Slow Road Home: A Blue Ridge Book of Days is described as "An open window to an examined year in Floyd County, Virginia, by teacher, photographer, naturalist and essayist Fred First." I personally vouch for the beauty of the photographs on First's current site. The ones at the site his blook was based aren't bad either!
Slow Road Home was entered in the non-fiction category for a Blooker Prize. Here's the hype that accompanied it:
Following the sudden realization at fifty-four that his working life had left him unfulfilled in those needs that mattered most, First leaves that world behind. Tracking the quiet turns of solitude's seasons, these short essays capture the daily miracles of an extraordinary time in a beautiful place.Like many of the other successful bloggers turned author, First is a gifted author.
Fred is a regular essayist on Roanoke's NPR station (WVTF). His works are published in various places including Blue Ridge Country Magazine, Petlife, Greenprints, Birmingham Arts Journal, Flow and Nantahala Review. He contributes a regular column, "A Road Less Traveled", to the Floyd Press. (Valley BookFest)In his blog entry "Blog, *Blook, Book," First writes about his decision to convert the blog. His poignant statement resonates with this senior and I'm sure many others:
"In truth, part of my motive then, I am certain, was merely that I longed to have something tangible to hold in my hands and say "here's what I've been doing with my life since I leapt off the edge of the professional world. This has been why I get up every day. See. My life has not been wasted."You'll have to scroll to find it - Writer's Writ - but First has included a proposed cover letter and description of the book.
I just wish I knew how he selected which of the photos to include and how he actually produced his blook.
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