REVIEW BY PEGI EYERS
With his new book Dancing & Digging: Proverbs on Freedom & Nature Shaun Day-Woods is wildly successful at reviving the proverb as an art form for progressive minds! It takes an incredible talent to understand current movements and ideas, and pack both nuance and provocation into one short expression. As the title suggests, Dancing & Digging bounces from laughter to deep meaning, articulating both the delight in our lives and the dysfunction of late-stage capitalism. Thanks to the advent of social media and a passion for “the meme,” the time for the modern proverb is at hand, and Day-Woods is a master of the genre.
By their very nature, proverbs reject the dominant narrative, challenge the status quo and speak truth to power. With statements on wild nature, the ancestors, communal living, anarchy, activism and general philosophy, Day-Wood’s proverbs activate our critical thinking skills and capacity for change. The aphorisms that inspire your heart and soul the most become your personal treasures, to return to again and again. Dancing & Digging is designed as a small portable book you can nestle in your hand – perfect for taking to the café, adventure travel, nature sojourns and other contemplative activities.
For those who love the aesthetic of text interwoven with great illustrations, the stunning woodcuts of Rick Herdman will not disappoint. Day-Woods encourages us to slow down and savor the proverbs at our own pace, and includes suggestions for games, surrealist “group writes” and even graffiti sharing! He also offers blank pages to write our own proverbs, and by doing so challenge the “gatekeeper” mentality of the publishing industry. Dancing & Digging reminds us that imparting knowledge by proverbs is a very ancient practice, and one that we may emulate today. As we continue to resist Empire and revive ecological relationships in Earth Community, this profound collection is the best kind of companion.
AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM >NIGHT FOREST PRESS<
By their very nature, proverbs reject the dominant narrative, challenge the status quo and speak truth to power. With statements on wild nature, the ancestors, communal living, anarchy, activism and general philosophy, Day-Wood’s proverbs activate our critical thinking skills and capacity for change. The aphorisms that inspire your heart and soul the most become your personal treasures, to return to again and again. Dancing & Digging is designed as a small portable book you can nestle in your hand – perfect for taking to the café, adventure travel, nature sojourns and other contemplative activities.
For those who love the aesthetic of text interwoven with great illustrations, the stunning woodcuts of Rick Herdman will not disappoint. Day-Woods encourages us to slow down and savor the proverbs at our own pace, and includes suggestions for games, surrealist “group writes” and even graffiti sharing! He also offers blank pages to write our own proverbs, and by doing so challenge the “gatekeeper” mentality of the publishing industry. Dancing & Digging reminds us that imparting knowledge by proverbs is a very ancient practice, and one that we may emulate today. As we continue to resist Empire and revive ecological relationships in Earth Community, this profound collection is the best kind of companion.
AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM >NIGHT FOREST PRESS<
“The wind carries the voices of nature’s ancestors.”
“All around us are invisible veins of existence, streams of life. We need only cup our hands and dip into them to retrieve music, ideas, insights, power.”
“It is important to the dominant reality
that we forget that we once could fly.”
DANCING & DIGGING
Proverbs by Shaun Day-Woods
| Pegi Eyers is the author of "Ancient Spirit Rising: Reclaiming Your Roots & Restoring Earth Community" an award-winning book that explores strategies for intercultural competency, uncolonization, recovering an ecocentric worldview, rewilding, creating a sustainable future and reclaiming peaceful co-existence in Earth Community. Available from Stone Circle Press or Amazon. |
