A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia

by Rose McLarney (Contributor), Laura-Gray Street (Editor), Debra Allbery (Contributor)

Getting acquainted with local flora and fauna is the perfect way to begin to understand the wonder of nature. The natural environment of Southern Appalachia, with habitats that span the Blue Ridge to the Cumberland Plateau, is one of the most biodiverse on earth. A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia― a hybrid literary and natural history anthology―showcases sixty of the many species indigenous to the region.

Ecologically, culturally, and artistically, Southern Appalachia is rich in paradox and stereotype-defying complexity. Its species range from the iconic and inveterate―such as the speckled trout, pileated woodpecker, copperhead, and black bear―to the elusive and endangered―such as the American chestnut, Carolina gorge moss, chucky madtom, and lampshade spider. The anthology brings together art and science to help the reader experience this immense ecological wealth.

Stunning images by seven Southern Appalachian artists and conversationally written natural history information complement contemporary poems from writers such as Ellen Bryant Voigt, Wendell Berry, Janisse Ray, Sean Hill, Rebecca Gayle Howell, Deborah A. Miranda, Ron Rash, and Mary Oliver. Their insights illuminate the wonders of the mountain South, fostering intimate connections. The guide is an invitation to get to know Appalachia in the broadest, most poetic sense.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Art, Science, Southern, Nature, Environment

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

Rose McLarney’s collections of poems are Colorfast (2024), Forage (2019), and Its Day Being Gone (2014), from Penguin Poets, as well as The Always Broken Plates of Mountains (2012), published by Four Way Books. She is co-editor of A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia, from University of Georgia Press, and the journal Southern Humanities Review. Rose has been awarded fellowships by MacDowell and the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences; served as Dartmouth Poet in Residence at the Frost Place; and is winner of the National Poetry Series, the Chaffin Award for Achievement in Appalachian Writing, and other prizes. Her poetry and essays have appeared in publications including American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, New England Review, Prairie Schooner, Orion, and The Oxford American. Rose is a professor of creative writing at Auburn University.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciated the sentiment of such a project, but found the collection of poems lacking. Too often, they used their subject as a jumping point for a diatribe, or a personal allusion unrelated to the natural object that the reader wants to consider.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely beautiful, i loved the artwork and poetry. very special to read while currently occupying this place!

[Ricardo Nazario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contributing to A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia while living in Appalachia meant writing from inside a place that is not symbolic to me, but daily. This book asks writers to attend closely—to land, to species, to weather, to scale—and to do so without abstraction. My contribution came from paying attention to what was already shaping my days: the ways the natural world insists on presence, the way human histories sit quietly alongside streams, ridges, and woods.
Being part of this project affirmed that Appalachia is not merely a setting for narrative or metaphor, but a living system of relationships. Writing within that framework required humility and care—an understanding that the poem is only one voice among many, and that the land does not need interpretation so much as respect. The work reminded me that to live here is to be in constant dialogue with more-than-human life, and that poetry can serve as a form of listening rather than declaration.
This contribution felt like a commitment: to write with attentiveness, to honor the specificity of place, and to participate in a shared effort to render Southern Appalachia not as idea or myth, but as a complex, breathing presence—known best by those who stay, observe, and remain accountable to it.

[Rachel Rosolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Southern Appalachians, stretching from the Cumberland Plateau east to the Blue Ridge mountains, is one of the most biodiverse habitats on earth. A Literary Field Guide to the Southern Appalachians, edited by Rose McLarney and Laura-Gray Street, divides the flora and fauna into seven sections: trees and plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, invertebrates, and fungi.

Aside from being a wealth of knowledge that I forced myself to mete out like rich chocolate, A Literary Field Guide to the Southern Appalachians is beautiful with a three-piece bind, foil on the cover, and—my favorite—a ribbon bookmark. It’s the perfect gift for anyone who loves Appalachia, ecology, and poetry.

See full review here: https://rachelrosolina.com/blog/a-lit...

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned of this book when I happened to go to a local bookstore at the time of an author reading. I'm glad I did. Though certainly not an exhaustive list, the book includes many trees, mammals, birds, fungi and other natural plants/wildlife native to Southern Appalachia. There is a brief description of each, including habitat and range. This is followed with a poem and a black-and-white illustration. Although I'm not really a fan of poetry, I really enjoyed this book. And I learned a lot from it. Or rather, I learned of things that I now want to learn more about.

[Loretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

who knew i would relate to poems about turtles so well

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool premise, really enjoyed having science and art combined. I’m still learning how to read and enjoy poetry personally so creators shouldn’t take it personally.

[Marissa Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book is beautiful. I read it slowly so I could savor it.

[Holly Bracher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

[Cathy Schieffelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific field guide to learn about the flora of Southern Appalachia.