Twelve Words for Moss

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Burnett stretches the limits of prose, infusing it with poetic intensity to create a powerful, original voice" - Guardian I loved this beautiful book--the subject matter, the writing, the structure, and the personal insights. This accomplished writer's prose – filled with figurative and tactile imagery – and interspersed poetry powerfully join the human body, mind, and spirit with the Earth"

A subtle, moving celebration of place and connectedness . . . The Grassling brings the sounds, smells and sights of the countryside alive like few other books. Burnett stretches the limits of prose, infusing it with poetic intensity to create a powerful, original voice . . . Her prose is both sinuous and knotty, stretching language to capture what is often beyond words, while slowing down the process of reading, allowing us to savour them PD Smith, GuardianOur MC after having lost her father, tries to come to terms with her grief, while reminding and presenting us some scenes of her childhood, with an absolutely lyrical way. It just screams cottagecore (which I loved about it) and it can surely set the mood, making you believe that you are a Studio Ghibli protagonist (for which goal I alwys strive). Honestly, when I first heard of this book, I had the impression that it would be just a poetry collection, something that was far from that. It was part-poetry, part-narration, part-scientific. The book is written/structured in an interesting and very effective way. There are short poems about specific kinds of mosses, but also prose sections. Nestled within these sections are rhyming sentences that form mini-poems within the prose. This accomplished writer's prose - filled with figurative and tactile imagery - and interspersed poetry powerfully join the human body, mind, and spirit with the Earth The Countryman Burnett stretches the limits of prose, infusing it with poetic intensity to create a powerful, original voice'Guardian

Being a fan of moss myself, I enjoyed reading about it and how it grows. I will have even more respect for it now that I have read this book. Beyond that, this is jsimply a lovely book to read. The descriptions of the moss, the insights the author gains through her close observations, the gorgeous writing, the mini-poems within the prose, and the foundation of hope the author finds--each strand weaves together into a whole cloth that is full of colour, vibrancy, and beauty. Making her way through wetlands from Somerset to County Tyrone, Burnett discovers the hidden vibrancy and luminous beauty of these overlooked places. She also takes strength from them as she recovers from her grief at her father's death. As she meditates on and renames her favourite species of moss, she finds a healing power in language, and draws inspiration from the resilience and tenacity of her plant - and human - friends. Moss is known as the living carpet but if you look really closely, it contains an irrepressible light. Join author Elizabeth-Jane Burnett on stage to celebrate the unsung hero of the plant world. Making her way through wetlands from Somerset to Country Tyrone, Burnett discovers the hidden vibrancy of these overlooked spaces, renaming her favourite species of moss as she recovers from her grief at her father's death and draws inspiration from the resilience and tenacity of her plant - and human - friends.Burnett stretches the limits of prose, infusing it with poetic intensity to create a powerful, original voice"