Join us for an afternoon with Jeff Groff as he does a few short readings from his book, talks about his experience researching it, and answers any questions related to national parks at large. He will also be specifically speaking to the "idea" of national parks-what it is, where it fits into the American identity, and how its preservation requires citizens to experience the parks. Books are available for purchase now at the store, with more on their way. This event is free and open to the public.
Yellowstone is a place of boiling mud, shooting water, and thundering bison—a landscape so extraordinary that nineteenth-century visitors called it Wonderland.
In this book, two professors and a group of college students—and a well-worn van named Rocinante—spend six nights exploring that landscape. You are invited to join them as they discover the supervolcano beneath the geysers, uncover the ecology behind wildfires, and grapple with our agathokakological relationship with wolves—and the tragic history of the Indigenous peoples who have known this place for millennia. Along the way, trace the arc of the national park idea itself—from the expeditions that first brought Yellowstone to the public imagination to the ongoing struggles for preservation and restoration.
But this is also a story about what happens when we put down our phones, shoulder our backpacks, and walk into a world that doesn’t care about social media. Campfire conversations replace text messages. Unscripted encounters with wild things replace curated feeds. A place we thought we knew from photographs turns out to be stranger, wilder, and more meaningful than any screen can convey.
Part travel narrative, part natural history, and part philosophical reflection, The Rocinante in Wonderland tells Yellowstone’s story like you have never heard it before—and makes the case that some places have to be experienced to be understood.
Yellowstone is a place of boiling mud, shooting water, and thundering bison—a landscape so extraordinary that nineteenth-century visitors called it Wonderland.
In this book, two professors and a group of college students—and a well-worn van named Rocinante—spend six nights exploring that landscape. You are invited to join them as they discover the supervolcano beneath the geysers, uncover the ecology behind wildfires, and grapple with our agathokakological relationship with wolves—and the tragic history of the Indigenous peoples who have known this place for millennia. Along the way, trace the arc of the national park idea itself—from the expeditions that first brought Yellowstone to the public imagination to the ongoing struggles for preservation and restoration.
But this is also a story about what happens when we put down our phones, shoulder our backpacks, and walk into a world that doesn’t care about social media. Campfire conversations replace text messages. Unscripted encounters with wild things replace curated feeds. A place we thought we knew from photographs turns out to be stranger, wilder, and more meaningful than any screen can convey.
Part travel narrative, part natural history, and part philosophical reflection, The Rocinante in Wonderland tells Yellowstone’s story like you have never heard it before—and makes the case that some places have to be experienced to be understood.
Photo by Molly Humphreys, Piccadilly Posh Photography, Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Jeff Groff is a professor at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he teaches physics and environmental science and developed the interdisciplinary Yellowstone National Park field course on which this book is based. He holds a PhD in applied science from the College of William & Mary. Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Jeff now lives with his family in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and enjoys spending time at his cabin in Hardy County.
The author receives no royalties from this book. All proceeds support Starlight Studio's programs, including field-based experiential learning.
The author receives no royalties from this book. All proceeds support Starlight Studio's programs, including field-based experiential learning.