Kathryn Aalto is landscape designer, historian, lecturer and narrative nonfiction writer.  For the past twenty-five years, her focus has been on places where nature and culture intersect: teaching literature of nature and place, designing landscapes, and writing about the environment.  With interdisciplinary interests in science, history and the arts, she has written two books: The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood and Nature and Human Intervention.  She is finishing her third book, a travelogue-anthology of nature writing by women. It will be published by Timber Press in the spring of 2020.

She is an experienced speaker and lecturer whose engaging talks educate and inspire. Her energy, humor, and storytelling have made her a go-to speaker everywhere from universities to the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. She lectures widely at universities, arboretums, libraries, art and natural history museums, garden clubs, and book festivals in the United States and Great Britain.  She is an Associate Lecturer in the English and Creative Writing Department at the University of Plymouth and teaches a range of writing and landscape courses on both sides of the Atlantic.

“In writing and design,” Kathryn says, “I knit narratives with words and plants.”

Reviews of her latest book and her own writing have appeared in many newspapers and magazines around the world including National Public Radio, People Magazine, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune.  Kathryn appeared with Alan Titchmarsh on a 90th Anniversary special on Channel 4 in England and shot a taster documentary for BBC4 as well.  

Her press kit is here with additional info at Great Garden Speakers.  She is represented as a speaker by Chartwell Speakers and her literary agent is Foundry Literary and Media in New York City.

For any questions, contact gardens@kathrynaalto.com.

Praise for The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh

“Lavishly illustrated with superb photographs as well as reproductions of the delightfully familiar Shepard illustrations…an affectionate book written with enthusiasm.” — The Wall Street Journal

“Aalto’s lovely book provides two great pleasures: a visit to the actual wild spots that inform the fictional Pooh world and a chance to slip into our memories of the books themselves.”– The Washington Post

“Beautifully written and thoroughly researched, The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh provides an intimate look into the magic and inspirations behind Milne’s stories, while reminding us of the joy children experience through nature.”–Richard Louv, The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods

“The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh reminds us that the Hundred Acre Wood is quite real and very much alive. Everyone who loves Pooh and Piglet and Christopher Robin will cherish this behind-the-scenes exploration of A. A Milne’s world.”– Amy Stewart, The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks

“Kathryn Aalto has skillfully woven together the geology, geography, history and natural history of the Forest …providing a travelogue, a guide, a nature spotting manual, and a nostalgic glimpse of the past, all rolled into a delightful and eminently readable book, profusely illustrated with photographs and drawings.” —The Garden Window

“An intimate guide to the forest’s history, geology, animals, colours and textures. Tantalising descriptions and photographs invite us to slow our pace, look and listen.” — BBC Wildlife Magazine

“Take this book outdoors, settle into a cushy spot and listen to birds and the breeze as you follow in Winnie’s footprints and see the places that are the foundations to E.H. Shepard’s illustrations, which are as iconic as Milne’s words.” — The Oregonian

“This is a beautifully produced book with an unusual premise that will delight the knowledgeable landscape designer and lay reader alike…Aalto’s book enriches our understanding of the world of this iconic children’s story.” — Landscape Architecture Magazine

“For anyone who has read and reread Milne’s stories, Aalto furnishes a delightful addition to these classic tales, reawakening the childlike wonder and amusement first experienced when reading the books inspired by these locations.”  — Shelf Awareness Reader