Hearth

Praise for Hearth

“A simmering collection of 32 provocative and stunning works . . . Ultimately, this profound and radiant volume reveals that hearths take many forms, including a book.”—Booklist

“[A] remarkable new collection . . . ‘We live within a blaze of transience both inevitable and complete,’ writes Jane Hirshfield. Hearth captures both the evanescence of that blaze and its enduring power to heal us.”—World Literature Today

“Astounding, gorgeous . . . From front cover to back, Hearth is a visually and intellectually stimulating collection, always beautiful, but equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking.”—Missoulian

“A wide-ranging anthology devoted to the idea and symbol of the hearth, a traditional centerpiece of the home, the collection avoids nostalgia and deals squarely with how community and place can be approached and enacted in a world torn by immigration crises, climate change, and inequality.”—Stephen Sparks, Literary Hub

“Here is a book for our real or imagined hearths, prompting us to discover and redefine them. . . . Hearth serves as a guide and a tribute to our collective struggles and the many possibilities of home.”—Arkansas International

“Thought-provoking, meditative, mournful, and comforting for readers who seek a connection to purpose and meaning, the anthology acts as a hearth of its own.”—Publishers Weekly

“The wisdom, compassion, and humanity in these pages are powerful medicine for our time. It’s not necessary to begin at the beginning, but I did. I started with W. S. Merwin’s beautiful poem and the rest of the essays seeped in where Merwin made his skillful soul-opening into my heart. By the time I put this gorgeous collection of writing down, I was flooded with both the balm of compassion and instructions for how to go forward, both.” —Alexandra Fuller, author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight

“Some of my favorite people on Earth are in this book, dear writers and grand spirits at whose hearths I long to sit. And there are writers who are new to me, fascinating people whose lives vivify how very much about human existence still remains to be learned.”—Annie Dillard

“The first hearth, I suppose, before humans controlled fire, was the body heat of a she-wolf or a bear, curled in her den, offering nurture to shivering pups or cubs. These fine writers take it from there. Wolves don’t need fire, as Barry notes. But they and we all need something like it—a focus, a refuge, a source.”—David Quammen