O-Horizon: Care/Work on American Soil

Join us for a talk with 2025 PMRCAA Resident Dr. Josh Anderson in conversation with biologist and geologist Jordana Anderson.

Date: May 3rd

Time: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Location: Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture

In 2023, Dr. Josh Anderson left his career as a literature professor at the University of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut to return home to rural North Dakota. Today, he leads soil conservation efforts in his home county, which has lost over 50% of its topsoil (and its population) since Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962. Dr. Anderson also provides in-home care for his dad, who has battled multiple sclerosis since 1998.

Event Highlights:

• Author Talk: Dr. Anderson's forthcoming book O-Horizon: Care/Work on American Soil ponders the essential questions: “How is soil erosion related to my dad’s deteriorating body? Is the loss of American soil related to our eroding faith in American democracy and institutions? Is soil erosion linked to my own eroding faith in the stories about rural America?”

• Q&A with Dr. Anderson and his sister, Jordana Anderson, a biologist and geologist for NatureServe. Together Josh and Jordana will discuss how care work for their father has inspired them to work with and care for the land.

• Writing with the land: Dr. Anderson may lead the planting of native grasses and forbs in the Pine Meadow Ranch pasture to close out the evening.

This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited so registration is required.

About the Speakers:

Joshua T. Anderson is a writer from rural North Dakota. His recent work appears in North American Review, Open Space, Essay Daily, Iowa Capital Dispatch, and Mary Swander's Emerging Voices. He is the host of Common Ground: A Prairie Podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

As a Spatial Data Analyst at NatureServe, Jordana Anderson manages and analyzes spatial data on at-risk species and ecosystems. Jordana has a diverse background in ecology, geology, and geospatial science. Through both her lab and fieldwork, she has found great joy in linking the smallest parts of a system back to the whole process. Her interdisciplinary education and experiences have given her the unique ability to contemplate ecosystem change on a temporal scale ranging from decades to millions of years. Jordana completed her GIScience graduate certification through Oregon State University, where she completed an internship with the Oregon Bee Project creating novel geospatial workflows. She obtained her B.A. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology along with her B.S. in Geology from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Jordana resides in Central Oregon with her family where they enjoy exploring the diverse environments across the state.

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