The River Is Us

For years, midwesterners have paged eagerly throughthe Chicago Tribune, searching for the latest finely wrought piece bynature columnist Bill Stokes. His slice-of-the-season essays are alwaysworth savoring. Sometimes, like tart cherry pie, they are laden withsharp reminders of human shortcomings; at other times, they may remindthe reader of sweet, homemade apple pie, filled with flavors andtextures of a perfect day.The River Is Us offers a caliber of writingnot often found in daily newspapers - succinct, yet rife withphilosophy, nature-driven poetics, and unforgettable metaphors. LikeE.B. White, Stokes has the knack of making "ordinary" events resonatewith detail; like Annie Dillard, he explores the unexpected revelationsinspired by the simple yodel of a loon, the sight of skeletal wintertrees, or a walk through the woods with his granddaughter.

Withthe publication of The River Is Us, the writings of Bill Stokes assumetheir rightful place on the shelves of libraries and bookstores, and inthe homes of thoughtful readers everywhere. There are words for allpeople and all times -- words that must not and will not end of in therecycling bin with yesterday's news.