Campfire Stories Volume II: Tales from America’s National Parks and Trails

by Ilyssa Kyu, Dave Kyu (Editor), J. Drew Lanham (Foreword)

A lively, thought-provoking collection of essays and poems that represent diverse perspectives on national parks and trails. -- Kristen Rabe ― Foreword Reviews

Features stories from Grand Canyon, Everglades, Olympic, Glacier, and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails
Includes a diverse range of writers

Inspired by America’s beloved national parks, Campfire Stories Volume II is a collection of modern prose, poetry, folklore, and more, featuring commissioned, new, and existing works from a diverse group of writers who share a deep appreciation of the natural world. While the original Campfire Stories captured many historic tales reflecting the first 100 years of the National Park Service, this completely new collection, focused on five different parks (plus two long-distance trails), depicts the parks as we know and experience them today.


Contributors represent a range of rich and diverse voices, including from the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Award winners such as Lauret Savoy, Rae DelBianco, and Terry Tempest Williams; newer voices including Derick Lugo, Rosette Royale, and Ed Bok Lee; and even a poet laureate, Rena Priest--all share their unique perspectives on our national parks and trails. These new campfire stories revel in each park’s distinct landscape and imaginatively transport the reader to the warm edge of a campfire ring.

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories, Travel, Essays, Book Club, Outdoors, Poetry

320 pages, Hardcover

Published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Maria]

I love our national parks so I enjoyed these short stories and poems about them (some more than others).

[Adam C]

Cute. A fun read to go over a short story per day or so. Romanticizes (in a good way) nature and the national parks.

[Marmot]

Neat concept, fun to read while visiting the parks within. I wish the art at the beginning of the section for each park were printed in colour, that would have really added to my enjoyment of it

[Margo]

My summary - more short stories from different national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Everglades, Olympic, Glacier, Joshua Tree, as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Crest Trail. I enjoyed these the most.

[Nancy Lewis]

Essays and poetry from Grand Canyon, Everglades, Olympic, Glacier, and Joshua Tree National Parks, and the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails.

[Jared Jones]

I liked the first book so much I bought this second one before finishing the first one, as soon as I saw it at the Yosemite bookstore. It’s the same thing as the last one; a collection of hiking stories, Native American tales, poems, and other short stories, but this time surrounding 5 national parks AND the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails. These last two add some spice to the stories, and are distinct from the other ones; focusing more on the journey than the location by nature of the setting. No reason not to get this if you liked the first one.