Renee lives at Honey Badger Farm with her husband. They raise happy dogs, honey bees, calico chickens, and a few snakes. And the fairies often visit her Breezy Woods Fairy Trail.
A Little More About Renee:
Renee Simmons Raney (click for a lovely article) had an unusual childhood on her grandfather's farm in Choccolocco, Alabama. She spoke to the animals, interacted with the fairy folk, was encouraged to IMAGINE by her family, and learned to respect even the tiniest portions of the natural world. Most people lose touch with the enchantment…but not Renee. As she grew up, she learned to share this magic with others to inspire a respect for natural landscapes and conservation of wild places and land.
Over the past two decades Renee has developed, implemented and assessed environmental education programs for approximately one million participants through her work as Chief of Education and Interpretation for Alabama State Parks, as director of the nationally accredited Georgia-Alabama Land Trust’s Conservation Education Institute, as the assistant director of Jacksonville State University Field Schools, and as the director of education of the Smithsonian affiliate Anniston Museum of Natural History. She has recently launched a philanthropic project lovingly named "Wunderkind Institute of Nature Discovery (WIND)" which connects people of all ages and backgrounds to environmental education, arts, and wellness opportunities.
She has also performed storytelling and fairy house workshops for audiences in twelve states and three countries. Her book, Hairy Scary but Mostly Merry Fairies: Curing Nature Deficiency through Folklore, Imagination, and Creative Outdoor Activities, was launched from NewSouth Books in Montgomery, AL on February 23, 2017, an honor for her especially since her mentor and supporter was the late marvelous Katherine Tucker Windham whose work is also published by NewSouth.
Renee is the recipient of awards such as the Roosevelt Ashe Southeastern U.S. Outstanding Conservation Educator and Excellence in Environmental Education recognition from Oxford University. Renee is certified through Cornell University in Civic Ecology Assessment.
She has performed storytelling and fairy programs for audiences in twelve states and three countries. Her first book Calico Ghosts, was blessed by Kathryn Tucker Windham who, after reading the book, handed Renee her old black click pen and said, “Take my pen and continue to inspire imagination across the South.”
Alabama writer Karyn Zweifel says, “You might think there’s a little fairy blood running in her veins. She’s quick to smile, a little mischievous, and completely at home in the forest or on the farm. Renee is a born storyteller, combining her education as a naturalist with her love of imaginative play, folklore and whimsy.”
When Richard Louv interviewed Renee’s oldest son in 2008 for his book, Got Dirt? Beyond the Nature Deficit Disorder, Louv said, “teenager Joshua Morrison founded GEEKs in the Woods for his friends and fellow geeks everywhere. He defined "GEEK" as a "Gaming Environmentally Educated Kid," and says he and his friends "Could be the generation that makes a U-turn back to...a balance between virtual reality and what sustains all life...nature and the great outdoors."
One of their most popular outdoor activities to defeat nature-deficit disorder was building fairy houses and fairy trails across the nation which inspired Raney to write her newest book, Hairy, Scary but Mostly Merry Fairies!
Louv has reviewed Renee's new book. His first response was an email that Renee' has framed on her writing desk. It says, "This looks WONDERFUL! - Rich."
You can order your own copy from Amazon! :)
