Joan Donaldson 
Wedded to the Land 
Stories from a Simple Life on an Organic Fruit Farm

Whether shes writing about the staccato of a hairy woodpecker echoing through the woods, tapping sweet sap from a cluster of maples during a spring sugaring ritual or mourning the loss of her ox, Tolstoy, Joan Donaldsons sensuous prose shimmers and surprises. Her collection of essays, Wedded to the Land, peels back the skin of her blueberry farm with the precision and eloquence of a Wendell Berry, Edward Abbey, and other agrarian essayists who make us pine for the lost heart of the country.George Getschow, writer-in-residence, The Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism, former editor for the Wall Street Journal John thought he was building a garage when he erected a timber-frame building only a stones throw from the house we built on the back of our farm. While washing the dishes, I mulled over how pleasant it would be to look out our kitchen window and watch goats lounge in a paddock. If goats lived in the new shed, the walk wouldnt be far when milking in the winter or during kidding season.Once outside, I scanned the sixteen-by-twenty-foot framework. You know, a couple of goats would fit nicely in here. Theres room for two stalls. Johns hammer paused. I continued. The aspens and honeysuckle on the north would shelter an outdoor pen. I tied on a nail apron and picked up a hammer.

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For almost forty years, Joan Donaldson and her husband, John, have farmed organic blueberries near Lake Michigan. Her essays have appeared in Mary Jane’s Farm, Victoria, Michigan History, and The Christian Science Monitor. Her latest novel, On Viney’s Mountain, represented the state of Tennessee at the 2010 National Book Festival.