The Nevada Theatre will host a special screening of “O Mother Gaia: The World of Gary Snyder” on Sunday, February 8 at 2 p.m., offering audiences a rare and intimate portrait of Pulitzer Prize\u2013winning poet, essayist, and environmental activist Gary Snyder. This screening coincides with celebrations of Snyder\u2019s 95th birthday and honors a life devoted to poetry, ecological awareness, and spiritual inquiry.<\/p>\n
“O Mother Gaia” is the first feature-length film to document Snyder\u2019s life and work. Filmmaker Colin Still skillfully assembled and remastered the documentary from his original 16mm footage shot in the 1990s for British television, creating a visually rich and deeply personal self-portrait of one of America\u2019s most influential literary voices. Famously private and elusive, Snyder reveals himself here through his poems, reflections, and lived connection to the natural world.<\/p>\n
Filmed on location at Snyder\u2019s Kitkitdizzie \/ Ring of Bone Zendo home in the Sierra Nevada\u2014as well as other landscapes central to his life and writing\u2014the film captures the rhythms of a life rooted in place, practice, and ecological responsibility. Archival footage from the 1950s and 1960s provides historical context, while contemporary readings and commentary by Peter Coyote, Jane Hirshfield, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Shoemaker, and Michael McClure illuminate Snyder\u2019s enduring influence on poetry, counterculture, and environmental thought. The film also features a moving and rare interview with Snyder\u2019s late wife, Carole Koda.<\/p>\n
Born in 1930, Gary Snyder emerged as a key figure of the Beat Generation while forging a path uniquely his own\u2014one that bridged Zen Buddhism, bioregionalism, labor, wilderness, and ancient myth. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1975 for “Turtle Island,” a landmark collection that helped define modern environmental literature. Across decades of writing and activism, Snyder has consistently challenged readers to reconsider humanity\u2019s relationship with the natural world.<\/p>\n
On the occasion of Snyder\u2019s ninety-fifth birthday, “O Mother Gaia: The World of Gary Snyder” stands as an intimate, thoughtful, and timely tribute to a poet whose work feels more essential than ever. This one-day screening at the historic Nevada Theatre offers a unique opportunity to experience the life and legacy of a visionary voice in American letters.<\/p>\n
Know & go<\/strong><\/p>\n WHO:<\/strong> Paul Emery & the Nevada City Film Festival present<\/p>\n WHAT:<\/strong> O Mother Gaia: The World of Gary Snyder film screening<\/p>\n WHEN:<\/strong> Sunday, February 8, 2:00pm<\/p>\n WHERE:<\/strong> Nevada Theatre, Nevada City, California<\/p>\n COST:<\/strong> $20 General Admission<\/p>\n TICKETS:<\/strong> Available at https:\/\/paulemerymusic.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n