I took an interest in the short Q&A with Kathryn Aalto (’98, M.A., English) (Fall/Winter 2015), where she discussed the theme of her book, “The Natural World...of Winnie the Pooh.” I was struck by the first question, “What did John Miles teach you about nature writing?” This is a great question, because his legions of fans are everywhere, most of whom had the privilege of being a student in one of his classes. In Miles’ classes you not only hear a lecture from a scholar and a historian but a teacher with a deep understanding of the subject. It did not matter if you were a part of the department, he makes his topics interesting to everyone and engages students. I work for an airline, but my lifelong interest in nature writing, from authors like Rick Bass, Roderick Haig Brown, Ivan Doig and many others, started from that class I took at Western in 1992 or ’93.
John Pressentin
(’93, Journalism)