The Marlys and Peter Fritzell Writing Prize

Established in 2023 by Harold and Mary Donn Jordan to honor their mentors at Lawrence University, Marlys and Peter Fritzell, The Marlys and Peter Fritzell Writing Prize recognizes the best analytical essay and/or creative writing related to nature or the environment. Peter Fritzell was a beloved English professor at Lawrence from 1966-2003, a recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award (1988), and the Patricia Hamar Boldt Professor of Liberal Studies (1989-2003). His scholarship includes the influential book Nature Writing and America and a highly acclaimed essay on Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. Hope Until Motioned Otherwise: Marling, Man, and Trailheads is a tramp through the expertly rendered landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as a journey through music, yearning, and relationship. The essay is inventively sectioned off by "trail markers," each one a signpost to the narrator's memories of a place and a love.