Wallace Kaufman

Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia | Economics, Science, Environment
Wallace Kaufman

INFORMATION THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

"In sixth grade I wanted to grow up to be a poet, and while most of my writing is prose, I have never given up the idea that every word counts, that the sum of any writing from an economic report to a short story should be more than the sum of its words."

BOOKS ARTICLES TALKS TEACHING

Wallace Kaufman's subjects are as broad as his world of work and travel. He has written books on the social and natural history of America's beaches, how to appraise one's own home, the natural history of the Amazon, the roots and culture of the environmental movement, and a memoir about putting his environmental ideals into practice as a land developer, and invasive plants. His next book tells the story of the Russian discovery of America's west coast, the final voyage of Russia's Great Northern Expedition and the world’s greatest field biologist, Georg Wilhelm Steller.

As a journalist he has written about economics, business, politics and environmental issues for national magazines and urban newspapers. For American Forests magazine he served as book and media page writer for ten years, also contributing major feature articles. He has also written and consulted for several publications in the former Soviet Union.

Wallace Kaufman also provides research, writing, grant writing, and editing services to businesses, individuals and political candidates. He has trained journalists and editors in Central Asia, written political campaign material, edited technical publications, business reports, novels, and family histories.

TO READ PASSAGES FROM ARTICLES AND BOOKS, CLICK HERE

BOOKS
Invasive Plants, co-author with Sylvan Ramsey Kaufman, Stackpole Books, 2007

Coming Out of the Woods: The Solitary Life of a Maverick Naturalist, Perseus Books, 2000. A memoir of the back-to-the land movement and the testing of social and environmental ideals against the realities of living a simple life in a wild place.

No Turning Back: Dismantling the Fantasies of Environmental Thinking, Basic Books, 1994. An exploration of the roots of the environmental movement. Laissez Faire Book Club selection.

Amazon, Image Bank, 1992. Text and captions for coffee table photography introduction to the Amazon.

Finding Hidden Values in Your Home, McMillan, 1987. How to appraise and improve the value of your home. Popular Science Book Club selection.

The Beaches Are Moving, Doubleday/Anchor 1979; Duke University Press 1984. A social and natural history of America’s beaches and a continuing influence on coastal development policy. Book of the Month Club alternate selection.

The Bird Who Cleans the World, 1991, Curbstone Press. Translator for author Victor Montejo. Mayan animal fables.

El K’anil: Man of Lightning, Signal Books, 1984, translator for Victor Montejo, and wrote introduction to this principle legend of the Cuchumatanes and Jacaltecan Mayans. Also adapted the book as a play.

SAMPLE ARTICLES
“Freedom to Choose,” Oregon Humanities, Fall/Winter 2006.

"Caviar Wars," Orion, April, 2003.

"Poppies, Opium and Survival in Afghanistan," Orion, fall 2002 issue.

"Natural Capital" for NPR's Living On Earth, summer 2001.

"Fall Harvest" for NPR's Living On Earth, winter 2001.

“Natural Capitalism,” commentary for National Public Radio series, Living On Earth, July 2001

“Fall Harvest,” commentary for National Public Radio series, Living On Earth, Feb. 2001

“Clear-Cut” in PERC Reports, March 1, 2001

“How America Views Kazakhstan,” Caravan, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Dec. 5, 1997. Article for principle paper of the country, about the developing image of Kazakhstan in the US.

HOUSING IN KAZAKHSTAN: RECENT STATISTICS AND TRENDS, Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 1995 report for USAID

Articles on economics and politics for All Over the Globe, bi-lingual newspaper in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 1995-6. Opinion columns on a variety of subjects from language education to economics.

“Eyes on the Prize in Central Asia,” Chronicles, April 1995. Background and prediction about the role ethnic forces would play in Kazakhstan.

“The Cost of ‘Saving’”, American Forests, November 1993. An analysis of private property issues in environmental regulation.

“A Case for Technofix,” American Forests, July 1993. The role of technology in environmental improvement.

“The Electronic Campout: High-tech Trekking Keeps Nature Intact,” Omni, June 1993. Original ideas of the author for using electronics and interactive devices for unobtrusive visits to popular habitats.

"How Nature Really Works," American Forests, March 1993. The difference between the dynamic ecology scientists study and the “balance” perception popular among environmentalists.

"Developing Paradise," Orion, summer 1991. The story of a Caribbean developer with pretensions to do environmentally sound development on St. John.

"Radar Imaging," American Forests, October 1990. An explanation of the capabilities of side scanning radar in forest management.

"Zoo in the Forest," Orion, autumn, 1990. Feature on environmental education at a unique Mexican zoological park and institute.

“Getting the Story Straight: Scientists and Journalists,” The Collecting Net, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. The common temptation to falsify or distort data in both the news business and in science. Reprinted in Science Writers’ Association newsletter.

"Saving Central America's Disappearing Conifers," American Forests, 1989. Feature on efforts to save genetic resources.

"Air Pollution and Forests: An Update," American Forests, June 1989. A comprehensive look at what was known about acid rain and forests.

"Nor Can A Country Be An Island," Radio, October 1989. (Moscow). A narrative account of the first US-Soviet joint radio operators’ expedition to the Russian arctic coast.

"Mayan Tongues: Key to Learning for Guatemalan Majority," Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 28, 1988. Feature on efforts to standardize learning materials for Mayans.

REPRESENTATIVE TALKS
American Values and American Foreign Policy, Senior Fulbright Lecture, Kazakhstan Government University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, February 2003.

The Good Old Days: When Were They, first lecture in the Coming Home Series, Easton, Maryland, October 16, 2002

If We Can't Do It, Who Can?, a lecture on the complexity of environmental issues, Environmental Studies Program, Washington College, Chestertown, MD, October 17, 2002.

The Fall of the Soviet Union and Ordinary Lives, Jackson County Library, Grants Pass, OR, April 2002.

Change and Continuity in Russia, Chapel Hill High School history classes, March 2002, 4 lectures.

Rethinking Thoreau, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, October 2001.

Finding Common Ground, Appalachian Multiple Use Council, keynote speech, Jan. 2001.

Aug. 9, 1998. Russia’s Search for Moral Authority, Congregational Church, Sheffield, Ma.

“Free Enterprise Conceived, Not Born,” for John Locke Foundation, published in over ten NC papers, April 1996. Personal experiences in trying to introduce a market system for real estate in the former Soviet Union.

Sept. 14, 1995, "Environmental Policy for Conservatives," Women's National Republican Club, New York City

June 1994. Organized and conducted mock real estate condemnation case in seminar for Kazakhstani jurors sponsored by American Legal Consortium and USAID, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

April 30, 1995, "Real Estate: Kazakhstan's Hidden Wealth," special press workshop, Almaty, Kazakstan. Reprinted in Globe (Almaty, Kazakhstan).

April 14, 1989, "Whose Side Is Nature On," annual meeting, NC Chapter of American Institute of Architects

November , 1988, "Is There a Housing Crisis?" North Carolina Land Stewardship Council

TEACHING
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For eight years taught English and American literature and writing.

Bucknell University. Two terms as writer-in-residence for non-fiction.

Duke University. Two semesters as substitute creative writing professor for novelist Reynolds Price.

Duke University Continuing Education. Designed and taught two sessions of an 8 week long course, "The History of Private Property."

Central Carolina Community College. Adult Spanish conversation.

World Bank/EDI. Helped develop and served as lead instructor for courses on property valuation. Taught in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

International City/County Management. Designed and taught a course on property valuation in Yerevan, Armenia.

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