Humans and Water, with Big River Guide, Fluvial Geologist, and Writer Becca Lawton

The Big Chew Podcast

Water: It's not just a "resource." It's not a "thing" that happens. Our bodies are mostly water. Maybe our souls are, too. Becca Lawton would know. She's a veteran river guide on the great rivers of the American West who became a fluvial geologist. She's also a beautiful writer whose prize-winning books and essays have helped her understand the connections between humans and wild water. If you live in the Western Hemisphere, you've heard a lot about water lately—mostly in the form of epic floods. No matter where you live, there's some kind of water issue going on (droughts, epic forest fires, you name it). We need to talk about it. Becca and I chat about: How, year after year, she saw people reclaim themselves on a river trip (give yourself at least three days) What river guiding taught her about humans Rivers as spiritual source How writing and stories can help us grok our place in Nature Her Fulbright research on why human brains don't recognize the risks of climate change Her wish in human-water relations Your new vocabulary word, "thalweg" Here's Becca's website, with info on her wonderful books. https://beccalawton.com/books-2/