5 Questions for Jedidiah Jenkins, Author of Mother, Nature
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The kind of emotional and physical journey that Cheryl Strayed made popular, Mother, Nature is deeply personal, profoundly moving, immensely intelligent and woven with inspiration for all.
We’ve been fans of Jedidiah’s for a bit — his first book, To Shake the Sleeping Self, was one of our first nonfiction Monthly picks. His new book is just out, and to celebrate, we sat down with Jedidiah for a quick Q&A.
The kind of emotional and physical journey that Cheryl Strayed made popular, Mother, Nature is deeply personal, profoundly moving, immensely intelligent and woven with inspiration for all.
We’ve been fans of Jedidiah’s for a bit — his first book, To Shake the Sleeping Self, was one of our first nonfiction Monthly picks. His new book is just out, and to celebrate, we sat down with Jedidiah for a quick Q&A.
What about spending so much time in the great outdoors inspires so much introspection/reflection?
So much of the human brain is wired for social interaction, for status maintenance and assessment, for reading the intentions of other human beings. Stepping away from society, from the swarm of humanity, and into the conversation of nature… the brain behaves differently. It gets quieter in one way, and louder in another. It stops worrying about hierarchy and starts seeing the trail of ants up the trunk of a tree.
You’ve written about time you’ve spent alone while traveling, and you’ve written about the time spent with others. How does your approach to these trips differ?
Traveling alone makes me a sponge. I do what I want, when I want, and soak up other people’s conversations and the map of the land. When I travel with others, I am creating a shared experience with them, and the alchemy of our friendship or connection is infused into the traveling. The experiences both involve discovery and exploration, but one is internal and one is relational.
What does your writing process look like while you’re on the road?
I don’t write longform anything on the road. But I jot down notes all day. A moment. A realization. A phrasing. Quotes from a strange or important conversation. I take lots of notes on my phone. People think I’m texting, but I’m secretly transcribing what they just said or did.
You’ve chronicled a lot of your adventures and introspections on Instagram. How has growing your footprint on that platform influenced your writing?
It’s a dream to have an audience, and it’s frightening to have an audience. They expect things from you. They want you to stay branded as you were. I get that completely. If Mary Oliver gave up poetry for investment banking, I’d be bummed. But I also feel the pressure of living authentically and also wondering ‘what would ‘Jedidiah Jenkins’ do now?’
What do you hope people take away from your experiences?
That living a life of self-worth and integrity in one’s true identity is more important for happiness, peace, true love, a good family and a good legacy than anything else.