Gretel Ehrlich, a writer of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, born in Santa Barbara, California, January 21, 1946, writes about such diverse places as Wyoming, China, and Greenland. Her unique point of view on humans and the environment has earned Ehrlich a place among the best nature writers of our time. The collection contains correspondence between Ehrlich and some of these important authors, including Barry Lopez, Ted Hoagland, William Kittredge, and Terry Tempest Williams. In addition to her writing, Ehrlich is also known for her work in film editing and producing, beginning with her studies in film at UCLA and culminating in several productions as well as a 1976 PBS grant, which led to a documentary about sheep herding in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. The National Endowment for the Humanities has twice recognized the importance of Ehrlich’s work in both a creative writing fellowship award and a humanities grant. Besides her books and film work, Ehrlich has also published poems, screen plays, and numerous magazine articles.
A list of her publications includes:
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Geode/Rock Body.
Santa Barbara: Capricorn, 1970.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. To Touch the Water. Boise: Ahsahta Press, 1981.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. The Solace of Open Spaces. New York: Viking, 1985.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Wyoming Stories.New York: Viking, 1986.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Heart Mountain.
New York: Viking, 1988.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Islands, the Universe, Home. New York: Viking, 1991.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Drinking Dry Clouds: Stories from Wyoming. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1991.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Arctic Heart: A Poem Cycle. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1992.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Yellowstone: Land of Fire & Ice, photographs by Willard and Kathy Clay. San Francisco:
HarperCollins West, 1994.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. A Match to the Heart: One Woman's Story of Being Struck by Lightning. New York: Pantheon,
1994.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Questions of Heaven: The Chinese Journey of an American Buddhist. Boston: Beacon, 1997.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. The Horse Whisperer: An Illustrated Companion to the Major Motion Picture,photographs by Jay
Dusard and others. New York: Dell, 1998.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. A Blizzard Year: Timmy's Almanac of the Seasons. New York: Hyperion Books for Children,
1999.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Cowboy Island: Farewell to a Ranching Legacy, text by Ehrlich, edited by Nita Vail. Santa Barbara:
Santa Cruz Island Foundation, 2000.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. John Muir: Nature’s Visionary. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2000.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland. New York: Pantheon, 2001.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. The Future of Ice: A Journey into Cold. New York: Vintage, 2005.
A list of her films includes:
- Ehrlich, Gretel, producer. Jockey.
PBS, 1969.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Autopsy.PBS,
1972
- Ehrlich, Gretel, producer. Journey.
PBS, 1973.
- Ehrlich, Gretel, producer. One-Man Sawmill.PBS, 1974.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Counting on Breath.PBS, 1976.
- Ehrlich, Gretel. Lives.PBS,
1976.
- Ehrlich, Gretel, producer. Laura Gilpin: Portrait of a Photographer.PBS, 1976.
- Ehrlich, Gretel, producer. Herders.PBS, 1976.
From the guide to the Gretel Ehrlich Papers, R21. 1., 1923-2005 and undated, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)
