Red Rock Stories
Three Generations of Writers Speak on Behalf of Utah's Public Lands
“Utah has been my home for over half a century. Native Americans have inhabited these landscapes since time immemorial. The writers in Red Rock Stories capture that connection in essays and poems that run as deep as the canyons of the Colorado River.” —Robert Redford
“In voices as rich and varied as the land itself, Red Rock Stories converges upon a vision for a relationship with the living land which is both ancient and urgent, a healing vision where the land and the people are linked by mutual responsibility.” —Robin Wall Kimmerer
“If you haven’t been there, these words will take you. If you have, drink these stories, poems, remembrances, essays like rain from a water pocket and remember.” —Craig Childs
“There is no more foundational element of democracy than shared public lands. Whatever we can do to defend them, we must, and then more. In conversation, in thought, in deed, our voices must rise—in good and necessary efforts like Red Rock Stories.” —Rick Bass
“Public lands accessible to all nurture a free people, of diverse cultures, some with ancient bonds to such landscapes. They are not a luxury or a waste. Try running an engine with gas but no oil. Also, please read this book.” —David Quammen
When politicians threaten public lands, America’s writers respond. Red Rock Stories lies squarely in this 60-year tradition—a lineage of fiery and eloquent “battle books” to rally support for conservation causes.
In June 2016, Steve traveled to Washington D.C. with Kirsten Allen, from Torrey House Press. With Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, they launched the limited-edition chapbook, Red Rock Testimony at the National Press Club. They distributed copies to Congress and the Obama administration, seeking to create change with this collection of stellar essays and poems. The 35 writers argued for protecting America’s public lands, for the president to proclaim Bears Ears National Monument, and for Congress to reject the Utah delegation's destructive Public Lands Initiative. A companion website invited all citizens to contribute their own stories testifying to the power of Utah wildlands.
These writers span three generations, and many of them belong to the Southwest’s Native nations. Their call for healing helped inspire a national movement that led to the creation of Bears Ears National Monument in 2016.
In 2017, Torrey House Press published a beautiful and expanded trade edition, Red Rock Stories. In essays, poems, and vignettes filled with passion, wisdom, tenderness, and outrage, these writers bring to life the canyon country of southern Utah. Their words move, soothe, and heal, building to a call to action on behalf of one of the most astonishing places on our planet. This collection of stories surely will become a landmark in the history of art as advocacy.
Contributors:
Bruce Babbitt, Shonto Begay, Alastair Bitsoi, Christopher Cokinos, Jim Enote, Thomas Lowe Fleischner, David Gessner, George Handley, Mary Ellen Hannibal, Amy Irvine, Kevin Jones, Jacqueline Keeler, Brooke Larsen, David Lee, Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, Kathleen Dean Moore, Gary Paul Nabhan, Michelle Nijhuis, Simon Ortiz, Juan Palma, Jen Jackson Quintano, Jana Richman, Sam Rushforth, Lauret Savoy, Karen Shepherd, Mary Sojourner, Luci Tapahonso, Anne Terashima, Stephen Trimble, Mark Udall, Chip Ward, Ann Whittaker, Charles Wilkinson, Brooke Williams, Terry Tempest Williams.
(Torrey House Press, 2017) (The first printing has sold out, and we eagerly await a reprint. As the publisher, Kirsten Allen, says, this book still has work to do.)
Stephen Trimble interview at ORION
redrockstories.org highlights the project and invites you to contribute
