Esteemed nature writer and finalist for a 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award Rick Bass will read from his works as part of St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s VOICES Reading Series at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, February 16, in Daugherty-Palmer Commons. “Bass,” said one Washington Post reviewer, “has an artist's eye for detailing landscape and conveying its splendor.” The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Karen Anderson at 240-895-2017.      

The son of a geologist, Bass earned a B.S. at Utah State University in 1979 and worked as a petroleum geologist in charge of prospecting for new wells, an experience that formed the basis for his book Oil Notes (1989). His memoir, Why I Came West (2009) was a finalist for a National Book award. He lives and works in the Yaak Valley in Montana, where he is part of a movement to protect the wilderness there.

St. Mary's College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. More than 2,000 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland