passion for place

WELCOME to Passion for Place.
Thank you for visiting this site.

Passion for Place has been awarded a prestigious
IPPY Bronze Medal (tie) for
Best Regional Non-fiction for the West/Pacific
(Alaska, Hawaii and West Coast states)
by the Jenkins Publishing Group.

2,500 books were entered into over 100 categories
for the 17th Annual IPPY awards.
Seventy five books were considered in the West/Pacific Region category.

Paola and her sister, Diane, will be traveling to New York City to receive the award.

Congratulations and many thanks to all writers and interviewees and donors and supporters for making this book what it is...A WINNER!

Passion for Place: Community Reflections on the Carmel River Watershed

A bio-regional book with a global vision.
It is the only book of its kind on the
Carmel River Watershed.
It is a book for visitors and locals alike.

The message of Passion for Place is one of beauty, creativity, and the power of stories to connect people with each other, the land, rivers and oceans. It celebrates an insightful vision of what could be for the future of all watersheds of the earth.

One aspect that sets it apart from other nature anthologies is that it follows the river from the top of the watershed out to the ocean. By the time one has read the book, one has gained an awareness of the watershed as a whole through all the voices that make up the book and CD.

As one enthusiastic supporter has said, "Everyone should have a copy!"

Passion for Place brings together and creates this ethos of watershed consciousness,
a community that gives life to mindfulness on living on our earth--our most expressive
humanity of conscience and attentiveness.
Barbara Mossberg PhD.
Chair of the Integrated Studies Program at CAL State University-Monterey Bay,
Poet Laureate of Pacific Grove

Click on Barbara's name to listen to her KRXA radio program on Passion for Place and related topics...
the significance of poetry and the arts and conservation.

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Next events:
May 19, 2013 - 10 am -12 pm
Watershed Awareness Day/Conservation Hike presented by the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County, MPWMD and MPRPD.
Passion for Place will be there too!

Saturday, June 8, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Let's Go Outdoors class
Reflections of the River
Let the sights and sounds of the Carmel River inspire you. Enjoy a gentle hike followed by readings from Passion for Place: Community Reflections on the Carmel River Watershed. Then sketch, write, or create a sensory map, reflecting with guidance from the artist of this celebrated new book!
Passion for Place will be available for sale prior to the hike at Wildflower show held at Garland Park.
Click here to sign up. Both events FREE.

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This book and CD is made possible with the financial generosity of 147 people from the community and from around the world, in addition to those who have bought my paintings to support this particular project. I thank Pam Krone-Davis, Marilee Childs, Mary Gale, Skip Kadish, and Steve Zmak of the RisingLeaf Watershed Arts board for making the $5,000 challenge grant possible which gave the project a big boost in the beginning of its steep fundraising goal. Thank you to Ty Griffin for offering and printing free-of-charge the cards that were given to those who pledged at the $50 level on Kickstarter. Thank you to the organizations* for their financial donations and to the Carmel Valley Forum for their 501(c)3 support aiding in raising funds after the Kickstarter campaign.

* RisingLeaf Watershed Arts
   Carmel River Watershed Conservancy
   Carmel River Steelhead Association
   Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club
   Big Sur Land Trust
   Cal Am

Passion for Place is featured on the TV program "The Arts are the Answer" ( Arts Council for Monterey County) on Access Monterey Peninsula (AMP). You can see it here: