The author Ruby McConnell discusses her new book Ground Truth: A Geological Survey of a Life (Overcup Press, 2020), with Joseph Planta.

Ground Truth: A Geological Survey of a Life by Ruby McConnell (Overcup Press, 2020). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Ground Truth

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the more interesting books I’ve read this season is the latest from Ruby McConnell, Ground Truth: A Geological Survey of a Life. It’s a timely book not just because of living through the COVID-19 crisis, but today, the 18 May 2020 is the fortieth anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helen’s. As Ms. McConnell writes in her book, that set off a decades-long struggle that reverberates today regarding resources, land-use, and economics in the Pacific Northwest. To say that this part of the world in southwest Washington, into Oregon, even going up north to here in British Columbia, was affected, would be an understatement. In the book, Ruby examines her life in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up and her eventual study. She is a registered geologist, and I’ll ask her about the trajectory of her life from forty years ago to today. The book is also a marvelous memoir, that paints a portrait of the landscape and the people of this land, not to mention the wild, the animals, and living species that she has observed along the way. It’s an evocative book as she describes the outdoors and its complexity. Ruby McConnell is a writer who has received many honours including the Literary Arts Oregon Literary Fellowship. She has written two previous books, A Girl’s Guide to the Wild, and A Woman’s Guide to the Wild, which she was first on the program with in 2016. The website for more is http://www.rubymcconnell.com. The Twitter handle is @RubyGoneWild. This new book is published by Overcup Press. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Ruby McConnell; Ms. McConnell, good morning.

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