Presenter: Liz Masterson
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Will Rivers
Phone # 6562, eemast01@stlawu.edu

Poster Presentation

My study focuses on the life and analyzes the works of Michael Pollan, an increasingly influential writer and journalist.  His outlook on life falls strategically in between environmentalist and developer, as he ethically creates a path not only between these two adversaries, but observes the reciprocal influence of humans and plants as well.  His writing career began in 1991 with his first book, Second Nature.  Gardening, the passion that flourished into a career is the basis of his first book and also inspired his recent book, The Botany of Desire.  Pollan cleverly uses personal accounts, scientific, literary, historical, and philosophical sources to give the reader a knowledge that can be acquired from gardening yet useful in everyday life.  What lies at the heart of his ideals is the relationship between humans and plants, taking a new perspective by understanding that plants benefit from humans as much as humans benefit from plants.  Pollan represents a different kind of nature, one that people generally leave out of the description of the word itself.  Pollan’s idea that gardening is the best way to interact with nature, human contact and actual influence on the lives of plants represents nature in its essence.  Nature is often regarded as only observable in its natural forms, yet by including human interaction, the true cycle of plants and humans can be observed.  His writing, inspired by gardening, revives this close association and strengthens the ideals that humans have long forgotten as our control of nature has become greater.