Orca biologist, poet-naturalist to headline Eva Saulitis memorial events

Craig Matkin, executive director of the North Gulf Oceanic Society, and Elizabeth Bradfield, naturalist-poet and co-director of the Creative Writing program at Brandeis University, will speak Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 17 and 18.

Their interdisciplinary, collaborative presentations are part of a larger series of events commemorating the scientific and literary legacies of Eva Saulitis, a renowned nature writer and prominent orca biologist who passed away from cancer in January. All events are free and open to the public.

Although most famous for her exquisite meditations on orcas, the Alaskan wilderness and cancer, Ms. Saulitis was a native of Silver Creek with deep connections to the landscapes, ecology, plants and nature preserves of Western New York. Her father, Dr. John Saulitis, was former director of Reed Library, and Saulitis studied oboe at Fredonia.

Saulitis also created two illustrated guidebooks to the trails and ferns of the College Lodge property that continue to be important naturalist resources. The author of four books -   two nonfiction and two poetry collections -  Saulitis also published essays, poems and reviews in numerous journals, such as Orion, The Northwest Review, Prairie Schooner, The Utne Reader, Alaska Quarterly Review and Quarterly West. She was honored with numerous literary and scientific awards.

The Fredonia-based events will continue to celebrate the life and works of the distinguished Western New York native.

To begin the commemorative events, Mr. Matkin and Ms. Bradfield will deliver a joint presentation, “Into Great Silence: Unique Killer Whales on the Brink of Extinction,” on Monday, Oct. 17, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Fenton Hall Room 105. The talk will focus on Matkin’s work in orca biology, the state of orca populations, how orcas are studied, Saulitis’ role in the understanding of orcas and the creative elements involved in this field work.

The author of multiple books and numerous scientific studies on killer whales in southern Alaska, Matkin has more than 25 years of experience studying marine mammals. As Saulitis’ husband and research partner, Matkin can also speak personally to her extraordinary contributions to marine biology.

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, award-winning poet Bradfield will offer a craft workshop for aspiring poets and nature writers from 4 to 5 p.m. in Fenton Hall Room 127. The founder of Broadside Press, Bradfield is the author of three highly acclaimed books of poetry, “Once Removed,” “Approaching Ice” and “Interpretive Work.” Bradfield's poetry has been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, Field, The Believer and Orion, and has been widely anthologized. In addition to working as a naturalist on Cape Cod and marine expeditions, Bradfield is the Jacob Ziskind Visiting Poet-in-Residence at Brandeis University and teaches in the low-residency M.F.A. program at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Bradfield and Matkin will conclude their joint visit with a talk, “Deep Soundings: The Written Legacy of Eva Saulitis,” later that day from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Fenton Hall Room 105. The presentation will explore Saulitis’ writing and how it has influenced Bradfield’s work and the writings of nature writers and poets more broadly. Bradfield will be the primary speaker, and Matkin will highlight the scientific aspects of Eva’s essays and poems.

Additional events celebrating Saulitis’ naturalist, environmental activist and literary legacies will include a journaling workshop and special memorial nature walk at the College Lodge, a memorial tree-planting event at Greystone Nature Preserve, student-led environmental projects, and an art and nature writing contest.

Saulitis commemorative events are part of Fredonia’s 2016-2017 Convocation Series, and are sponsored by the President’s Office, the Faculty Student Association and the departments of English and Biology. For more information about Saulitis events, contact Dr. Jonathan Titus at titus@fredonia.edu. For more information about the Convocation Series, visit www.fredonia.edu/convocation.