“As a writer I am who I read.” ― J. Drew Lanham
I gravitate to writing involved in placemaking and stories which honor the landscape, even a cityscape may have adaptable urban wildlife. If you crave stories rooted in the natural world I have three new favorites to share. At the same time, this is my attempt to connect reading that inspires or influences writing and bring forward a response to my colleague, Theresa Bird. Some time ago I had invited Theresa to collaborate in the style of fellow esteemed Library Blog writers Jake Vail and Dan Coleman; they have made an art of teaming up in pursuit of sharing knowledge and passion for trees.
First, for those who are seeking new reads with a strong sense of place to reconnect with Mother Nature, perhaps even transformative for the characters, I hope you will enjoy the recent novels highlighted below.
The Morningside by Téa Obreht weaves Slavic folklore into a coming-of-age tale set in the near future of a flooded urban environmental disaster with a sense of wonder. Visceral elements in The Morningside include resilient wildlife—notably in the guise of enormous otherworldly “rook crane” birds, pointed support of vegetarianism, justifiably secretive immigrant families facing bigotry and class distinctions among characters, and a dark fairy tale layer. If you're in doubt, please read my earlier piece, On The Realistically Magical Storytelling & Word-Singing Of Téa Obreht, opens a new window. Obreht's powerful storytelling is stronger than ever.
Award winning novelist Téa Obreht is originally from Belgrade, Serbia. As a child she immigrated with her family to escape the war-torn Balkans. She teaches creative writing and champions Percival Everett as one of her best teachers.
Prairie Edge by Conor Kerr is a vivid and relatable contemporary Indigenous western. The heroes are two cousins in their twenties with Métis heritage from very different backgrounds. Isidore “Ezzy” struggles after he endured foster care and Grey Ginther is a confident college grad woman and mighty influential in the activist scene. They team up to move bison from nearby parkland into the downtown Edmonton river valley, capital city of Alberta, Canada. This risky heist is a slow burn of fury and ultimately causes extreme suffering; brace yourself for some violence, wise resilience, and realistic optimism. Bringing bison back to the land is an act of land back reclamation deeply rooted in wisdom and provocative intention that lyrically sings from a poet's heart.
Prairie Edge is is dedicated to "Those who fight every single day with all their strength to make this world a better place for Indigenous Peoples" and is currently shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize and the 2024 Writer’s Trust Atwood Gibson Fiction Award.
Author Conor Kerr is Métis and Ukrainian and an acclaimed novelist and poet based in Edmonton, Alberta. He teaches creative writing at the University of Alberta.
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering centers remote wilderness and sensory-rich danger on a Pennsylvania mouintainside during the 1980s Reagan era. This suspenseful Appalachian gothic mystery-thriller features tough and complex teen siblings Sheila and Angie; each mired by their own dark obsessions. Angie is just twelve-years old and yet anticipates a Russian invasion, prepares to join the army by practicing her own training regimen, and is intuitively driven to create handmade monster tarot cards. Sheila is five years older, stoic and snarled with a deep need for control; she does most of the household chores, including caring for the rabbits they harvest for food. She also has an eating disorder and a secret heartrending crush on her classmate Juanita. Rendered with empathy, resilience, and wit, this story will compel readers to rethink what is happening in the forest unseen! The mountain is omniscient witness as two women hikers are brutally murdered at their campsite just off the Appalachian Trail. Angie becomes amateur sleuth to solve the murders.
And I am compelled to share a blurb about Smothermoss from local writer and KU professor Kij Johnson, opens a new window: "Rich, strange, and beautiful, simultaneously eerie and so very honest. An exciting first novel."
Author Alisa Alering uses pronouns they/them and grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania. A former librarian and science/technology reporter, they currently teach fiction workshops. This is Alering's debut novel which is dedicated to their "beloved mountain".
Now, to continue the conversation about writing which Theresa began with "Part I: Writing For Its Own Sake, opens a new window". Read on for my responses to Theresa's questions.
When did you first realize you enjoyed writing?
I was in 6th grade, I believe. I don't remember what prompted me exactly, but I vividly remember riding the bus to school and a short poem came into my thoughts; it was an ode to the regal sun!
Why do you like to write?
In my junior and senior year of high school I had the good fortune to have Mrs. Carolyn Jeter as my English teacher; she sent letters home to report students' evaluations and progress to our parents or guardians. When my mom showed me Mrs. Jeter's first letter about my book reports, that she believed I had more writing potential than my efforts thus far, this was such a powerful motivator! And my mom was inspired to recommend some interesting books to me such as a biography or fictionalized biography of Isadora Duncan.
As an adult my writing is iterative and I gather inspiration and validation like a squirrel preparing for the winter. One such treasure came from poet Jerico Brown; he shared when he visited and spoke in Lawrence years ago that he sends emails to himself as he's writing then assembles the text into a cohesive structure.
If you are an aspiring writer and hoping to unveil your own literary creations, consider pursuing The Langston Hughes Creative Writing Awards, jointly sponsored by The Lawrence Arts Center and The Raven Book Store. Authors of both poetry and prose are welcome; The 2025 submissions deadline is December 24. Learn more at langstonhughesaward.submittable.com, opens a new window
And next spring I hope you’ll plan to join Daniel Wildcat and more local authors and artists on Earth Day for the 4th annual Wakarusa Wetlands Celebration. We’ll be at the Medicine Wheel Earth Work on the south grounds of the Haskell Indian Nations University Saturday morning, April 19, 2025. If there is inclement weather, our backup date is Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Feeling connected to the Wakarusa and Kansas (Kaw) Rivers, I want to honor and express gratitude to the local traditional Indigenous lands of the Dakota, Delaware (Lenape), Kansa (Kaw), Kickapoo, Lakota, Osage, Sac and Fox, Shawnee, and actually hundreds more tribes who find connection here with Haskell Indian Nations University. As Ken Lassman (author of Wild Douglas County, opens a new window and Kaw Valley Almanac, opens a new window) noted: “Haskell Indian Nations University is the United Nations of tribes, with members of hundreds of tribes coming here over the lifetime of its existence.”
Acknowledgements
My gratitude to each of the authors and publishers for sharing advance access to review each book.
Appreciation to Denise Low, opens a new window for helping me acknowledged each Indigenous tribe by their preferred name.
Finally, this post is my respectful and heartfelt thank you to Theresa Bird, opens a new window!
-Shirley Braunlich is a Readers’ Services Assistant and Theresa Bird is an Information Services Assistant at Lawrence Public Library.
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