Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree: A Poetic Herbarium

Description

Long haunted by the legacy of her Southern heritage, writer and artist Ann Lewis returns to its tree-lined avenues and meandering side streets in this exquisite reminiscence. Traveling through the countryside of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana, she draws links between the plants she loved as a child and the individuals she encounters as an adult. As she collects herbarium-style "specimens" of the varied plants of the area and weaves them into beautiful, miniature collages, a rich portrait of the South comes to life. Each lovely image is accompanied by evocative, humorous, and often touching prose. Through it Ann Lewis has created a lyrical tribute to the Southern landscape that charms and captivates. Bringing the perspectives of both insider and outsider to her work, Ann Lewis dedicates each piece in her book to a different native plant, letting each reveal its time-steeped stories, history, and lore. Gathered together, they have the intricate feel of a botanical collection. The plants' stories offer the secrets of their lives and of the characters who have lived amongst them. Gardeners, artists, and dreamers - whether from the South or drawn by its lushness - will discover a treasure in this provocative and beautiful homage.

Ann Lewis, who comes from a large Southern family, is a writer and artist currently living in Vermont. Her work is held in the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities, the Green Library Rare Books Collection at Stanford University, and in nu