The Porch
Meditations on the Edge of Nature
by Charlie Hailey
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Apr 01 2021 | Archive Date Apr 01 2021
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Description
Hailey writes from a modest porch on the Homosassa River in Florida. He sleeps there, studies the tides, listens for osprey and manatee, welcomes shipwrecked visitors, watches shadows on its screens, reckons with climate change, and reflects on his own acclimation to his environment. The profound connections he unearths anchor an armchair exploration of past porches and those of the future, moving from ancient Greece to contemporary Sweden, from the White House roof to the Anthropocene home. In his ruminations, he links up with other porch dwellers including environmentalist Rachel Carson, poet Wendell Berry, writers Eudora Welty and Zora Neale Hurston, philosopher John Dewey, architect Louis Kahn, and photographer Paul Strand.
As close as architecture can bring us to nature, the porch is where we can learn to contemplate anew our evolving place in a changing world—a space we need now more than ever. Timeless and timely, Hailey’s book is a dreamy yet deeply passionate meditation on the joy and gravity of sitting on the porch.
Advance Praise
“The Porch displays the best traits of university press books: an enormous body of research, backed by years of careful engagement with intellectual and cultural history, and a faith that the world is worth close consideration. Hailey’s prose is patient and deliberate, the mood reverent and ready for wonder. He has written an extraordinary book—literary and philosophical, sensuous and wise—a book with which to confront our changing world.”—Daegan Miller, author of 'This Radical Land'
“The weighty intimations of myth on these pages are leavened by the book’s beautifully prosaic and practical accounts of porch architecture. There could hardly be a more timely book when breathing walls, like bodies, are places where experiences of necessity meet those of freedom.”—David Leatherbarrow, University of Pennsylvania
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780226769950 |
| PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 224 |
Featured Reviews
Crystal R, Reviewer
Not my usual read but beautifully written. Grounded in mindfulness it’s rich prose takes me to a peaceful place in my head. Much needed with the turmoils of the current day. Opened my mind to exploring the wrought beauty of nature and all of its surrounding.
Thank you netgalley for the arc
Brenda C, Reviewer
Oh, what a beautiful book! The author writes about his sensory experiences, reflects and contemplates about...life, from his porch on the Homosassa River in Florida. This not only takes you into his thoughts about the obvious but far beyond and writes about what I think as I sit on my porch, so it is personal. There is so, so much more than you would think unless you have your own porch...and, as the author says, we all should, whether it is a true porch or not. It can be a gazebo, a hammock or even a bench.
The author describes the four core elements when thinking about a porch and the chapters discusses these in depth. A porch is like no other place, especially if it faces water. His writing hooked me instantly and transported me to our dear porch in Croatia. Due to the pandemic we are home in Canada where my porch is my library as the snow is too deep and temperatures too cold for half the year. But when in Croatia we LIVE on our porch. There is nowhere in the world I would rather be. The descriptions of rain (and especially storms), insects, hummingbirds, plants, wildlife, what collects on the porch, the structure itself (the author is an architect) are breathtaking. "A porch holds nature's air...". So true. And "on a porch, you travel without leaving home". Yes! As he says, "senses are heightened". Absolutely. A leaf falling can sound like a miniature earthquake, the flutter of a bird's wings can mesmerize, the ripples of water echo. A porch can be research grounds...another big yes. It is where I ID wild fungi, collect bits of porcelain and pottery found on our property. The author also describes his family's porch games and stories told on his porch...we have those, too! We feel we live in a nature reserve. This is what this book reads like. A porch...even the idea of a porch...is simple but the joy you can get from it is beyond comprehension.
If you are drawn to nature, have a porch, want a porch or want to learn about the roles of porches, please read this outstanding and stunningly descriptive peaceful and relatable book. The author draws on his experiences in Athens to discuss ancient porches, too, and their importance in history. He also adds illustrative photographs. To me a porch is home. No need to be palatial, just a corner in nature will do.
My sincere thank you to the University of Chicago Press, Charlie Hailey and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this amazing, amazing book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.
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