Looking for grace in ‘The Glorians’

What does it mean to live richly, even radiantly, while facing the impending darkness of climate change? How do we stand in awe at the planet we see around us even as we doubt that humanity will intervene in time to save much of what we love about it?

Terry Tempest Williams’ new book, “The Glorians,” wrestles with that unraveling — the pull of one strand could undo the pattern that weaves us all together.

And yet, as host Kerri Miller says, this book is unexpectedly consoling too.

William writes this from her home in the Utah desert: “I can bear witness with awe and gratitude, translating what I see and feel, and then share it as an offering of joy or bewilderment or love.”

Williams joins Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk about glorians — those small moments of awe that anchor our attention — and how to live wide open, holding nothing back, even in the face of despair.

Guest:

• Terry Tempest Williams is an award-winning author of seventeen books of creative nonfiction, including the environmental classic, “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place.” She also teaches at Harvard School of Divinity. Her new book is, “The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary.”

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