Steven Rinella of TV’s ‘MeatEater’ to make UW appearance
Steven Rinella, award-winning author and host of the hit TV show “MeatEater,” will give a talk the evening of April 14 to discuss his outdoor adventures and his life as a modern day hunter-gatherer.
His free appearance, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Discovery Building’s H.F. DeLuca Forum, is open to faculty, staff, students and the public and was scheduled as a result of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “The Land Ethic Reclaimed: Perceptive Hunting, Aldo Leopold, and Conservation,” which was moderated by UW–Madison from Jan. 26 to Feb. 22 and will continue to be offered through June 29.
Steven Rinella
Rinella’s talk, “Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter,” will chronicle his lifelong relationship with nature and hunting through the lens of several hunts, beginning when he was an aspiring mountain man at age 10 and ending as a 40-year-old father of three who hunts in the remotest corners of North America, feeding his family from the food he hunts.
Through each story, Rinella grapples with themes such as the role of the hunter in shaping America, the vanishing frontier, the ethics of killing, the allure of hunting trophies, the responsibilities that human predators have to their prey, and the disappearance of the hunter as Americans lose their connection with the way their food finds its way to their tables.
“In our land ethic MOOC, we heard from people all across the state and around the world, reflecting on how they feel about the land, about hunting, and about the future of conservation. I am really looking forward to continuing that conversation with Steve,” says Paul Robbins, director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, who will introduce Rinella.
Rinella is an avid outdoorsman, writer and television host. He is the author of “The Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine,” “American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon,” and “Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter.” Rinella’s writing has also appeared in many publications, including Outside, Field & Stream, The New Yorker, Glamour, The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Salon.com, O the Oprah Magazine, Bowhunter, and the annual anthologies “The Best American Travel Writing” and “Best Food Writing.”
Following the talk, there will be a book sale and signing with the author from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
“I have several good friends in Wisconsin, and I enjoy hunting there a great deal. I’ve always been impressed with the pride that Wisconsinites show toward their landscape. I’m excited about my upcoming visit, and I look forward to making new friends and acquaintances while I’m there,” says Rinella.
Registration is encouraged but not required; seating will be available on a first come, first served basis.
Rinella’s appearance was arranged by Gotham Artists and sponsored by the UW–Madison Division of Continuing Studies and campus Educational Innovation effort.