Meet Me in the Green Glen is a portrait of Ben, a marijuana grower in California. We met a year ago and through this project have become close. Although marijuana is legal to grow and use in California within strict guidelines, there are situations in which it is still illegal. It is not culturally acceptable to grow or sell despite the fact that many people in the area grow pot and it is a large part of the local economy. There are other marijuana farmers and dealers in the region who make up a small community but they mostly operate alone, they are socially and culturally isolated. The story I am communicating is not simply about pot growing, it is also about the experience of a lonely person and our relationship.

American Literature, in particular Flannery O'Connor and Annie Proulx, have had a significant influence on my work. They write about flawed characters who are in a constant struggle with life and yet have grace. In describing landscape both writers evoke an ominously psychological and emotional sense of place in which the environment becomes a character unto itself and amplifies the aloneness of the characters." —Maureen Drennan

Maureen Drennan is a photographer born and based in New York City. She attended University of Wisconsin-Madison and received an MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is currently an adjunct professor of photography at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York. www.maureendrennan.net.