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A Darker Wilderness

Black Nature Writing from Soil to Stars
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Darker Wilderness is a vibrant collection of personal and lyric essays that engage with archival objects of Black history to explore the intricate relationship between Black people and nature in the United States. Writers reflect on themes such as the politics of nature, environmental justice, and resilience through stories spanning centuries and geography. Contributions include reflections on Benjamin Banneker's almanac, Haitian revolutionary Francois Makandal's statue, and civil rights demonstrations, revealing how Blackness is woven deeply into the natural world despite histories of colonialism and systemic racism.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This collection will resonate with readers interested in Black history, environmental justice, and cultural studies, as well as those drawn to lyrical essays blending personal narrative with archival research. It appeals to an audience seeking nuanced explorations of nature's significance in the Black American experience and lovers of thoughtful, literary nonfiction.

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"A vibrant collection of personal and lyric essays in conversation with archival objects of Black history and memory"--

  • Galley campaign, with galleys available for major media, nonfiction media, environmental media, Black-led media, regional (Minnesota) media, influential authors, social media influencers, booksellers and librarians; digital galleys available for download on Edelweiss
  • Major and academic media outreach, positioning this as an exciting chorus of voices writing on a subject too often overlooked in literature
  • Bookseller and librarian galley outreach, targeting regional stores, as well as BIPOC-owned stories and libraries seeking to diversify inventory
  • Capsule podcast featuring interviews with contributors produced by author; episodes released leading up to publication and promoted via publisher channels
  • Newsletter promotion via the publisher to readers, sales and academic lists of more than 30K contacts
  • Author participation at the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) 2023 conference
  • Advertising in ASLE, MIBA and Library Journal
  • Launch event in Minneapolis in collaboration with the Weisman Museum
  • Reader's Guide available for download

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2023

Recommended Read for 2023

A Ms. Magazine Most Anticipated Book of 2023

A vibrant collection of personal and lyric essays in conversation with archival objects of Black history and memory.

What are the politics of nature? Who owns it, where is it, what role does it play in our lives? Does it need to be tamed? Are we ourselves natural? In A Darker Wilderness, a constellation of luminary writers reflect on the significance of nature in their lived experience and on the role of nature in the lives of Black folks in the United States. Each of these essays engages with a single archival object, whether directly or obliquely, exploring stories spanning hundreds of years and thousands of miles, travelling from roots to space and finding rich Blackness everywhere.

Erin Sharkey considers Benjamin Banneker's 1795 almanac, as she follows the passing of seasons in an urban garden in Buffalo. Naima Penniman reflects on a statue of Haitian revolutionary Francois Makandal, within her own pursuit of environmental justice. Ama Codjoe meditates on rain, hair, protest, and freedom via a photo of a young woman during a civil rights demonstration in Alabama. And so onβ€”with wide-ranging contributions from Carolyn Finney, Ronald Greer II, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Sean Hill, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Glynn Pogue, Katie Robinson, and Lauret Savoyβ€”unearthing evidence of the ways Black people's relationship to the natural world has persevered through colonialism, slavery, state-sponsored violence, and structurally racist policies like Jim Crow and redlining.

A scrapbook, a family chest, a quiltβ€”and an astounding work of historical engagement and literary accomplishmentβ€”A Darker Wilderness is a collection brimming with abundance and insight.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as a Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2023, A Darker Wilderness fills critical gaps in literature by centring Black experiences in the American landscape. Reviewers highlight its range from tender essays to forceful calls to action, describing it as imaginative, joyful, and revelatory. Foreword Reviews and Kirkus Reviews awarded it starred reviews for its profound connections among family, nature, aspiration, and loss, while the Minneapolis Star Tribune acknowledges its role in expanding the narrative of Black attachment to wilderness.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781571313904

Publisher: Milkweed Editions

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 March 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Milkweed Editions

Illustration: Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Edited by Erin Sharkey

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 165.0mm

Height: 215.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 240

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Non-Fiction Science & Nature

About the Author

Erin Sharkey is a writer, arts and abolition organizer, cultural worker, and film producer based in Minneapolis. She is the cofounder, with Junauda Petrus, of an experimental arts collective called Free Black Dirt and is the producer of film projects including Sweetness of Wild, an episodic web film project, and Small Business Revolution (Hulu), which explored challenges and opportunities for Black-owned businesses in the Twin Cities in the summer of 2021. Sharkey has received fellowships and residencies from the Loft Mentor Series, VONA/Voices, the Givens Foundation, Coffee House Press, the Bell Museum of Natural History, and the Jerome Foundation. In 2021, Sharkey was awarded the Black Seed Fellowship from Black Visions and the Headwaters Foundation. She has an MFA in creative writing from Hamline University and teaches with the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.

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