Author Talk: “Letters to Dan” by Don House

Join us to hear Sassafras Award winning author Don House discuss his book “Letter to Dan: A Philosophical Guide to the Ozarks”!

“Letters to Dan” takes the reader to the Ozark Mountains. The guideposts for this journey are the region’s rivers and hills, its forests and vibrant wildflowers. In personal essays and photographs, Don House describes old cemeteries, abandoned buildings and highway memorial crosses. He introduces us to a neighbor skilled at water dowsing, to local cafe owners and river guides. The essays express a love of the region’s heritage and its modern culture. The book creates a sense of place and shows us how to live in harmony in the natural world.

The Ozark Society Foundation has selected “Letters to Dan: A Philosophical Guide to the Ozarks” by Fayetteville-based writer and photographer Don House for the Sassafras Award for Excellence in Environmental Writing. The Ozark Society Foundation established the Sassafras Award to encourage innovative writing and new perspectives of nature and conservation as well as new voices and the expression of contemporary environmental experiences. House’s book is the first awarding of the prize. Established in 1975, the Ozark Society Foundation supports and promotes conservation, education and recreation activity in the Ozark-Ouachita region. The Ozark Society Foundation has produced more than two dozen publications on the natural environment and conservation issues, including canoe and hiker guidebooks, natural and cultural histories, and field guides. More information on the Sassafras Award and the 2023 submission process is located at www.ozarksociety.net.

Don House has been photographing and writing about the people and landscapes of the Arkansas Ozarks for nearly four decades. His images and words have appeared in numerous exhibitions and publications. He is the author of four books, the most recent “Remote Access: Small Public Libraries in Arkansas”, a collaboration with photographer Sabine Schmidt. When he is not wandering the woods, or floating the rivers, he lives and works and ponders in Hazel Valley, in rural Washington County.

The event reception will begin at 2:00 with light refreshments. Author Don House will begin speaking at 2:30, followed by book sales and signing.