Ever wanted to build a dirt house? Bake mud brownies on a combine's hood? Touch the first worm of spring? Grow Swiss chard in Da Bronx? You have found the right book. And the right tribe.
In Dirt: A Love Story, you'll meet artists, authors and scientists all daring to set the record straight on dirt's power to entertain and inspire. Read the anthology, grab an old hat, and head outside to get good and dirty.
"This is nature writing at its best." —Boulder Daily Camera
Meet a few of the artists, authors, and scientists who go dirt-wild about their deep connections to soil:
Janisse Ray's "Praise to the Transformers" excerpted in Salon.
Roxanne Swentzell's magnificent dirt/clay sculptures.
Deborah Koons Garcia's elegant documentary Symphony of the Soil.
Peter Heller's dirt house photos in The New York Times.
Atina Diffley driving the Koch brothers off her farm.
Vandana Shiva's soil-loving Navdanya.
Karen Washington's Bronx garden in The New York Times.
Cline Cellars Green String Method of loving great soil.
Kayann Short's blog on CSA farming.
David R. Montgomery's Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations.
2016 Silver Nautilus Award / Ecology & Environment
"Kick off your shoes, dig in your toes, and enjoy!" —Kim Barnes, author of In the Kingdom of Men
Contributors: Elias Amidon Julene Bair Bob Cannard Fred Cline Atina Diffley Deborah Koons Garcia
Eban Goodstein Bernd Heinrich Peter Heller Linda Hogan Wes Jackson Edward Kanze John Keeble
Lisa Knopp Marilyn Krysl Chris Larson BK Loren David R. Montgomery Erica Olsen John T. Price
Laura Pritchett Janisse Ray Barbara Richardson Jana Richman Jeanne Rogers Carl Rosen Don Schueler
Vandana Shiva Kayann Short Liz Stephens Roxanne Swentzell Carrie Visintainer Tyler Volk
Karen Washington Thomas Wessels
About the Editor: A writer, editor, and landscape designer, Barbara Richardson created this anthology to share dirt's voices, tout its accomplishments, and remind readers of its free and constant comforts. When she isn't inside making books, she is outside cataloging the wonders of Utah's dirt.
"Who knew dirt could be a topic of such fascinating diversity?" —Deseret News
Thank you to Tom Bunn for the cracked earth banner photos.