The Hopes of Snakes
City Wilds: Essays and Stories About Urban Nature
American Nature Writing, 2000
The Mountain Reader
American Nature Writing 1998
The River Reader
Grrr . . . Poems About Bears
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American Nature Writing, 2000
(Oregon State University Press)
“A Banishment of Crows”
Journal of Environmental Education
The editor gives three reasons for devoting this collection, the seventh in a series, to nature writings by women. First, he wanted to honor the memory of his mother. Second, it seemed to him that such a special collection was the best way to mark the beginning of a new century, new millennium, and, possibly, a new era in human affairs--a time in which civilization becomes more fully integrated with nature. Third, he hoped that such a unique celebration would further encourage women writers (particularly younger writers) to compose pieces about nature.
This book should meet most of his hopes. The 19 writers whose work appears in this volume bring a host of new views about the relationships people have with nature. Whereas many of the early writings in the nature-writing genre focused on strictly cognitive perceptions of nature, this collection digs deeply into the emotional relationships between nature and humans. There is also more insight on person-to-person perceptions of natural events.
The individual pieces present a wide range of styles but share a sensitivity to people's place in the natural world. There is no way to adequately summarize these pieces collectively except to say that each should be read and savored for the insights it reveals.
The variety of topics covered is broad, as is clearly indicated by the titles of the pieces: ”Moose,” by Trudy Dittmar; ”Mapping the Sacred Places,” by Jan De Blieu; ”Tempest and Staying In,” by Cynthia Huntington; ”High Country,” by Emma Brown; ”Coming of Age in the Grand Canyon,” by Susan Zwinger; ”Chorus,” by Alianor True; ”The Queen and I,” by Adrienne Ross; ”The Faith of Deer,” by Janisse Ray; ”The Illusionary Distance Between Pacifist and Warrior,” by Geneen Marie Haugen; ”Surprised by the Sacred,” by Pattiann Rogers; ”A Banishment of Crows,” by Lisa Couturier; ”Moving Water,” by Kristen Vose Michaelides; ”Grizzly Bear,” by Susan Marsh; ”White Water, Dark Future,” by Carol Ann Bassett; ”A Map for Hummingbirds,” by Ellen Meloy; ”Out in the Desert: Four Views of a Western Town,” by Kate Boyes; ”Selected Poems,” by Penny Harter; ”In the Name of Restoration,” by Marybeth Holleman; and ”The Grace of Geese,” by Kathryn Wilder.
”Witness,” a final piece written by the editor, is a moving reflection about the passing of his mother, the person who had such a shaping effect on his life. I believe that this small book is important reading for everyone who desires to broaden their own perception of our relationships with nature in its broadest contexts.
--Charles E. Roth
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