“Beautifully crafted meditation”

Yes, that is what the reviewer at Shiny New Books said about my essay “The Rainmakers Flood.” One of the editors of the British site Shiny New Books, also said other fine things like this:

“But a brief outline of the plot of this essay doesn’t do it justice. It’s a charmingly interwined rope of connected ideas – snow, mud, rain, damage in its various forms, including war, the seductive beauty of science, the recalcitrant and yet unexpectedly fragile environment.”

She writes glowingly about the volume Notting Hill Editions’ published of the six finalists for its biennial essay prize. It’s the biggest prize for a single essay, and NHE is doing an amazing job of sparking a renaissance for the essay form. All of the winners are deserving, and I’d make a particular plea at this moment for David Bradley’s funny/angry/historical achingly written “A Eulogy For Nigger.” You can read the review here and an excerpt of his essay here.