Sisters of the Earth: Women's Prose and Poetry About Nature

Sisters of the Earth: Women's Prose and Poetry About Nature is a veritable treasure trove of women's writing on nature. Lorraine Anderson did an outstanding job collecting a diverse group of writers who contributed poetry, prose, short stories and essays to the book. Her thoughtful and illuminating biographies that precede each work demonstrates her palpable attentiveness to each woman's voice. Sisters of the Earth contains this chorus of voices that include well-known writers to lesser known; I was amazed at the diversity of women found on each page - they include civil/natural rights activists, writers, environmentalists, biologists, poets, and teachers. It's an indicator of the times that many of the women who contributed to this anthology are not readily recognized for their work. For that reason, I consider this wonderful book an indispensable contribution to the (mostly male) canon of nature writing. And despite its inevitable label of "women's writing," this is a deeply humane book.Simply put, I love this book. It's perfect to pick up and read a snippet here and there, or settle in a comfy chair and devour the whole thing. Bravo, Ms. Anderson. Five stars.

I have gifted this book to many friends..so many women's voices from which to draw and the connections to nature and all of its gifts. I keep this on my reading table for morning readings.

I found a lot more than I'd expected in this book. The editor obviously put a lot of thought into her selection of authors and passages from their works. It seemed to me as if these were the passages I would have marked for rereading had I read those works myself. Pretty much every selection struck me as being beautifully inspirational, poetic, or otherwise moving. I'd forgotten how much simply reading about nature can do to lift and heal the spirit. I also learned a lot: I was unaware that so many women have been writing about nature for so many years -- and it was sobering to realize that much of what the earlier authors wrote about no longer exists in our world today.The author bios themselves make for fascinating reading. (You can't help but wonder how your own life would be summed up in a paragraph or two.) And of course, as I'd expect from any good anthology, this collection inspired me to add quite a few items to my "to-read" list. The nearly 40-page bibliography includes very helpful summaries, and lists not just the sources of this anthology's selections but many other works as well.Whatever you might expect from Sisters of the Earth, I doubt you'll be disappointed. There should be something in it for everyone -- and it's a pretty book that would make a great gift.

Sisters of the Earth is a book that inspires one to occasionally separate oneself from our busy, always wired, chaotic world to simply savor nature and consider our place in it.It is a book to keep on a bedside table to refer to again and again.I recommend it highly.

You can get a feeling for how women are tied to the earth and makes you celebrate their feelings and actions re: same. Don’t have to be a died in the wool environmentalist to connect with these writers. Enjoy!

I read the original (1991) "Sisters" and read this edition every year or so. It has been a special 16th birthday gift to my two granddaughters, who are Sisters in the Earth. A must read and a keeper for any woman writer, poet, English major, naturalist.

Bought as a Christmas gift for my dad, who is a writer, and he absolutely LOVES it!!!

Beautiful stories. Enjoying it!

Wonderful collection of beautiful prose and poetry. Well worth the money.