Rain Thoughts: A Springtime Tale of Field Work, Classrooms, and Cynthia Barnett

Last weekend I attended the local book launch event for Cynthia Barnett’s new book Rain: A Natural and Cultural History.

April Showers...

This has been an especially insightful spring for me. First, thanks to Ms. Barnett, I got back into the rhythm of the classroom for the first time in decades. She allowed me to sit in on her inaugural Environmental Journalism course for the School of Journalism. As a Hearst Visiting Professional, Ms. Barnett will also be teaching in the fall.

Only four months away and highly recommended (image by Jennifer Adler)

Second, despite an almost overwhelming amount of field work on our most recent project, water quality-focused and Live Oak-situated (watch for a blog entry soon)...

NFREC Project: yes the dimensions are this big x 2

...I still found time to realize some good media-work ideas. Namely, a short audio interview of Ms. Barnett recorded earlier this year (by graduate student Mackenzie Boyer) in hopes of previewing both the environmental journalism course and the now published book. Listen to it here.

It's Raining Content

Publishing day for Rain fell on April 21^st. And for us Cynthia Barnett admirers, the days surrounding the release offered a king’s ransom in great content! Some of which included a New York Times book review, a profile in the Gainesville Sun, a fascinating, hour-long book discussion on WBUR’s On Point Radio and a Wall Street Journal piece by Ms. Barnett exploring rain, stormwater infrastructure and Los Angeles.

The Arid Lands Institute at Woodbury 

University in Burbank, Calif., estimates that

 L.A.’s massive flood-control system shunts

 some 520,000 acre-feet of rainfall to

 the Pacific Ocean each year—enough

 to supply water to perhaps a

 half million families.

Cynthia Barnett; "To Fight the Drought, L.A. Needs a Rain Revolution"

Cynthia Barnett signs books at First Magnitude Brewery

In all honesty, I am not in the habit of being around, much less taking a class with, a writer I consider a giant of the craft. This spring has been one of the experiences of my time in Gainesville I will treasure most.

Final session of @UFJSchool's Enviro Journalism course. What a joy it has been learning w/ @cynthiabarnett. #EJUF pic.twitter.com/HMqBdJayxe

— Michael G (@waterparatodos) April 20, 2015

Cynthia Barnett and the Craft of Environmental Journalism

If you have water on the brain 24/7 like us here at IrriGator you know very well that renowned author/journalist Cynthia Barnett joined UF’s College of Journalism and Communications this year as a Hearst Visiting Professional. Author of the water-focused classics Mirage and Blue Revolution, Ms. Barnett is teaching two Environmental Journalism courses this semester and, as chance would have it, we’re enrolled in both.

Cynthia Barnett and Mackenzie Boyer: listen to the interview below 

Learning from the Pros

I should clarify. Graduate student Mackenzie Boyer is enrolled in both courses. I’m only taking part in the hour-long survey course. Nevertheless, our objective is the same: dive into sundry works of environmental journalism with an expert guide to learn about effective communication techniques.

The Interview

Recently, Cynthia Barnett was kind enough to grant IrriGator a short interview. We were interested in Ms. Barnett’s thoughts on and approach to this new teaching venture as well as her highly anticipated new book, and she more than satisfied our curiosity. Special thanks to Mackenzie Boyer who put on her reporter’s hat to capture this audio.

Hot tip: if you live in North Florida, clear your calendar for April 26^th. This is when the book release celebration for Cynthia Barnett’s Rain: A Natural and Cultural History takes place in Gainesville. Listen above for further details.