The poetry of earth is never dead
February 23, 2021 marks the 200 year anniversary of the death of John Keats. Although his life was short, he has had an outsized influence …
Category: Literature
Trees and plants in storytelling
I’ve written on this website about trees before, they permeate the arts throughout history. There were trees in early cave paintings, and they appear in …
Two great poets of nature
I began this year with high hopes of posting on this blog often, but life got in the way. Not that there hasn’t been a …
Last of the Curlews, a book for the ages
There are some nonfiction books that encompass themes far beyond their particular subject matter. Last of the Curlews by Fred Bodsworth is one of those …
A few thoughts about H is for Hawk
I recently finished the audiobook of H is for Hawk, written and read by Helen Macdonald, and immediately wanted to write about it on my …
Happy Earth Day – poetry and plants
Earth Day is a time when we celebrate and honor nature, in all its wild untamed beauty. We also search for ways to understand and …
Autumn, in painting and poetry
Autumn is here once again! The changing of the seasons is a favorite topic here at The Untended Garden, perhaps because so many artists have …
North by East: the woodcuts of Rockwell Kent
Last summer I did a whole series of posts about the ocean, and how it was depicted in books, paintings and films. My post about …
Katy and the Big Snow – a children’s classic
All this recent snow has reminded me of one of my favorite picture books from childhood, Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. …
Arthur Rackham’s Midsummer Night’s Dream
November always puts me in the mind for Arthur Rackham, one of my favorite illustrators. I especially love how he draws trees, which are like …