"Deeply I sat, fixed to the slap, slap, slap of her trot, and the counterpoint thud-plod, thud-plod of her heart, enchanted by a soft percussion I felt part of, floating above the syncopated rhythm like a melody." --Diane Ackerman, recalling her beloved Appaloosa mare
Horses have inspired devotion, awe, and love in their human companions for millennia; in Horse People more than forty acclaimed writers and artists share their own passion for these magical, mythical animals.
Horse People includes deeply moving reminiscences and stories as varied as Jane Smiley's memories of her return to riding and Rita Mae Brown's straight-from-the-horse's-mouth tale "told" by her horse, Peggy Sue Brown. A wide range of artistic mediums are represented as well: Painter Jamie Wyeth evokes dreamlike memories of a rural past; photographer John Derryberry captures the untamed beauty of wild stallions in Kashmir.
Read this moving anthology and "you too will yearn to connect--or reconnect--with horses" (Town & Country).
For thousands of years, humankind has relied on the horse for companionship. Powerful and spirited, yet gentle and trusting, horses inspire both the hearts and imaginations of many. In Horse People: Writers and Artists on the Horses They Love, notable horse lovers collectively celebrate the equine in words and images. Some 25 writers present stories from the heart, including Jane Smiley's account of overcoming a lifetime of paralyzing fear by jumping her horse; poet Henry Taylor's tale of Goldheart, a memorable horse of his youth; and Rita Mae Brown's horse Peggy Sue's valuable horsy advice. Photographs and paintings, illustrations and sculpture--including the work of Tess Gallagher, Fritz Scholder, John Derryberry, and Deborah Butterfield--offer stirring images in both full color and black and white, skillfully capturing the spirit of horses and of those that love them best.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
YA-This beautifully presented collection of essays, photographs, and artwork by horse lovers, some of whom are quite famous, demonstrates the human fascination with this animal. Among the selections are an interview with Dick Francis and a heart-tugging story by Jana Harris. Jane Smiley offers a personal story of panic and fear conquered through learning to jump a horse. Rita Mae Brown's horse, Peggy Sue, gives Ms. Brown's cat Sneaky Pie some stiff competition with the charming and amusing "Working with Humans," told from a horse's point of view. The illustrations provide a view of horses in many habitats, from Wyoming to Baltimore. This thoroughly delightful book will certainly please all those adolescents so aptly described in the essays (wearing the perfume "Eau de Riding Stable") as well as those who wonder what all the fuss is about. Carol DeAngelo, Garcia Consulting Inc., EPA Headquarters, Washington, DC Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Greetings and thanks for welcoming me into your home. Since I write books for both young readers and adults, I've cooked up two long-winded paragraphs.
Kids first: So, I'm the author of some four dozen books for children of all ages. The fall of 2011 brings four new titles: MY DOG! A Kid's Guide to Keeping a Happy & Healthy Dog (the idea go-to dog guide for families); a pop-up book with Robert Sabuda, Chanukah Lights, which just received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly: "A stunning achievement"; The Hound Dog's Haiku and Other Poems for Dog Lovers, illustrated with Mary Azarian's woodcuts; and Night of the Pumpkinheads, illustrated entirely with extraordinary jack-o'-lanterns. Other favorites are The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Poems for Birders; Our Farm: Four Seasons with Five Kids on One Family's Farm (which I both wrote and illustrated with some 400 photographs); A Drive in the Country; Don't Shoot!; A School for Pompey Walker, and Elijah's Angel. (And, yes, there's the Britiish Michael--no "J."--Rosen whose many books are often confused with mine.) For over 35 years, ever since working as a counselor, water-safety instructor, and art teacher at local community centers, I've been engaged with young children, their parents and teachers. As a visiting author, in-service speaker, and workshop leader, I frequently travel to schools and conferences around the nation, sharing stories, poems, creativity, and humor.
Several of my books here show my work as editor/anthologist or illustrator. It has been my privilege to have enlisted hundreds of other authors and artists to create 15 philanthropic books that aid in the fight to end childhood hunger through Share Our Strength's national efforts, or that offer care to less fortunate companion animals through The Company of Animals Fund, a granting program I administered for a dozen years.
Now, for adults. I can start by saying I'm a poet. I went to Columbia from 1979-1981, and received my MFA there. Poems are now collected in three volumes, which are all featured here at Amazon. Moving home to Ohio, I worked as an illustrator (while in NYC, I began selling spot illustrations to The New Yorker and Gourmet magazines); one of my first real clients was The Thurber House, the soon-to-be-restored home of Columbus's native son, James Thurber. For almost twenty years, I helped to restore the home, develop the programs there, and edit much of Thurber's uncollected work. (Those volumes are also featured here.) It was there, I began to edit short story anthologies, commission great writers to contribute to books about dogs, horses, and even VW Beetles. That's also where I started Mirth of a Nation, a three-volume humor biennial that constitutes almost 2,000 pages of the best contemporary humor.
Most recently, I've been working in humorous nonfiction. No Dribbling the Squid features profiles of 70-some of the world's most wayward competitions. (You can see the Web site and Facebook pages, as well.) And, most recently, there's Any Body's Guess: Quirky Quizzes About What Makes You Tick.
Otherwise, my Website has a good deal about my life on the 100-acre farm I share in Central Ohio. Thanks again for reading along with me.
www.fidosopher.com
for lots more about MY DOG!, including recipes, training tips, cool projects, games, and so forth: www.workman.com/mydog
Although one can argue that the relationships we have with our pets is merely an interplay of stimulus and response, those who can describe that interplay in a deep and meaningful way can create powerful portraits of love, devotion, anger, fear and loss. In short, all the emotional responses that you or I would have with another person. The best pieces in this book do just that. In portrait after portrait, each author describes the relationship they shared with a particular, individual horse. Many times, these descriptions are merely reflections of the author's own state of mind, but in a handful of these stories a picture of the animal's personality also emerges. Particularly good are pieces by Michelle Huneven, Gretel Ehrlich, Lucy Grealy and Jo-Ann Mapson. There is also quite a bit of artwork in the book, of uneven quality. The photographs are all excellent, as are the sculptures. The selections from video pieces seem fairly intriguing, but the drawings and paintings are rather middling. All in all I'd say this is definitely a worthwhile read, not just for horse-lovers, but for anyone who is interested in human-animal relationships.
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I always am buying books with titles like the Greatest Horse Stories and falling asleep during the first chapter but this book is different. There was not one story I didn't love and they all had wonderful loveable horses and real people. There are your favorite writers such as Rita Mae Brown and many otheres. This is a mush read book for horse lovers and non-horses lovers everywhere.
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This review is from: Horse People: Writers and Artists on the Horses They Love (Paperback)
This collection is very well done, a classy collection of stories and illustrations. The pieces are all a pleasure to read, especially the Jane Smiley and Henry Taylor contributions. I have found that most books of this kind are either too cheesy or poorly written to read, but this one stands out as a new standard. A great read.
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