An Anthology of women's adventure writing, poetry and art.
The inspiration for Waymaking lies in the pioneering women, notably Gwen Moffat and Nan Shepherd, whose lives and writings set a precedent for a way of writing about wilderness that isn’t a battle. It’s not about conquering landscapes, reaching higher, harder or faster, but about the adventure of living alongside nature and the great outdoors.
‘Climbing, running, wild swimming, skiing, mountain biking, sailing, working and walking, everywhere from Cumbria to Antarctica, the Alps to Alaska, Patagonia to Wyoming, and Ireland to Australia, meet the adventurers, the way makers, the women who have found their place in the wild world’. (Melissa Harrison, Introduction).
The writers, poets and artists in this collection are redressing the balance of gender in outdoor adventure literature. Their creativity urges us to stop and engage our senses: the smell of rain-soaked heather, wind resonating through a col, the touch of cool rock against skin, and most importantly a taste of restoring mind, body and spirit to a former equanimity.
Quite simply, it’s exhilarating.
With wilderness conservation and gender equality at the fore of modern lifestyles, this is an engaging, beautifully produced, and totally inspiring book. It’s a ‘coffee table’ book in the best sense of the description, something to dip into, to take 5 minutes time-out and share in a snapshot of the wonder of nature and of the women who are part of it.
It might inspire you to head out there yourself; it will certainly inspire you to dream.
Editors: Helen Mort, Claire Carter, Heather Dawe, Camilla Barnard.
Published by: Vertebrate Publishing
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