About the Book
Finding the extraordinary in nature’s ordinary
Georgann Eubanks offers readers a tour of the seasonal joys of ecosystems in the Southeast. The ordinary destinations and events she explores are scattered across seven states and include such wonders as a half-million purple martins roosting on an island in a South Carolina lake, the bloom of thirty acres of dimpled trout lilies in a remote Georgia forest, gnat larvae that glow like stars on the rock walls of an obscure Alabama canyon, and the overnight accumulation of elaborately patterned moths on the side of a North Carolina mountain cabin.
These phenomena and others reveal how plants, mammals, amphibians, and insects are managing to persevere despite pressures from human invasion, habitat destruction, and climate change. Their stories also shine a light on the efforts of dedicated scientists, volunteers, and aspiring young naturalists who are working to reverse losses and preserve the fabulous ordinary that’s still alive in the fields, forests, rivers, and coastal estuaries of this essential and biodiverse region.
Praise for the Fabulous Ordinary
“A catalogue of nature’s beauty that is also devoid of naive sentimentality. . . . [T]o call this book a simple field guide would be to overlook the questioning nature and admirable self-doubt that are hallmarks of Eubanks’s writing.”—North Carolina Literary Review
“One of Eubanks’ great skills is writing about things that might seem simple or ordinary but are too important not to explain and celebrate. . . . With the help of her photographer, Donna Campbell, she takes you there by describing important sights along the way as she introduces people who care about [these The Fabulous Ordinary] places.”—DG Martin, ChapelBoro
“The Fabulous Ordinary encourages parents and children to appreciate, observe, and do what they can to preserve the natural world. Eubanks provides numerous examples, weaving her own experiences being guided and interviewing experts. The sites described are accessible to anyone who has interest, curiosity, passion, and adaptability. An absolute delight.”—Gail Fishman, author of Journeys through Paradise: Pioneering Naturalists in the Southeast
About Rural Astronomy
Rural Astronomy celebrates an adventurous life through poetry that is both personal and universal, reflective and prescient. These poems shift between childhood memories and contemporary observations of the ongoing clash between Nature and human entitlement. With incisive vision and an occasional poke at the patriarchy, this memoir-in-poems hints at the magnitude of future degradations-by climate and human character-while inviting us to remember the guiding stars of a simpler past. Learn more about Rural Astronomy at eastoverpress.com
About the Author
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgann Eubanks graduated from Duke University in public policy studies and has published poetry, fiction, and nonfiction over the years. She was director of the Duke Writers Workshop for 20 years, and then launched the Table Rock Writers Workshop, still held each fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
With video producer and photographer Donna Campbell, Georgann has also helped create a variety of long-form documentary films for PBS-North Carolina and other organizations through Minnow Media, LLC.
Georgann is a popular speaker on North Carolina history and literature. Over the years she has served as president of statewide organizations including the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, Arts North Carolina, and Humanities North Carolina. She is also on the board of the North Caroliniana Society.
Georgann divides her time between Carrboro in the North Carolina Piedmont and Little Switzerland, a village on the Blue Ridge Parkway. She serves part time as the literary executor and executive director of the Paul Green Foundation.