Geography of Hope Conference — Ancestors & The Land, Our Past Present & Future — March 17th - 19th, 2017, Point Reyes Station

What kind of ancestor do you want to be? ---Winona LaDuke, 2017 Presenter   As one of northern California’s most exceptional literary gatherings, the Geography of Hope Conference brings together leading writers and activists to the coastal village of Point Reyes Station for a three-day feast of readings, discussions, and activities to inspire and deepen an understanding of the relationships between people and place. This year’s conference is inspired by the words of Winona LaDuke, an internationally renowned Native American Indian activist and advocate for environmental, women's, and children's rights: “I'd like to be a person my ancestors are proud of, and I'd like to be a person that my descendants thank. I think most of us would.”   The 2017 panel presenters are conservationists, teachers, spiritual leaders, poets, novelists, and journalists who use poetry, fiction, or literary non-fiction to express a sense of urgency about environmental concerns and a fierce compassion for the well-being of the Earth. They include: Joanne Campbell; Michael Dahl; Drew Dellinger; Nikky Finney; Lyla June Johnston; Winona LaDuke; Ilarion (Larry) Merculieff; Lauret Savoy; and Brooke Williams.   "This is a time of unprecedented threats to clean water and air, national parks and forests, and to productive farmland," says conference founder Steve Costa. "The halting of the Dakota Access Pipeline through lands sacred to Native Americans at Standing Rock serves as an example of how thousands of people came together and made their voices heard. In the coming months and years, we will be called upon to act to protece our fragile ecology. We will be called upon to decide what kind of ancestors we will become." This conference always sells out. Advance tickets are required. To purchase tickets or for further information, go to gohconference.org.