About "A Walk in the Park"

"A Walk in the Park" is a collection of essays about the inspirational aspects of encountering nature in a suburban setting, by author and journalist Patrick J. Walsh.

The Series
The first essay in the series was originally intended as a "one-off," written to offer comfort and encouragement to family and friends who were going through a difficult time. It was first published on the Patrick J. Walsh author page on Facebook in March, 2011 and then subsequently appeared on Media Intercept.

Incorporating reflections on John Donne's "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions" and vivid descriptions of the experience of walking in the park in the fading days of winter, the piece attracted interest from a variety of readers, and led Pat to write additional entries in what gradually became a collection of essays about the park and its wildlife.

The Photos
As he continued to walk in the park each day, Pat also got in the habit of taking photos of the scenes that inspired individual essays. As a result, the "Walk in the Park" project now prominently features a supporting collection of unique, vivid photographs that powerfully convey the spiritual elements of the central theme.


The Collection
Inspired by the support and encouragement of family and friends in both his personal and online life, Pat began to develop the series in earnest in September, 2012.

Samples of the various types of essays — covering topics such as personal encounters with wildlife, the interaction of natural growth and personal memories, and visions of the historical and ecological development of the natural setting within the suburban context — are available online, while many others await some final decisions about the size and scope of the finished manuscript.


Essays from The Walk in the Park series:
• The Hawk

2 comments:

  1. Oh, my!

    I am definitely coming back to read these!

    The outdoors has always played an important part in my own writing and twice, while still living in SoCal, I even participated in the month long daily posting challenge called the Sit Spot Challenge...returning to the same location every day to find inspiration to write.

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    1. What a terrific idea. I imagine it must have been fascinating to find out how the same spot could influence you in different ways on different days... Thank you for checking in, Kiril. I hope you are doing great!

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