erin martineau

belchertown, ma

contact me: erin dot martineau  at  gmail  dot  com
follow me on twitter: emmnyc

the title for this blog, "one wild and precious life," comes from a poem by Mary Oliver called "The Summer Day."  you can read the full poem, and learn why i chose that phrase for this blog, in this September 12, 2009 blog entry.

i’m interested in food and farming, natural building, creating community, nature, spirituality, politics, technology, social change, art, communication, science, the universe, and the future.  my partner and i just bought a home in Belchertown, just outside of Amherst, MA.  i am farming here, tending the existing perennial gardens and fruit trees, building out vegetable gardens, creating a long-term permaculture design and plan, and soon caring for chickens and perhaps goats.  i am also taking part-time work as a proofreader and caregiver. 

during 2011-2012, i farmed and lived at Open View Farm, a small family farm with sheep and a llama named Lily, where i grew about a quarter-acre of vegetables organically and by hand.  this past spring, i designed and created a new website which you can see at www.openviewfarm.org.  prior to my time at Open View Farm, from July 2009-March 2011, i worked and lived at Bluestone Farm in Brewster, NY, a small farm run by the Community of the Holy Spirit, an order of Episcopal nuns.  while there, i designed and created their website (www.chssisters.org), created monthly e-newsletters, and helped them build a social media presence through their blog and Facebook.

my professional and educational background: i hold degrees in english and anthropology; i've worked in nonprofit and higher education program development, college teaching, and political organizing; and i've conducted ethnographic field research in the netherlands on youth/adult conflict, public culture and individualization.

i had an earlier blog (politmundo) that focused primarily on politics, and the 2008 election in particular. i also post photos to my flickr site.  i use this space to bring together my myriad interests and to see what kind of web they weave.

take a look around.  i hope you enjoy.