Tuesday, November 6, 2007

What Wildness is This (again)

What Wildness is This, the new Story Circle Network anthology from University of Texas Press showcasing women's voices on the landscapes of the Southwest, is garnering some great reviews. I've got an essay in the book - it's the thirteenth anthology to include my work - so naturally, I think it's a great book. But I'd love it anyway for the range and depth of the writers it includes, from ones I know and am inspired by like Joy Harjo, Denise Chavez and Barbara Kingsolver to writers I didn't know before and am delighted to meet in print, like Cindy Bellinger, quoted in the second review below.


Here are some recent comments. The Texas Observer writes:
The women who have contributed to What Wildness is this have been given a channel for sharing their clear, and often startling, visions. In doing so, they have carved out a domain of their own.
New Mexico magazine adds:
This is a book where none can escape the truth of the land. These women, more than most, appreciate the experience of a life that is untamed. They show us how to balance duties and dreams until we walk with confidence, knowing how "each step deliberate on the skin of the earth, we pick our way across a plateau strewn with wildflowers and bones."
It's a pleasure to be part of such a fine book. Thanks to the editors, Susan Wittig Albert, Susan Hanson, Jan Epton Seale, and Paula Stallings Yost, and Theresa May and the staff of UT Press for putting together a book that's giving a bunch of feisty and inspiring women's voices the notice they deserve!

2 comments:

Janet Grace Riehl said...

Yes, it is a fine book. I continue to read and gain wisdom from it. I'm glad you are mentioning it and your contribution to it on your blog.

Susan J Tweit said...

Janet,

It's funny how opportunities unfold. When I responded to the call for submissions to What Wildness Is This, I had no idea that my essay would be accepted, much less that the anthology would turn out to be such an inspiring and beautiful book, containing the work of writers that I admire. I'm honored to be included!