Discussing their recently published book via video call seems entirely apt for Barbara Kingsolver and her daughter Lily. The creation and planning of Coyote’s Wild Home, an illustrated book for youngsters, was largely conducted through innumerable phone and video calls. Currently located in Florida where she pursues a career in environmental education, Lily maintains a mental map of her childhood stomping grounds, despite her mother remaining in the family home in Appalachia. The geographic distance was made insignificant by their collaboration. When the illustrator was due to arrive, Lily provided accurate geographical coordinates to illustrate the specific locations that she envisioned complementing the narrative.
The book signifies Lily Kingsolver’s entry into the world of authorship, her mother, however, is a seasoned veteran in American literature. Both express extreme delight in the joint effort not only because it allowed them to delve into their shared love of nature and literature, but also because it reflects their reverence for the wild terrain that surrounds their family home in Appalachia.
Lily reminisces her fond childhood memories, “I used to spend my entire summer pretending to be an orphan in the forest and would often bring back wild onions. My mother would always support this by suggesting we cook the wild onions for supper.”
She further addresses the existing issues regarding outdoor interest and accessibility. “It is indeed a privilege to have immediate access to nature just beyond one’s doorstep. Therefore, one of the primary motivations behind our book is to improve access to nature.”
The central theme of the book is straightforward: a grandfather familiarising his city-bred granddaughter with the local wilderness. The sight of the pair exploring the wilderness is captured by the coyote in their story, however they remain oblivious to its presence. This idea was initially proposed to Barbara Kingsolver by a publisher.
Only around one per cent of invites interest her, she jests, so her decision to pen a children’s book on coyotes at Griffin Press’ request wasn’t just a random yes. Rather, the topic itself – predators – fascinated her as both a biologist and a person. She’d previously authored an entire novel, “Flight Behaviour” (2012), exploring ecological decline, intended for a general audience. But the significance of predators in ecosystems struck a personal chord. Consequently, a children’s book, if she penned one, would have to centre around predators.
This coincided with her daughter, Lily, chancing upon the idea and coaxing her mother to embark on the project.
“I have the opportunity to engage with a small group of kids in my work, but a book transcends boundaries, enabling a global dialogue. I never anticipated being part of this! When she invited me, though, I found it exhilarating to contribute what we trust would be a valuable, factually precise, valuable children’s book,” Lily admitted.
As a result of their collaborative book project, a visit to Ireland is on Lily’s upcoming itinerary. She’s all set to take part in the Listowel Writers’ Week Festival, reading her works, and to engage in a public colloquy at the Seamus Heaney Homeplace in Ballaghy, Co Derry. Ireland isn’t alien to the family; Barbara makes it a point to squeeze in a visit there following her tours of England, where, she jests, she enjoys the chance to overemphasise her ‘r’s.
“Upon my first visit to Ireland, I felt an intense sense of belonging. Something about the language, the culture resonated with me. After all, we boast of Scots-Irish lineage in Appalachia, with distinct echoes of that heritage in our music and language. After being in England where the ‘r’s tend to vanish, I especially appreciate our accentuation of the ‘r’s back home,” Barbara explains.
Their joint venture echoes themes very familiar to those in Ireland, narrating an essential transformation in the relationship between Americans and wilderness. It’s a chronicle Barbara Kingsolver resonates with, having spent a childhood defined by unsupervised explorations of the outdoors, in contrast to the trend in modern western societies mandating structured, supervised childhood activities.
Lily Kingsolver stresses the importance of nurturing a curious self-learner within children, expressing concern over well-meaning parents inadvertently stifling their child’s natural instinct to explore and learn independently. Kingsolver states that the animals she sought out and observed during her childhood provided her with an educational experience she values greatly.
Kingsolver, along with her collaborators, aims to impart to young ones a realistic perspective on predators. She refutes the mainstream perception of these creatures as threats and instead endeavours to illustrate their crucial role in the ecosystem. She laments how the fear perpetuated by Hollywood depictions of dangerous wildlife and sensationalised stories of animal attacks can distort this image.
Kingsolver passionately adds that for every alarming news piece about animal attacks, there are countless unreported instances of peaceful interactions with these creatures. She argues that they don’t aim to cause harm unless circumstances render them desperate. Emphasising the animal’s basic need for survival, she compares them to humans who, when starved or cornered, can behave in desperate ways.
When encountering a bear, Lily explains, both parties usually retreat, choosing not to engage with one another. Her overarching objective is to convey to children the importance of staying informed about wilderness creatures. Encouraging respectful distance can prevent unnecessary harm to both man and beast.
While she resides in Florida, Kingsolver expressed that alligator attacks on humans are rather the exception rather than the rule. It is often human activities that precipitate these encounters, she notes.
Barbara has chosen to reveal a rather heart-warming encounter with nature that she had. She said that though she has had her fair share of spine-chilling experiences with predators, she doesn’t want to propagate any fear or panic. Recounting a remarkable incident from her trip to Alaska’s Denali National Park with her daughter, Lily, she remembers how close they came to a grizzly bear and her cubs. A park ranger with them alerted them to the family of bears that seemed to be following their path. Regardless of changing their route, the bears continued to follow.
Barbara also voiced her opinion on how shielding kids from certain realities inadvertently leads to a lack of understanding about how life is. She said, “I truly believe that well-meaning parents, in their strive to protect their children, end up causing a deficiency in comprehension of how the world functions.”
In the midst of grilled sandwiches and a stream nearby, they silently observed the bear teacher her cubs to search for beetles underneath the moss. Barbara remembers empathizing with the bear, feeling that mothers across all species are undergoing the same experiences. Barbara’s ultimate goal for Coyote’s Wild Home revolves around teaching the younger generation to perceive nature without any sentimentality. As she giggled, she said, “nature is a cycle, everything consumes something.”
She also touched upon local hunting and fishing practises in her native southwestern Virginia, crediting it as an integral component of their community. Despite its necessity over a hundred years ago, the tradition still endures, with locals sharing venison every autumn. Even certain environmental advocates partake, she notes. Regardless of her numerous hiking adventures in US parks and regions, Barbara admits never having come across a wolf. In continuation to her earlier point, Barbara reiterates her belief that children need to understand the realities of life.
Her latest opus, ‘Demon Copperhead’, is highly praised and deemed a literary triumph, earning her the 2023 Pulitzer Prize. This tale is Kingsolver’s homage to Appalachia, a uniquely imaginative retelling of the celebrated ‘David Copperfield’, reworked with a backdrop of the 1990s Appalachia. The spark for this book was kindled during a promotional tour in the UK for ‘Unsheltered’. It happened when she saw a sign for Bleak House bed and breakfast in Kent, impulsively booked a room and ended up sitting at the very desk where Dickens penned ‘David Copperfield’ back in 1850.
She recalled her experience during a conversation with The Guardian last year, saying, “His disapproval was palpable, he seemed to challenge, ‘What do you imply by saying no-one wishes to listen?’ He suggested: ‘Permit the youngster to relay the tale.’ I decided, ‘Alright, I will. My gratitude, Mr. Dickens,” narrating how she procured the timeless novel for her homeward-bound flight and began crafting notes for a region-specific narrative featuring Damon Fields, a 1990s Virginian lad navigating meth labs, Marvel superheroes, appalling tobacco farms, sleazy sports mentors and the relentless opioid crisis that affected the community.
Both Kingsolver women are impassioned supporters of Appalachia, a sprawling mountainous region extending from Pennsylvania to Alabama. Barbara firmly agrees that Appalachia’s residents often feel unheard in the national discourse.
“Undeniably. Our lives and issues are barely shown on television or magazines. We are turned into a mere punchline. This obviously infuriates people. People need to understand that we also watch TV! We see the derogatory remarks about us – implying we are regressive, unintelligent, prejudiced, and indulge in incest. This stereotype is more widespread than realised. We as authors feel the need to portray the real side of Appalachia and its genuine culture.”
She highlights that this issue stems from the consistent removal of local, informed, reliable media outlets.
The decline of local radio, television and newspaper outlets in the United States has meant that most people now get their news, information and entertainment from city-centric sources which reflect urban interest and knowledge. This shift which started in the 1970s, has consequently led to a significant portion of the population feeling misrepresented and overlooked. This feeling of invisibility is the impetus behind a recent book, in which the author details the Appalachian countryside through the lens of an insightful grandfather and his city-bred granddaughter.
Upon moving to Florida, Lily found her surroundings heavily urbanised, despite being classified as rural. Palm Bay, despite being one of the favourite relocation spots in America, possessed an urban rhythm with its bustling restaurants, shops and even the Kennedy Space Centre. However, she felt it underscored the wide-ranging nature of rural living and the disconnection in community felt by actual rural dwellers, especially when juxtaposed with decision-making hubs like Los Angeles and New York.
Florida’s polarity regarding various issues, according to Lily, has allowed her to focus on her values and the contributions she can make towards societal improvement. Lilly’s mother, renowned author Barbara Kingsolver, takes pride in the fact that her daughters are actively contributing to a better future. Barbara envisions a better world through the innovative thinking of young people like Lily. Her passion for change and betterment is also reflected in the career of her other daughter, Camille, who works as a clinical health therapist for children.
According to Kingsolver, there’s no room for pessimism, considering it irresponsibly equates to giving up hope. Despite recognising the enormity of the task, the author maintains a hopeful outlook for the future, championed by the next generation.
The book Coyote’s Wild Home is available at The Gryphon Press.