“Incredibly useful not only as a collection of works on an already popular theme that has value in their collation outright but also as a case study in environmental understanding and awareness of regional history. . . . Serves as inspiration for future works of the like and hopefully will catapult the next generation of environmental scholars to continue drawing from the region’s rich past to shape our impressions of its present.”—H-Net
 
“Thoroughly enjoyable. . . . An incredibly rich sampling of fiction, nonfiction, reportage, poetry, and even a graphic novel.”—French Quarter Journal
 
“A thorough and essential compilation of writing on the bays and bayous of the largest area of wetlands in the United States. . . . Useful for courses in environmental writing and studies, climate change, or for anyone wishing to learn more about the complexities of the Gulf region, its threatened ecosystems, and its resilient communities.”—ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment
 
“An absolutely necessary anthology about the relationship between people and the world around them in this blessed and haunted region.”—From the foreword by Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?  
 
“From lyrical descriptions of ecosystems still largely whole to disturbing accounts of political and corporate malfeasance, this collection provides a panoramic picture of where we are today and how we got here. The inclusion of many voices and perspectives from across the political and demographic spectrum emphasizes how our planetary future depends on a collective vision and communal action.”—Jana M. Giles, University of Louisiana at Monroe  
 
The first collection of environmental writing about the Gulf South region, this volume features a diverse array of voices from the past 100 years. The work of these writers and artists enriches how we understand and represent the relationship between people and the rapidly changing ecology of the Gulf.            
 
Reaching from Texas to Florida, this anthology presents pieces from a variety of genres, from journalism to poetry to memoir to a graphic nonfiction book. It comprises renowned authors such as Natasha Trethewey, Jesmyn Ward, and E. O. Wilson alongside lesser-known writers and emerging writers. The subjects include natural and human-made disasters, the impact of industry, influential historical events, personal encounters with the environment, and a deep love for the land and water by the people who live there.            
 
Reflecting a range of different landscapes and their inhabitants, and emphasizing the human voice and condition throughout, The Gulf South brings to light a region whose influence on American commerce and culture reaches far beyond its geographical boundaries. This volume encourages readers to consider how we choose to characterize the environment and its degradation through language, and how these accounts affect our thinking and planning for the future.  
 
Contributors: E. L. Corthell | Catherine Cole | Lafcadio Hearn | John Muir | Jovita González | Zora Neale Hurston | William Faulkner | Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings | Marjory Stoneman Douglas | Theodore Rosengarten | Eastern Creek Indians | Joy Harjo | John McPhee | Eddy Harris | Robert Bullard | John Barry | Susan Orlean | Roger Emile Stouff | Mike Tidwell | Steve Lerner | Diane Wilson | Michael Grunwald | Cynthia Barnett | Oliver Houck | Bob Marshall | Josh Neufeld | Natasha Trethewey | Jesmyn Ward | David Gessner | Moira Crone | Kate Galbraith and Asher Price | Peggy Frankland | Richard Mizelle | Bob Marshall | Antonia Juhasz | Arlie Hochschild | Neena Satija | Edward Wilson | Justin Nobel | Jack Davis
 
Tori Bush is a writer based in New Orleans and a PhD candidate at Louisiana State University. Richard Goodman, associate professor of creative nonfiction writing at the University of New Orleans, is the author of French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of France.

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