Michael P. Branch

The Michael P. Branch Papers are curated in the Special Collections and University Archives, University of Nevada, Reno. Established in 2014. 44 boxes to date. (Collection Identifier #2014-05).

Branch's writing career spans from academic articles to humor essays. His column for High Country News “Rants from the Hill” included 69 essays from 2010-2016, which were then collected into two books, Raising Wild and Rants from the Hill. With over 200 publications and 300 invited talks, lectures, and workshops, Branch's work has aided in founding ecocriticism. A selection of his work in ecocritcism includes:

One of the founders of ecocriticism, Branch co-founded the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) and served as the president from 1995-1996. He also worked as book review editor for the journal ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment and co-edited the series Under the Sign of Nature published by The University of Virginia Press.

Michael Branch received a Bachelor of Arts from the College of William & Mary in 1987 and1993. He received a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Virginia. He currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he is University Foundation Professor of English.

Michael P. Branch (born December 6, 1963) is an ecocritic, writer, and humorist with over two hundred publications, including work in The Best American Essays, The Best American Science and Nature Writing and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. An important member of the environmental and writing community, Western American Literature has described him as part of the "enduring procession of outdoor journalists."