Dr. Catherine E. Matthews

Professor, Curriculum & Instruction (Science Ed)

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

"I was first introduced to Edward Abbey in a 20th Century American Literature class at Oregon State University in 1972. Prior to that I had read the requisite Thoreau and the poetry of Robert Frost and loved them both. I had no idea that so many authors were writing about our natural world. Just last year, March 2005, while I was on sabbatical, I climbed Arches National Monument. There is still much of Abbey's Southwest that I need to see. Abbey had a passion for the land and a disdain for authorities who failed to save his canyonlands. I have shared Abbey's work with high school students and university students througout my career."