Our national parks are beautiful and unique places, often serving as an introduction to the outdoors and inspiring an appreciation for nature and wilderness. Similarly, stories and storytelling can serve as an introduction to other places and foster a powerful emotional connection to nature. Campfire Stories brings together tales about our national parks; some are by well-known writers such as John Muir, Bill Bryson, and Terry Tempest Williams, while others are from pioneer diaries or have been passed down through generations of indigenous peoples.
Co-editors Dave and Ilyssa Kyu spent six months traveling and researching the stories collected here. They gathered the best materials from public libraries, historical societies, arts and cultural organizations, museums, research centers, and national park archives. Park rangers, historians, artists, curators, educators, and local residents all offered guidance and suggestions. The goal was to discover entertaining, diverse, and engaging writings that reflect each park's essence--as well as just fun to share. Campfire Stories focuses on these six iconic national parks:
- Acadia National Park
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Zion National Park
Each story includes an "About this Story" reflection, offering insight into how Dave and Ilyssa discovered the tale, why they selected it, and some background about its writer. Dave and Ilyssa also share their own thoughts on each of the parks they visited, as well as tips on how to be a compelling storyteller.
This remarkable book is a rousing celebration of our shared heritage as people of the land.--James Edward Mills, author of The Adventure Gap and founder of the Joy Trip Project
For those who enjoy stories and the great outdoors, this collection is going to be a real gift. The writing throughout is engaging and the selection of works is diverse and rich.--Rosi Hollinbeck "Tulsa Book Review"
This is a lovely, well put-together gem of a book. It is not just another collection of ghost stories or tales of killer bears, meant to terrorize youngsters around a campfire, but a mature, reflective look at six of our national parks.--Patrick Cone "National Parks Traveler"
Campfire Stories: Tales from America's National Parks is a perfect book for, as the title says, telling stories (and poems) in the outdoors around the campfire.... This book truly would make a nice gift for those who love to go camping and for those who enjoy stories. The book is cloth-bound, gift-quality, and will surely be appreciated!--Anne "Kelly's Thoughts on Things"
Dave and Ilyssa Kyu's collection of essays, poetry, short stories, and songs, Campfire Stories: Tales from America's National Parks (Mountaineers Books, $21.95), brings together the work of well-known writers like Bill Bryson, Terry Tempest Williams, John Muir, and Isabella Bird with pieces from the oral tradition of indigenous people, and lesser-known chroniclers of nature and adventure.--Erin H. Turner "Big Sky Journal"
The very fetching hardcover Campfire Stories: Tales from America's National Parks ($22) catalogues great stories from parks-goers present and past (many are culled from pioneer diaries, or have been passed down through generations of Indigenous adventurers) with engaging and entertaining things to say about the legends, histories, fauna, and heroes of beloved parks including Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. It's the perfect present for the giftee who loves a good campfire, a good tale, and unique insights into the parks they love.--Katie O'Reilly "Sierra"
If you want a chunk of quick reads, Dave and Ilyssa Kyu have compiled writings by diverse voices about six different national parks that are perfect for telling out loud. The snack-sized readings in Campfire Stories include Terry Tempest Williams' musings about Zion, Isabella Bird's letters to her sister after becoming the first woman to climb Colorado's Longs Peak, and Wabanaki poems about Acadia. It's a great summer skimmer.--Heather Hansman "Outside"
A lovely mixture of poetry and prose. Some [stories] are daring tales of rescues, others are relaxed musings on the power of just being in nature's beauty. The book really does belong around a fire. It even begins with tips on how to tell great campfire stories that will captivate your audience. Bring it on your next trip, and read aloud.--Jessi Loerch "Washington Trails Magazine"
Focused on six of our most iconic National Parks, the myths, legends, historical accounts, and essays compiled in [Campfire Stories] are perfect for reading aloud, preferably around a campfire. This well-rounded book presents the spirit of these lands.--Terry Tempest Williams, author of The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks
An engaging, entertaining, unique and simply fascinating read from cover to cover, "Campfire Stories: Tales from America's National Parks" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library collections, as well as the personal reading lists of anyone who has ever experienced America's national parks for themselves -- or would like to!--Margaret Lane "Midwest Book Review"
Dave Kyu is a socially-engaged artist, writer, and project manager. Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the United States, he explores the creative tensions of identity, community, and public space in his work. He has managed public arts projects for the Mural Arts Program, Asian Arts Initiative, and the City of Philadelphia. His own creative projects have found him commissioning skywriting planes to write messages 10,000 feet over Philadelphia, and doing everything Facebook told him to do for a month. His writing has been published in Generocity, the Artblog, and the Philadelphia Citizen.
Contributor Bio:Kyu, Ilyssa
Ilyssa Kyu is a design researcher at frog, a global creative consultancy, and the founder of Amble, a sabbatical program for creative professionals to take time away with purpose in support of nature conservancies. She has a degree in Industrial Design and previously worked as a designer at the Mayor's Office of Sustainability at the City of Philadelphia, and as a UX designer and design researcher at creative studios in and around Philadelphia. As a facilitator, convener, researcher, and strategist, she applies design-thinking to find clarity in the chaos and unconventional, creative ways of solving problems.
Mountaineers Books
Pub Date: June 18, 2018
0.8" H x 8.5" L x 6.2" W
224 pages
Hardcover