I could see us utilizing this book as a commentary or reference book for our high school library. I learned about several new female authors. I think this book would be a little too dry for general audiences to read from cover to cover in our library.
Thanks for the ARC!

This collection of essays affirm many outstanding authors on the loosely defined theme of "wild," such as Rebecca Solnit, Robin Kimmerer, and Annie Dillard, The writing approach and construction tend toward scholarly, which may not appeal all readers. It would make a great addition to college curriculums in multiple fields. I especially appreciated the list of books for further reading at the end of each chapter, which drove me toward wanting to pick up these source materials, though lessening my passion for reading this book. It's a great book for those wishing to expand their to be read list of writings about the wild. #Writing Wild #NetGalley

I can only read titles that can be downloaded to my kindle. Therefore, I was unable to read this book. Sorry.

We all know about Mary Oliver and her beautiful nature poems. So when I saw this book about other women who write about nature, I was very interested.

I didn't know there are so many of them! I have taken note to explore the writings of some of them. I hope there are more scribes who write poems as captivating and wonderful as Mary Oliver's. I do wish there were more samples, especially poems.

As I enjoy biographies, I did enjoy reading the two or three pages about each women.

Thank you Netgalley and Timber Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but I do enjoy reading books about nature, so Writing Wild appealed to me. Kathryn Aalto’s reason for writing her book was to highlight what these 25 women writers have written, their historical significance and the barriers, biases and bullying they overcame to write. It covers two hundred years of women’s history through nature writing, including natural history, environmental philosophy, country life, scientific writing, garden arts, memoirs and meditations and does not aim to dismiss men’s contributions. Gisela Goppel’s portraits of each writer head each chapter. Aalto writes an introduction to each writer and includes excerpts of prose, poems and essays with added recommendations for further reading, plus a list of sources and an index.

Predominantly American and British, some of these women writers are familiar to me, such as Dorothy Wordsworth, Vita Sackville West, Nan Shepherd, Rachel Carson, Mary Oliver, Annie Dillard and Helen Macdonald. Others are new to me, but I would like to read several of their works, such as Andrea Wulf’s book The Brother Gardeners in which she explores how England became a nation of gardeners. Wulf, a design historian, writes horticultural and historical history through narrative nonfiction, borrowing techniques from fiction to make nonfiction come alive. Elena Passarello’s Animals Strike Curious Poses essay collection, which Aalto describes as written with laugh-out-loud humour and depth of empathy, also particularly appeals to me.

One of the things I learned reading this book is the name ‘Cli-fi’. I hadn’t come across it before but of course, it is not a new genre. As Aalto points out it goes back at least to Jules Verne’s 1889 The Purchase of the North Pole. Contemporary examples including Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behaviour. The writer she chooses to illustrate this genre is Saci Lloyd, an acclaimed writer of cli-fi, whose vivid and action packed books include The Carbon Diaries, about the effects of carbon reduction policies. They are gritty eco-thrillers featuring Laura Brown a 16 year old trying to manage life with a carbon deficit card. (3.5* rounded up to 4*)

Writing Wild is a celebratory treasury of women’s nature writing from a range of disciplinary and artistic perspectives from the late 1700s to the present. Aalto describes her book as “a field guide to twenty-five individual trees in a forest of voices” of women writing about the natural world. As a librarian, I am compelled by any book that celebrates other books, creating its own cohesive thread across centuries, and telling a story through others’ writing. Add idyllic imagery, windows into distant landscapes, and you’ve got me once more. Add Aalto’s dutiful excavation and exaltation of historically under-credited women authors, and I’m altogether on board. This book assembles these women authors’ work in one beautiful, succinct, and pleasurable package. It is written for a particular audience -- let’s call them the gardened class. Women of color and working class women authors are underrepresented. Later, she nearly apologizes for the term “ecofeminism” and I wondered who she thinks is left in 2020 who reads women’s nature writing but can’t palate the term. While Aalto could have been bolder, her book showcases the bold writing of others. It has led me to writers whose work I am so grateful to now know. I look forward to widely recommending this book.

Writing wild is a beautifully written celebration of women nature writers. The collection of writers Aalto discusses is wonderfully curated, featuring women from diverse backgrounds, professions, races, and time periods. Each section is punctuated by a list of further works to explore, such as a list of works by the writer just discussed, or other writers/works that are similar. I loved reading about the writers I'm already familiar with, like Annie Dillard and Mary Oliver, and loved even more discovering writers like Robin Wall Kimmerer and Janisse Ray. My TBR pile easily doubled by the end of the book! I love how the author writes about her own outdoor adventures in connection with the women she's discussing, whether she's hiking in England, or canoeing in New York. Reading this book felt like having a conversation in nature.

With brief excerpts of prose, poems and essays and added recommendations for further reading, this bibliographic resource offers introductions to many phenomenal authors well beyond the 25 who are featured.
https://lawrence.bibliocommons.com/item/show/386101119

Writing Wild by landscape-designer Kathryn Aalto is a field guide to 25 influential British and North American female nature writers. Among them: scientists, poets, novelists, explorers, gardeners, and journalists. Aalto describes the context within which they wrote, and key works, influences, and legacies. Chapters are illustrated with writer portraits and include excerpts from their texts. Prepare to be heart-broken by Kathleen Jamie’s poem At the end of my winter.

For Kathryn Aalto, the “beating heart of the nature-writing genre” is the personal essay - and many of the chapters begin with an exploration of the writer's natural habitat: combing the undergrowth for a Mary Oliver pencil; pottering in Vita Sackville-West’s garden, and ascending Scafell Pike in Wordsworth country - Dorothy, that is. There are pretty passages with wild honeysuckle and sassafras, and serious passages on racial and gender heritage.

Writing Wild has put at least half-a-dozen new writers on my radar and in particular has inspired me to read Diane Ackerman, Kathleen Jamie, and Elizabeth Rush. Other writers examined include Gretel Ehrlich, Carolyn Finney, Helen Macdonald, Rebecca Solnit, and Annie Dillard.

Writing Wild is an informative introduction for those looking to discover the best of women’s environmental narrative nonfiction, cli-fi, and nature-inspired prose and poetry. It’s also a reminder to be well-read regarding contemporary social and climate issues. Lovely design details as well.

This amazing book tells us about several renowned women who have written about nature and left a permanent mark on nature writing. I especially liked the list of other works by each woman. This was fascinating to read and would make a perfect gift for another nature lover.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I just love this title and its association to the writing works of some of the most intriguing women writers of their time period. I was familiar with some of these writers such as Rachel Carson who educated the public through her works, especially Silent Spring(1962). She explained in layman’s terms the dangers of pesticides and encouraged a proactive consumer movement. Of course, as a woman, she was attacked by the chemical industry and the government as an alarmist. But her public warnings eventually led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Others in this book evoked similar strength of character through their writings. The author gave these writers the spotlight and recognition they deserved such as Dorothy Wordsworth whose famous brother William used some of his sister’s writing and claimed it as his own. Another example was Susan Fenimore Cooper’s 1850 publication of her surroundings, Rural Hours, where she included the importance of the preservation of trees for the environment. It was also the first book of American nature writings. However, that distinction was given to Henry David Thoreau’s On Walden Pond, which was published four years later. But Cooper’s book was favorably acknowledged and even garnered praise from Charles Darwin. There were also present day writings of such notables as Rebecca Solnit, whose 2014 book, Men Explains Things To Me, led to the popular term, mansplaining. These are just a few examples of their inspiring and emotional writings contained in this extremely well researched book. I think Writing Wild would also be an asset to high school English classes and school libraries.

I cannot overstate the degree to which a book like this--which fills in gaps in the nature-writing canon where women have long been speaking, but never given the microphone--is relevant to my interests. I heard about it months ago, tried to put it on order with one local indie bookstore, failed, but several weeks later was successful in placing a pre-order at another bookstore. So I was thrilled at the possibility of reviewing an advanced reader copy! However, the file is not a format compatible with any reading app or device I have available to me. I have learned not to request e-ARCs from Netgalley that cannot be viewed in the Kindle app, but usually the book's summary provides a disclaimer of same. In this case, it did not, and Netgalley troubleshooting guides have not been sufficient to overcome this obstacle, so unfortunately I won't be able to read and review this book for my followers, though I look forward to doing so in April!

I absolutely loved this book. I loved learning more about these incredible female authors who sought refuge in nature and wrote beautifully about their surroundings in the outdoors.

A wonderful read an introduction to a group of women writers.Women who were strong women who understood the importance of nature.writingin the outdoors,The author has written an informative ode to these female authors and their love of nature in its purest form,#netgalley #timberpress

I have to admit I am a sucker for pastoral themes as a born and raised city girl.
I have never been a green thumb, living so isolated from mother nature and I feel like I have completely severed my connection with the earth.
My observation skills are deeply curbed by the hectic life I lead and this book has opened up a window I've been avoiding for some time. I loved the way Kathryn Aalto created this book and I am dumbfounded by the way poets and authors observed the nature and environment. They really see the beauty of nature and have a keen eye on everything that is alive around us. These women whisper to trees, to bushes, flowers and mountains, read the nature, understand their environment while I stand still, perceptions weakened by concrete, blind and deaf to all signs of the earth.
Here we have a collection of strong female authors and poets, who derive their power from nature itself.
I have to admit I am quite ignorant when it comes to poetry but this book has opened up a new path for me. Leaving behind my prejudices, I have learned a lot, started enjoying poetry and prose on nature more and my TBR list has grown after reading this.