago. He now lives in Red Lodge, Montana with his wife.
Ferguson used to work as an interpretive naturalist for the U.S. Forest Service in the Sawtooth National Recreation area in Idaho. Now he makes his living writing. He also
does a lot of speaking and teaching at various universities and workshops. Ferguson said he chose Montana because he wanted to be near Yellowstone, which is the largest
generally intact ecosystem in the temperate world. He also loves the people who he sees as honest, freewheeling, ornery, and themselves. Ferguson has written for many national magazines such as, Outside,
Sierra, Vanity Fair, American Forests, Big Sky Journal, Modern Maturity, Travel Holiday, and for New York's Children's Television Workshop
. He has also appeared on many radio and television programs. His essays on nature can be heard on National Public Radio. Ferguson has written fourteen books about his passion, nature. Through the Woods: A
Journey Through America's Forests, won the Lowell Thomas Award. It was also a starred selection in the Kirkus Review. The New York City Public Library selected Spirits of the
Wild: The World's Greatest Nature Myths, as one of the best books of 1996. II. Literary Works Shouting at the Sky: Troubled Teens and the Promise of the Wild deals with teens trying
to rebuild their lives. It takes place at the Aspen Achievement Academy in Utah, which is one of the best wilderness study programs. The average kid there had been in many
different facilities, including lock-down drug centers, psychiatric wards and suicide centers. These teens often had other problems such as anger issues, depression, and
ADD. Ferguson spent eight weeks with the kids as they try to start their lives over. The desert landscape is beautiful but the kids find it as a shock. III. Partial Listing of Works by Gary Ferguson
Shouting at the Sky: Troubled Teens and the Promise of the Wild (1999) To purchase these books go to:
Through the Woods: A Journey Through America's Forests (1998)
The Yellowstone Wolves: The First Year (1996)
Spirits of the Wild: The World's Greatest Nature Myths (1996)
Walking Down the Wild (1993)
IV. Questions for Ferguson I was able to ask Gary Ferguson the following questions: What inspires you to write?
What inspires me to write: I believe that one of the most satisfying things a person can do is to find the courage to keep "breaking the frame" they've built around the world. To
expand their understanding of the world around them. Writing does that. Whether standing on the shores of Lake Ngorongoro in Tanzania, watching 10,000 pink flamingos
settling in a sunset, or roaming the back roads of Spain, or walking 500 miles around Yellowstone – these are things that caused me to rethink what I know about the world.
Secondly, sooner or later writing forces you to find your voice, your truth – to understand something about your calling; that, in turn, leads to a sense of identity, a feeling of belongs in the world.
Where do you get your ideas? My ideas come from my passions: nature, the quest for meaning, and the value of relationship. There's an old saying I like " If you want to work on your art, work on your
life." In other words, the best writing (and the best ideas) flow to you when you're out there living, really being who you were most meant to be. How does Montana affect your writing?
How Montana affects my writing: A novelist by the name of Lawrence Durrell once made an interesting comment: "We are the children of our landscape." He said, "It motivates
behavior, and even thought to the degree we're receptive to it." I believe that's true, and I can image a few more powering landscapes than those of Montana. Land alone can
sometimes "break the frame" of reference, as I mentioned previously – especially powerful overwhelming landscapes. Furthermore, many of the people here, besides being refreshed
for their candor, possess the kind of "native wisdom" that comes from years spent dancing this rough and tumble environment. As Durrell suggested, I believe that the land has
indeed shaped who Montanans are; thus when we have the courage to steward that land, to treat it with respect for a slice of our own identity. V. Ferguson on the Web
This essay was submitted by a student of Steve Gardiner, a teacher at Billings Senior High School in Billings, Montana.