Over the years, Terry Tempest Williams, Barry Lopez, and Edward Abby have become favorites. Still, they are westerners, just as Leopold represents the Midwest and Thoreau and Beston represent New England. I asked myself, who are the classic nature writers of my adopted home, Chattanooga, Tennessee?
I looked at my library and other resources and began formulating a list of Southern Nature Writers. As with many projects, my list grew with my reading and research. I narrowed the focus to Tennessee Nature Writers because even that list is growing. I wi
Part One includes articles about contemporary southern nature writers in a specific format.
Each profile begins with an introduction to the author and their works, followed by the URL for their website and other information about the author’s online presence, including video and audio appearances. Each article includes a brief description of the author’s conservation, social, and other concerns and information on works published in anthologies and periodicals. The final section contains reviews of books by and about the author.
I hope you enjoy this cursory look at southern nature writing. I enjoy reading and writing about nature as much as nature observation. I hope you will pick up one of the books described here and journey with that author across our southern landscapes. If you have other favorites, please bring them to my attention.
Ray Zimmerman