A lovely collection of essays about written by lovers of earth/soil/dirt. The essays remind us of how we often take dirt for granted and touch on so many aspects of why dirt is important both spiritually and scientifically. If you are a person who gardens without gloves because you love the feel of your hands in the dirt or if you often go out to the garden early in the morning and are surprised when you look up hours later and it is almost too dark to see then you will love this book, too.

Dirt: A Love Story by Barbara Richardson is a very highly recommended anthology for dirt lovers everywhere. For those of us who love soil/dirt, let's speak the truth right now. As Jana Richman so eloquently points out: "Gorgeous, sexy people dig in dirt. People who age well. People who collect beauty in the creases of crow’s feet. People with sturdy hands and good minds."
"The poetry of the earth is never dead." John Keats

In Dirt thirty-six artists, scientists, and renowned writers discuss and extol the virtues of soil, dirt, and the importance of it. The anthology contains essays by "writers, travelers, biologists, sculptors, green architects, terrestrial ecologists, geomorphologists, soil scientists, environmental economists, Sufi teachers, medicine women, farmers and the daughters and sons of farmers, and people who generally like to live close to the land." For all of them, well, us, the truth is that dirt makes us unaccountably happy.

This collection is divided into five sections. The first section "Land Centered," consists of essays by "flagrant dirt fanatics." The second section, "Kid Stuff" explores our early contact with dirt. The third is “Dirt Worship,” on claiming our ancestry with the dirt. The fourth is "Dirt Facts," which offers insights into the scientific processes within dirt. The fifth and last section, "Native Soil," talks about the challenge of loving difficult ground.

Those of us who love dirt and growing things understand the sentiments of Deborah Koons Garcia: "Soil is one of the true miracles of this planet." Everything that has ever been on the earth eventually returns to the dirt. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust is a fact. The transformation and processes to return to dirt encompass changes and processes that few people think about.

I know my love of gardening and landscaping seems to be inborn, an innate instinct that can only be met by digging in the dirt. The dirt calls out to me as loudly as it calls out to my children. When they were young, they were mud babies. They needed to play in the mud, getting covered head to toe. No scolding could keep them from this preoccupation with dirt. Perhaps there is an explanation for this. Peter Heller notes that, "I read that dirt has pheromones, or something, that come out of the ground and mix with our endocrine systems and give us a sense of well-being. In this way dirt is like potatoes and tobacco and opium."

This is a wonderfully organized and well thought out compilation of writing about dirt. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Contents include:

Foreword: Scratching the Surface by Pam Houston
Preface: The God of Dirt by Barbara Richardson

LAND CENTERED: “MAGNIFICENTLY HUMBLE”
My Life in Dirt by Edward Kanze, Naturalist
The Great Beneath by Linda Hogan, Author
Dirt Fantasies by Jana Richman, Author
Praise to the Transformers by Janisse Ray, Author
Glosses on Dirt by Erica Olsen, Author
Soil Versus Dirt: A Reverie on Getting Down to Earth by Kayann Short, CSA Farmer
Digging In by Elias Amidon, Sufi Teacher

KID STUFF: “MAJOR IN MUD PIES”
Dirt Princess by Julene Bair, Author
The First Worm by John T. Price, Author
The Language of Clay by Roxanne Swentzell, Sculptor
Dirt: Imago Ignota by John Keeble, Author
Mud Pies by Chris Larson, Green Architect
Services at the Church of Dirt by Marilyn Krysl, Poet

DIRT WORSHIP: “THAT MOTHERLY FEELING”
Dreaming in Dirt by BK Loren, Author
Tao of Dirt by Liz Stephens, Author
The Life of Soil by Bernd Heinrich, Biologist
Dirt in Love by Barbara Richardson, Author
Dirt House by Peter Heller, Author
Sinking Down into Heaven by Jeanne Rogers, Artist and Author

DIRT FACTS: “INTERESTING SECRETS TO REVEAL”
The Soil’s Breath by Tyler Volk, Biologist
Earthmover by Lisa Knopp, Author
Worm Herder: A Q and A With Dr. Diana H. Wall by Carrie Visintainer, Journalist
Seeing Soils by Deborah Koons Garcia, Filmmaker
The Next Big Thing in Soil Science by Carl Rosen, Soil Scientist
A Badge of Honor by Tom Wessels, Terrestrial Ecologist
Dirty Business by David R. Montgomery, Geomorphologist
Feed Your Soil by Bob Cannard and Fred Cline, Sustainable Farmer and Vintner

NATIVE SOIL: “LOVED AND PROTECTED”?
Hostile Takeovers: An Ode to Guts and Gardens by Laura Pritchett, Author
Fight the Power by Eban Goodstein, Environmental Economist
Born Again: Loving the Least Worst Land in Mississippi by Donald G. Schueler, Author
Stewards of the Land by Wes Jackson, Agricultural Activist
We Are Soil by Vandana Shiva, Soil and Seed Activist
City Dirt by Karen Washington, Urban Farmer
Soil Versus Oil - Kale Versus Koch by Atina Diffley, Organic Farmer
Contributors
Credits

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of ForeEdge for review purposes.

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It took me a while to get through all of the essays, which I think is a good thing--most are very thought-provoking. The theme that most resonated with me was that of reconnecting people with the land, and how unfortunate it is that many modern humans have no tangible connection to the soil that literally sustains them. I found many of the essays eye-opening and hopeful. ( )

Since I was so excited about the idea of this book, why has it taken me so long to review? Because a collection of essays is not something you can gallop thru. It's taken me this long to read, reflect, and assimilate.
The essays and stories are sorted into 5 categories, tho some placements seem a bit arbitrary. I definitely noticed that some categories had more appeal to me than others. Unfortunately the first category of 7 stories only had 3 essays that struck me as unique and worth reading again. Janisse Ray's "Praise to the Transformers" musings as she dealt with her parents accumulated possessions was a relevant perspective as I do the same (& think about my own packrat nature). In "Glosses on Dirt", Erica Olsen uses the format of defining soil & archaeological terms to include her own experiences, making the definition more than a definition.
The second category, Kid Stuff, should have been the most entertaining but only Marilyn Krysl's entry "Services at the Church of Dirt" struck a chord. The third category, Dirt Worship, was 100% wonderful. The fourth section, Dirt Facts, was basically rational/logical. Necessary facts but not anything to make you wild about dirt--except for Tom Wessels "Badge of Honor". Now there is a scientist who enjoys what he's doing! The fifth section, Native Soil, I'll have to comment on later, when I get to it.
I think the collection could have used better editing, esp as it seems most of the essays were solicited. For example, in the first section several authors begin the same way, "what do people think about when they think of dirt?" and rehash the same cultural memes before going on to their perspective. It would make sense to leave this intro if these were independently published, but not in this collection. ( )

“Dirt: a Love Story,” presents, in 36 voices, people's relationships with dirt. The points of view range from: the scientific, to child-like delight, to near reverence, to the practical, to the sensuous. It's a delightful read with quality writing from a diverse group of contributors who know dirt intimately: farmers, gardeners, ecologists, activists, educators, biologists, poets, hikers, egg gatherers, and cow milkers. Within these pages there is the adoration of worms, the smell of humus, people with a strong sense of place, the importance of earth stewardship. The stories ring true throughout the whole book. The wonderful end note is an very uplifting story of an organic farmer taking on the Koch brothers. ( )