Mary Ellen Newport

First timer at SXSW-EDU, I'm presenting on a beautiful collaboration among teachers, students, artists, filmmakers and funders that have created a rich set of artworks centered around a forest in NW Michigan.

These days, I roam the woods and shores of northern Michigan with beautiful, creative young people who inspire me every single day. Students in my classes are engaged in saving, loving and transforming northern forests. Working with young creatives at Interlochen Arts Academy has forced me to entirely change my teaching to fully integrate arts into teaching biology and ecology. My recent influences have been Joanna Macy, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Paul Kingsnorth, Greta Thunberg, Jenna Scheub and every student who has ever been in my classes. Kayaking, birds, meditation, parenthood and poetry have all made me a better person.