The West Side of Any Mountain: Place, Space, and Ecopoetry by J. Scott Bryson, and Poets on Place: Interviews & Tales from the Road by W. T. Pfefferle (review)

B o o k R e v i e w s The W e st Side of A ny M ountain: Place, Space, an d Ecopoetry. B y J. S c o t t B r y so n . Iow a C it y : U n iv e r sit y o f Iow a P ress, 2 0 0 5 . 156 p age s, $ 2 7 .9 5 . Poets on Place: Interview s & Tales from the Road. B y W . T . P fe ffe r le . Lo gan : U t a h St a t e U n iv e r sit y P ress, 2 0 0 5 . 2 9 4 p ages, $ 2 1 .9 5 . R e v ie w e d b y L a u r ie R ic o u U n ive rsit y o f British C o lu m b ia, V an cou ver F o llo w in g o n h is E c o p o e t r y : A C r i t ic al I n t r o d u c t io n (2 0 0 2 ), J. S c o t t Br y so n ’s T h e W e st S id e o f A n y M o u n t a in d e v e lo p s a d e fin it io n o f e co p o e t r y , a su b ge n r e t o b e d ist in gu ish e d fr o m “c o n v e n t io n a l ly rical n a t u r e p o e t r y ,” a n d e la b o r a t e s c h a r a c ­ t e r ist ic fe at u r e s o f t h e “m o d e ” in c h a p t e r s o n W e n d e ll Berry, Jo y H a r jo , M ar y O liv e r , a n d W . S. M e r w in (2 ). Br y so n su m m ar ize s t h e d e fin in g e le m e n t s o f e c o p o e t r y su c c in c t ly in h is fin al c h a p t e r : “e c o c e n t r ism , a n a p p r e c ia t io n o f w il­ d e r n e ss, a n d sk e p t ic ism t o w ar d h y p e r r a t io n a lit y a n d it s r e su lt a n t o v e r r e lia n c e o n t e c h n o lo g y ” (1 2 1 ). In h is p r e fac e , Br y so n in sist s t h a t t h e se c o n d c r it e r io n is c o n sist e n t ly d isc o v e r e d in “d e e p h u m ilit y ” a n d t h a t t h e t h ir d t y p ically le ad s t o “w ar n in g . .. o f p o t e n t ia l c a t a st r o p h e ” (2 ). G e o r g e W . A c k e r m a n . F A R M E R R E A D I N G H I S F A R M P A P E R . C o r y e ll C o u n t y , T e x a s. 1931. P h o t o gr...