Of Woods and Waters: A Kentucky Outdoors Reader

Since the opening of the American frontier, Kentucky’s vast wilderness has cast a spell over those who have walked among the trees of its majestic forests or alongside its creeks and rivers brimming with catfish, bass, and trout. The influence of the land and the outdoors has had a significant impact on the course of the history and culture of the Bluegrass State, from the rugged mountains in the east to the calm deep waters of the western part of the state. Kentucky’s forests and streams are some of the most pristine in the nation, and they have inspired artistic and literary works by such famous Americans as Daniel Boone and John James Audubon. Similarly, Kentucky writers have often expressed their attachment to their native or adopted state through their love of the land. Bringing together fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from many of the state’s most famous writers, Of Woods and Waters is the first book of its kind to celebrate the Kentucky outdoors. It collects the authentic written and visual experiences of Wendell Berry, Bobbie Ann Mason, Barbara Kingsolver, Thomas D. Clark, Jesse Stuart, James Still, Harriette Arnow, Harry Caudill, Silas House, George Ella Lyon, and Robert Penn Warren, among others. A number of the pieces are original to this volume, which also includes art by Harlan Hubbard, Rick Hill, and Paul Sawyier. Featuring both established and emerging authors, Of Woods and Waters blends a range of writing styles and outdoor experiences to create a truly unique vision of Kentucky’s land and life.