Don Mitchell’s father, Wayne Mitchell, was actually born a Treleven–a very old Cornish surname that roughly translates as ‘the homestead on the level land.’ It’s a name that Don has been trying to keep alive, since his own name would have been Donald Treleven if not for a long-ago legal name change on his father’s part.

Don is a novelist, essayist and sometime screenwriter whose most recent books are THE NATURE NOTEBOOKS (a novel) and a guidebook to Vermont in the Fodor’s/Compass American series.  He’s also the architect and builder of over a dozen low-cost, energy-efficient structures on Treleven Farm, and a shepherd with 35 years’ experience managing a flock of sheep there. One of his current interests is forest management with the goal of enhancing habitat for endangered bats.

From 1984 to 2009 Don taught courses at Middlebury College, primarily in creative writing–especially narrative fiction and writing for film–and environmental literature. Now he devotes most of his time to projects designed to enhance the farm and support the vision of Treleven, Inc.