The Man Who Planted Trees

| April 16, 2012

I met Jim Robbins when I followed David Milarch around a grove of Redwoods in Northern California in the fall of 2007. It was a tense shoot (you can read about it here), and Jim’s cool presence did a lot to settle my nerves. We’ve kept in touch, and when he comes to NYC, we [...]

The Giving Trees

| April 12, 2012

Did you read yesterday’s New York Times Op-Ed Why Trees Matter, written by friend of A Life’s Work Jim Robbins? No? Well click the link and check it out. You may be surprised to learn (or re-learn) all the good things trees do for the planet and its inhabitants. I re-learned that aspirin comes to [...]

Happy Arbor Day! A Clip

| April 29, 2011

Here’s a clip I put together just for Arbor Day. The bulk of this clip was shot on our first visit with the Milarchs in 2007. (Please pardon my little artsy interlude which was shot elsewhere.) This is one of my favorite bits of footage and I’m so glad cinematographer Wolfgang Held kept rolling, even [...]

Cloning Redwoods Redux

| April 10, 2011

In your Sunday New York Times, an article on Archangel Ancient Tree Archive’s efforts. On your monitor, a segment from the documentary, A Life’s Work (in post-production), featuring David Milarch of AATA (then known as Champion Tree Project). And while you’re here, why not take a look at 10 Ways to Support A Life’s Work. [...]

Ask the Filmmaker: Turning the Tables

| February 8, 2011

Dear Filmmaker, Actually, this question didn’t start that way. When I first sit down to interview someone for A Life’s Work,  I have a few things I mention before I ask the first question. One of those things is, “If you have a question for me, please ask it.” When we spoke with David Milarch [...]

The Year in Review, Part 2

| December 31, 2010

What were the most viewed posts on the A Life’s Work blog? Glad you asked. The list is a little misleading, because some posts have been up for a lot longer than others, and so naturally will have more views. Still, a few posts are telling, like 2 and 13,  which lit up the stats [...]

Why Would a 21 Year Old Be Interested in A Life’s Work?

| September 14, 2010

Haroon Butt is a frequent commenter on the A Life’s Work blog, so I asked him to write something about why he keeps coming back to this blog. Here was his response. Why do I keep coming back here? David Licata is a friend of mine, yes, and yes I come back here because I [...]

It’s Not Just about Trees

| August 11, 2010

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The next best time is now. Chinese Proverb I’ve received some good essays for the contest (all to my e-mail account, are you really that shy?), but I’m greedy and I want more.  Contest ends this Saturday (8/14). Here are the rules.

A Quote, a Photo and a Reminder

| August 5, 2010

First the reminder. The win free art contest ends August 14. Click here for the details. Now the quote, specifically chosen to inspire you to literary greatness: The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber.  The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to [...]

Why Do I Keep This in My Wallet?

| July 15, 2010

What does this ticket stub from a concert I saw in 2007  have to do with A Life’s Work? Before I get to that, let me tell you that I’m a huge Jens Lekman fan. In case you don’t know, Lekman is a Swedish pop musician. To call him “indie” seems not right. He’s got [...]