"The true facts are to be found in nature itself." - Professor Nils-Axel Mörner
"Ideas about our relationship with nature...[are] confused by wish, want-to-be, and imaginary worlds that have never existed." – from Strange Encounters, by Daniel B. Botkin
"Given enough ingenuity, a scientist can make practically any scheme sound plausible." - from The Life of an Oak, An intimate Portrait, by Glenn Keator
"...it is important in our lives to take the long view and understand that streaks and other patterns that don't appear random can indeed happen by pure chance." - from The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, by Leonard Mlodinow
River landings are places where folks may stop for a while to exchange goods, passengers, news, stories, and opinions from upstream, downstream, and elsewhere. They are intersections or meeting places of the past and present, 
pointing the way, like an arrow, to some unknowable future; perhaps providing guidance for a time or shelter from a storm. It is my intention that these occasional notes, stories, and essays may function in a similar manner, providing provisions of ideas for further contemplation and, ultimately, understanding.
pointing the way, like an arrow, to some unknowable future; perhaps providing guidance for a time or shelter from a storm. It is my intention that these occasional notes, stories, and essays may function in a similar manner, providing provisions of ideas for further contemplation and, ultimately, understanding...........................................................................................
Side Channels: A Collection of Nature Writing and Memoir now available for purchase!
In 1994, I began writing a series of nature-related articles for Illinois Audubon magazine. All of the articles centered around some aspect of bird life based on field observations and the science of ecology. Many of these articles had the Illinois River, and to a lesser extent the Mississippi River, as an overall backdrop.
A few years ago, it occurred to me that these river-related articles might be updated, collected together into a book, and made available to a wider audience. But as I began thinking about how these articles might be arranged as chapters in a book, I felt that something was necessary to tie everything together and perhaps better allow the reader to approach the book as a whole. Toward this end, I began writing short memoir pieces that examine the roots of my fascination with rivers and wild areas, and how my perspectives on nature and human society have changed over the years.
The book's chapters are arranged into two parts: River Life and Travel. Of the 30 chapters, 14 are previously published articles; the rest are mostly memoir and other previously unpublished materials. Debbie Scott Newman generously contributed the Foreword. In among the chapters are 14 sketches made by Patti Malmborg Reilly, most of which are based upon photographs that can be found in this weblog’s photo galleries. Discussions of the photographs used for the illustrations will be periodically posted on this weblog and compiled in a special category (see left panel) called "Side Channels Notes."
Unfortunately, Side Channels is out of print. However, hard copies may still be available through an online search. The e-book, with free downloads, is available here.
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Reviews:
1. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science, 2012, Vol. 105, Number 3 & Number 4, pages 153-154, by Dr. Richard Keating, Professor Emeritus at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and Research Associate at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Dr. Keating writes: "This book [Side Channels] should be read by any natural history buff, and by anyone looking for ideas of places to explore, both near and far." Download the entire review: Download Side Channels ISAS 105-17 Book Review 38-print.
2. Big River magazine, Volume 21, Number 3, May-June 2013, page 36, by Pamela Eyden. Ms. Eyden states that "...[Lerczak] writes with both a scientist's understanding and a personal closeness to a place." Web site: Big River Magazine.
3. Illinois Audubon magazine, Summer 2014 Issue, page 26, by Dr. Peter C. Weber. Dr. Weber writes: "In Side Channels, Tom Lerczak has crafted a small gem of a book, which had its origins in the unlikely localities of Berwyn and Lawndale Park...."
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For inquiries: Please send an e-mail through the "About" section of this weblog (see the upper left panel).
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All material on The River Landing is protected by U.S. Copyright laws and is the sole property of the author unless otherwise noted.