What would you ask Dr. Wilson about Anthill? (by the WILD READ Team)

Inquiring minds want to know, Dr. Wilson!

Going back to a question raised by a previous moderator, Mark Madison, Conservation Historian with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, regarding truth versus fiction:  I'd like to know what inspired E.O. Wilson to write his first piece of fiction after publishing over 20 non-fiction works.  Dr. Wilson, what is it that motivated you to communicate your passion for the environment in a novel?  Do you think conservation concepts can be "mainstreamed" via fictional works that perhaps appeal to a different audience, professor?  Is it a good strategy to entertain AND educate?

What questions would you like to ask Dr. Wilson?  Or, how do you feel about this idea of possibly reaching a different audience via conservation themed fiction?

E.O. Wilson on Anthill and Ants by the WILD READ Team

In this speech at the 2010 National Book Festival, EO Wilson reveals why he wrote his first non-fiction book Anthill, the issues he included, and his privileged visit with a southern author (can you guess who?)

EO Wilson tells us why he ended the book with a compromise.  

In this video  Ed Wilson reflects on his boyhood (his "little savage period") and you can observe him in the field with his beloved ants. Wilson demonstrates how fire ants bite to defend their nest and he reflects on why he chose ants to study as his life work.

In this recent video, join Ed Wilson on a ramble through the Alabama woods of this boyhood.

See Ed Wilson with a group of biologists, "Ant Freaks," poking around to identify the rich diversity of the Red Hills of Alabama.

What comments do you have about Ed Wilson or what you learn in these videos?

Junior Cody: Why Catalysts Matter (Chapter One of Anthill) by Sarah Gannon-Nagle with the National Conservation Training Center

Raff’s cousin Junior is in many ways a catalyst for the beginning of Raff’s own lifelong connection to nature. By daring Raff into “borrowing” a skiff for a trip down the Chicobee River, Junior gets Raff to accompany him on a grand adventure that ultimately leads the boys to a new level of independence. They are completely on their own as they head out in search of serpents and frogmen.

Although Junior was not a mentor the way Frederick Norville is (we will meet Dr. Norville in the next chapter), in many ways, Junior was equally important. He provides the activation energy necessary to get Raff out into the great outdoors, resulting in Raff’s discovery that he has within himself the courage to explore on his own.

As you reflect on the early stages of your connection to nature, was there a Junior-like catalyst who encouraged YOU to strike out on your own in the outdoors? In what ways is your personal “Junior” similar to – or different from – Junior’s character in the book?

The next section of Anthill will be moderated by Bill Finch, the Director of Conservation for the Nature Conservancy in Alabama. Bill is a nature writer whose works have largely focused on Alabama's rich natural heritage.

Making a Mountain Out of an Anthill - E.O. Wilson's Anthill Discussion - Chapter One: "Frogman" led by Anne Post, Chief Librarian, NCTC

"What to make of Anthill? Part epic-inspired adventure story, part philosophy-of-life, part many-layered mid-century Alabama viewed in finely observed detail, part ant life up close, part lyrical hymn to the wonders of earth, part contribution to the growing genre of eco-lit..." (Margaret Atwood's review - "Homer of the Ants" in the NY Review of Books)

Why spend eight weeks discussing E.O. Wilson's Anthill (see schedule)? We knew the book would appeal to young adults. We knew the story would resonate with both the Aldo Leopold essay and the Curt Meine essay and further enrich the WILD READ discussions so nobly led by Curt Meine and Will Stolzenburg here these last two weeks. We knew Anthill had the potential to shed light on the visioning process to discover bold ideas and ask deep questions about the future of conservation and with a focus on our beloved wildlife refuges. However, Anthill was chosen first and foremost because it is a story and as Jimmy Fox with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks, Alaska, so eloquently commented via this discussion blog, "Humans are deeply influenced by stories...If we conservationists want a land ethic to flourish, we must tell stories that convey what we know and feel in our hearts - a noble, unselfish concern for others and this planet we call home. If we can't tell these stories, then we must find those who will tell them for us." The power of the story can really stir our imaginations even as we look hard science in the eye and envision our conservation future.

Anthill is about the life and times of Raff Cody growing up in the last of the longleaf pine-filled Alabama wildlands, his education, the mentors who inspire him, the ant colonies that connect him to a better understanding of the natural world and the magnifying glass view of human nature too. We are along for the ride through his many rites of passage and epic encounters - from his exquisite connection to the Noxubee Tract (see Noxubee NWR), his career choice and a climactic ending with the Frogman, the Cyclopean character who vigorously defends his property, a dark and iconic creature from the woods, of the woods. There is even Frogman’s Chickopee Serpent that asserts its epic head into the story (“gnashing his terrible teeth” – remember that childhood quote?) Raff is a young Ed Wilson in a way and clearly has caught the "bug" literally and figuratively. The nature "bug" meant Raff left no anthill unturned in his exploration of the natural world which lead to his scientific focus on ants and ultimately the interesting career choice made to effect the change and exert the most power to protect the places he loved.

This week we focus on Chapter One “Frogman.” We are introduced to 15-year old Raff and cousin Junior. They are rough and tumble young people who know the Alabaman "back forty" like the back of their hand and Wilson in his own autobiographical way sets the stage for the young men’s clear and deep connection to the land. The plot immediately thickens however as Frogman is introduced into the landscape and his presence carries that seminal moment in the wild outdoors that carves a deep niche in our life – that fear-ridden, but enchanting archetypal figure that emerges from the swamp of our greatest fears. Many of us experienced that vicariously through fairy tales when fear wore wolf clothes, or the trickster fox, or many ogre-like, extinct perhaps creatures of the wild. That archetypal figure is wildness gone wild, fear incarnate, primordial and always nagging and sometimes dangerous.

Our WILD READ questions for you:

What happens when we look our fear of the unknown, the wild in ourselves, directly in the eye?

Is there any relationship between that “Green Fire” referenced in “Thinking Like a Mountain” and the predatory nature of the “Frogman” character in Anthill? Does overcoming fear have a place in establishing our sense of connection and purpose or does it inspire supremacy?

How critical is the connection between a child and a natural place to ultimately incite action to protect that land and build a strong environmental ethic?

See also our Anthill Discussion Guide.

Note: I will respond through our comments but our WILD READ team members will continue to post here this week to tease out more questions. Check out our Schedule including the grand finale week July 3-9 when Margaret Atwood, Canadian novelist, poet and essayist, will join our discussions. These discussions all lead up to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's wildlife refuge visioning conference July 10-14 in Madison, WI.

*Photo image used by permission of Associated Press

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