Montana Festival of the Book

Barry Lopez Gives Us a Sense of Place

By Kerry McMannis, 9-29-06

	Photo by Matt Cochran

Barry Lopez was invited to the seventh annual Montana Festival of the Book to present on his new book, Home Ground. He began with profound political prose.

“We would rather stand with our imperfections than with imperialism,” said Lopez, referring to the state of democracy in this country, and more specifically the detainee bill that was passed yesterday by the senate.

"We turned a corner yesterday and if we do not stand up, we’re finished," pleaded Lopez. His advice to fellow citizens was, don’t place your trust in government or business instead help to build the civil society that is emerging throughout the world.

He went on to talk about his book, which is a poetic dictionary defining place in the American landscape. A compilation of writings by top authors around the country, Home Ground serves as a guide for preserving our homelands. For full audio of the reading click here.

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