By University of Utah Press Wildbranch: An Anthology of Nature, Environmental, and Place-Based Writing Paperback - October 2010

by Florence Caplow

An Anthology of Nature, Environmental, and Place-based Writing is a powerful collection of mostly unpublished essays and poetry by both prominent American environmental writers and exciting new voices. The poetry and essays by more than fifty contributors offer the reader glimpses into places as diverse as a forest in West Africa, the moors of Ireland, the canyons of the Sonoran desert mountains, and the fields of New England, and they reflect the varied perspectives of field biologists, hunters, farmers, environmental educators, wilderness guides, academics, writers, and artists.The collection is an intimate portrait of the natural world drawn through the wisdom, ecological consciousness, and open hearts of these exceptional contributors. The Wildbranch Writing Workshop, cosponsored by Orion magazine and Sterling College, has encouraged thoughtful natural history, outdoor, and environmental writing for more than twenty years. The Wildbranch faculty has included its founder E. Anne Proulx, the essayists Edward Hoagland, Janisse Ray, and Scott Russell Sanders, the poet Alison Hawthorne Deming, and many other notable authors. Many have work included in the anthology.Winner of the New Mexico Book Association's Southwest Book Design & Production Awards for Excellence in the category Trade Non-illustrated.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Essays, Poetry, Environment, Anthologies

Paperback

First published October 31, 2010

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wildbranch is an illuminating and affecting collection of essays and poetry about the natural world. Eco-conscious, spirited, reverent.

Favorite Essays:

"Letter to Douglas" by Tony Cross | In which the author makes the acquaintance of the Douglas Fir and marvels at the tree's magnificence.

"To Liv" by Jennifer Barton | A short yet unforgettable farewell to an injured great-horned owl.

"Aubade" by Julia Shipley | Shipley introduces a seemingly inconsequential road that defined her formative years. A heartfelt nod to childhood.

This spot of blonde grit that isn't a spot, the way the river isn't the same river with water sluicing through every moment, is part of it. But what I pick is the middle of the road where we sank to our knees to look at a broken shell, then lowered further till the sand shifted and filled the space between the back of our knees.

"A Day at Agua Dulce" by G. Davies Jandrey | Comedic yet sensitive. Jandrey offers the only humorous essay in the collection.

"A Pure Color" by Simmons B. Buntin | Through silent conversation with the land and its interplay of light and color, Buntin suggests, greater intimacy with place – external or internal – is achieved.

"Standing Still" by Aleria Jensen | An ode to flowers and bees and their wondrous qualities.

"Then Come Crows" by Cherie Staples | The most playful and speculative piece in the collection. Just one paragraph long yet so moving. Love this!

. . . and still the crows leave their night's haven in pine heavens gathered to by hundreds of gleaming bodies sheening black-feathered crows each evening arguing over where they spend the night raucous cawing diving soaring dashing from pine to pine . . .

"For the Children" by Scott Russell Sanders | Imbued with spiritual undertones, this essay on past grievances and hope for future generations is both a prayer and a plea.

Favorite Poems:

"White Wings Out of Dark Sky" by Alison Townsend

"Between Green Flannel Sheets Splattered with Portuguese Roses" by Alison Townsend

"Leaving Dorland Mountain" by Alison Townsend

"A Leaf is a Book is a River" by Mira Bartók

"Peepers" by Aleria Jensen

Then add the light of fireflies.
I thought it too early - June,
and still chilly - but yes, a blink
over my head, between the trees,
another, another. It's almost
too much, these trembling sparks
dancing to the amphibian choir,
animating blackness, enlarging
my heart.

[Sierra The Book Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely anthology of poem and stories all nature based, many were very moving and complex while others are deftly needed to be read during particular moods in my perspective.
it was a very nice breath of fresh air, compared to the other things that I had to read for College.
if you enjoy nature I suggest looking this one up and reading some of there lovely stories and poems.

[Maria Judnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm teaching several of the excerpts from this text. It's a great, modern look at nature writing and some of the essays are genuinely moving. I was reviewing it on a plane and I ended up having a great conversation about the environment with the man sitting next to me (he's a Mormon engineer living in Seattle who also happens to be an Eagle Scout).

[Katlyn P · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐

Give me more like Jupiter Came Down On Tuesday<3

[Lavvynder Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the essays are good, others mediocre, and some a complete bore. If you're not into nature writing don't bother with this one.