The Solace of Open Spaces

Gretel Ehrlich (born January 21, 1946) is an American essayist, poet, and travel writer best known for her lyrical nonfiction about the American West and nature. After studying at Bennington College and UCLA film school, she moved to a Wyoming ranch following the death of her partner and debuted with the acclaimed essay collection The Solace of Open Spaces in 1985. She has received the Whiting Award and Henry David Thoreau Prize, among others, and survived a lightning strike that inspired her memoir A Match to the Heart.