The Alphabet of the Trees: A Guide to Nature Writing

The Alphabet of the Trees is a superb collection of essays about teaching all aspects and forms of nature writing, including poems, field journals, fiction, and nonfiction. It is a practical handbook; an introduction to nature writing, nature poetry, and fieldwork; and a guide to some basic strategies for teachers at all levels. The distinguished contributors to this volume include nature writers, poets, fiction writers, and educators: Eleanor J. Bader, Barbara Bash, Joseph Bruchac, Jordan Clary, Jack Collom, Carolyn Duckworth, Margot Fortunato Galt, Barry Gilmore, Cynde Gregory, Penny Harter, Terry Hermsen, William J. Higginson, Susan Karwoska, Clare Walker Leslie, Christian McEwen, Suzanne Rogier Marshall, Holly Masturzo, Michael Morse, Mary Oliver, Carol F. Peck, Sarah Juniper Rabkin, Charles E. Roth, Matthew Sharpe, Gary Snyder, Kim Stafford, Sam Swope, John Tallmadge, Mary Edwards Wertsch, Janine Pommy Vega, and Ann Zwinger. Their essays present inspiring models from Tu Fu, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Denise Levertov, Matsuo Basho, Muriel Rukeyser, Henry David Thoreau, Rainer Maria Rilke, Pablo Neruda, and many others. The Alphabet of the Trees also includes an extensive bibliography and resource section.

Christian McEwen was born in London and grew up in the Borders of Scotland. She teaches writing at Lesley College, and has worked as a writer-in-the-schools for ALPS, City Lore, and Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Her poems, articles, and reviews have appeared in Granta, The American Voice, The Nation, and The Voice Literary Supplement. McEwen is the editor of Jo’s Girls: Tomboy Tales of High Adventure, True Grit, and Real Life (Beacon), and Naming the Waves: Contemporary Lesbian Poetry and Out the Other Side: Contemporary Lesbian Writing (Crossing Press).

Mark Statman’s poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and collections, including Conduit, The Village Voice, and The Nation. Statman is the author of Listener in the Snow: The Practice and Teaching of Poetry (T&W), and is a recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Writers Project. Since 1985, Statman has taught writing for Teachers & Writers Collaborative and at Eugene Lang College of New School University.