Introduction
Bill Belleville is an American environmental writer, documentary filmmaker and lecturer.In Search of Xanadu, shown on public television, follows Belleville on visits to various locations He received the Order of the South award, while one of his books (Losing it all to Sprawl) was named as one of the "Best Books of the Year" by the Library Journal. "Salvaging the Real Florida" received top honors from the National Outdoors Book Awards, while many others have won regional honors, including his latest ("The Peace of Blue") which won the Silver Medal in the prestigious Florida Book Awards.
His book River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River (University of Georgia Press. ISBN 0-8203-2156-7) covers the 275 mile long St. Johns River.
Works
- "The Peace of Blue: Water Journeys"
- "Salvaging the Real Florida: Lost & Found in the State of Dreams". 92,000 word anthology. UPF. early 2011. (cloth & paper)
- "Deep Cuba: The Inside Story of an American Oceanographic Expedition (University of Georgia Press. 2002) University of Georgia Press.
- "Sunken Cities, Sacred Cenotes and Golden Sharks: Travels of a Water-Bound Adventurer", A collection of adventure-travel essays, articles and narrative essays.
- "Losing it All to Sprawl: How Progress Ate my Cracker Landscape" (University Press of Florida. Spring 2006).
- "River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida’s St. Johns River" (University of Georgia Press 2000).
- "Rediscovering Rawlings, a River and Time: Filming In Marjorie's Wake on Florida's St. Johns River", a companion to the national PBS documentary "In Marjorie's Wake".
His work on documentaries includes: "In Marjorie's Wake: Rediscovering Rawlings, a River & Time" National PBS release 2009-2010. (Co-produced & scripted), "Searching for Xanadu" Florida PBS Affiliates (co-produced and scripted), "Conch Cowboys" (Florida PBS Affiliates. co-produced and scripted) and "Wekiva: Legacy or Loss?" Florida PBS Affiliates (co-produced and scripted)
He cofounded of Equinox Documentaries a non-profit 501.c3 dedicated to using films and related media for environmental education.
Education and early career
He attended Wicomico Sr. High School in Salisbury, Maryland where he was an all-conference football player, and ran track. He also attended Wesley College, University of Maryland and University of Baltimore.
Belleville was a School Social Worker (SSA) in Baltimore City Public School System for two years.
Other
He is a Scuba diver, volunteers with literacy programs and environmental groups. He was Writer-in-Residence during the 2004-2005 school year at the University of South Florida in its Florida Studies program.