Writing About Writing … and Reading
After declining the nomination twice, I finally agreed and soon found myself elected President of the Chattanooga Writers Guild. What was I thinking? It is not my first time serving in the office, bu that was a while ago. After COVID nearly killed the organization, the now-retiring officers and directors brought it back from the brink and raised it to a new level. The organization is so seamlessly organized that it seems to run itself, but I knew this appearance to be deceiving before I took office.
So, my workload has increased dramatically. Nevertheless, I will continue to produce this Substack publication twice per week. I have meant to keep to a Tuesday and Thursday schedule, but am delayed with today’s product, a bit of writing about reading.
I just began reading Delia Owens’ moving and disturbing book Where the Crawdads Sing. No, I have not seen the movie, and I am not far enough into the work to make much commentary except to say that the author is a skilled narrator. I look forward to hours of enjoyable reading.
My most recent read is Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree, a lovely nonfiction book by the British-American author David George Haskell. Dr. Haskell is a professor at Sewanee: The University of the South and author of four books. I interviewed him for a profile of his works published in The Hellbender Press.
Haskell has published four books, and Thirteen Ways to Smell a Tree is his third. Octopus Publishing Group, LTD, an imprint of Hatchette UK, published the book. Although it is available on Kindle, hard copies are generally not available in the US. Fortunately, Blackwells Bookstore ships free to the United States, and I received a copy a few weeks ago.
From the medicinal properties of quinine with its delicate aromas to the noxious smells of Ginko fruit, palatable only to scavengers, Haskell takes the reader on a journey that includes the delights of campfires despite the smell of smoke to the mellow flavors that white oak barrels impart to fine whiskeys, the tart flavor of limes, and the delicate odor of bay laurel, often added to sauces.
Violinist and composer Katherine Lehman wrote a series of short works to accompany each chapter. They are included in the Kindle version and available on Soundcloud.
Haskell has received multiple awards for his books, including becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction for his first and fourth books. He told me that he most treasured the John Burroughs Medal for best nature writing that his second book, The Songs of Trees, received.