Established in 2018, TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books.
Bad Naturalist is a memoir about my attempts to
restore native meadows on a mountain in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, about
the obstacles I encountered, the (many) mistakes I made, the failures—and a few
successes—and the discoveries I made along the way.
What boundaries did you break in the writing of this
memoir? Where does that sort of courage come from?
Hahaha,
courage? Maybe it was foolishness! For me, writing a book-length memoir was
something I hadn’t done before, and I was a bit of a reluctant memoirist in
that I didn’t feel comfortable focusing on myself. The only way for me to do
that was with humor, which is how I like to write anyway. I needed to feel free
to make fun of myself. So if there is a “boundary” that I crossed, it’s that
apparently it’s somewhat unusual for there to be humor in nature writing. And I
wanted to bring nature, um, down to earth...for people like me.
Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s
road to publication.
Well, for
one thing, selling my book on proposal was an incredible high point and so
different from the process I was used to, since my first book was fiction. I’ll
also say that there has been a lot of interest in this book, which I really
appreciate! I think the low point was when I was trying to figure out how to
write the book, as if there was some special rule of approach, a key to writing
memoir--and not exactly a traditional memoir, but one that tells a story not
just about me, but about the natural world--a key that I didn’t possess because
I hadn’t done it before. (There is no key, and every book is different. Heavy
sigh.) But I guess it worked it out in the end?
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
Write
about what you’re curious about -- that interest and passion will come through
in the writing, and your enthusiasm is contagious. Don’t worry about writing what
you “know”—but get to know it, so that your reader can get to know it, too.
My favorite writing advice is “write until something
surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?
That I got
it done! I was doing the work and the research on the mountain at the same time
that I was writing about it. Both the project and the writing involved a lot of
uncertainty, a lot of waiting, a lot of trial and error. I never knew what was
going to happen on the mountain or if it would happen when I needed it to
happen, so I hardly ever knew whether I’d be able to write about the aspect I
was hoping to write about, particularly in time for my deadline. The exciting
part for me was often the surprise of seeing what did happen—what grew in a
place, what new interconnections I found. I took those surprises in the field
and brought them to my writing desk, where I teased out further connections
when I sat down to write. I was also intent on finding ways to describe plants
and insects and birds that I hope are entertaining and accessible, to describe
elements of the natural world so that an interested novice like me would be
able to envision and connect with them, and I was often surprised by the ideas
that occurred to me, like comparing a flower to a weird swim cap my grandmother
used to wear. Where did that even come from?
Who is your ideal reader?
People who
are curious and interested in reading about encounters with the natural world
that are written with a sense of humor; armchair travelers who would enjoy
reading about an adventurous endeavor that doesn’t always go right! I think the
book will prove inspiring for those who are drawn to take on an ambitious
project in an area that’s totally new to them; for those interested in trying
something completely new in mid-life; and for readers who like the idea of
reading about someone else’s foibles and failures, watching someone else mess
up in what is still a hopeful story.
Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs want to know: Any
food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I might share?)
Oh gosh,
there are actually a lot; there are a number of food plants that grow on the
mountain that I mention in the book, including paw-paws, persimmon, cherries,
blackberries, wineberries, and black raspberries. Starting in the 1830s, the
apple was one of the most important crops grown in this part of Virginia, and,
as I describe in the book, the mountaintop was covered with apple orchards for
more than 100 years.
I’m always
looking for apple pie recipes to impress the fam on Thanksgiving. This year, on
a whim, I tried a new one, and it was a hit. This apple-cranberry-orange pie, which incorporates caramelized
apples, was in the Food section of the Washington Post shortly before
the holiday. I modified it a little to make it gluten-free, substituting
cornstarch for flour when I made the filling, and I used a gluten-free crust.
And, to keep it dairy-free, I used Earth Balance instead of butter and almond
milk instead of cream. It won kudos all around (even without the butter)!
*****
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