Old River, New River, as a literal Miscellany, comprises a gathering of short essays, memoirs, contemplative notes, and even a few poems. Various well-chosen corners of North America, including the author’s hometown, provide grist for these meditations and speculations. Some celebrate brief moments of revelation. Some ponder the elusiveness of history, the songs of birds, or the dimensions of place. Several reflect on facets of writing (both prose and poetry): how the art arises, is induced by the world, and how it functions once it is fledged.

Merrill Gilfillan is the author of numerous books of poetry, essays, and short fiction. A native of Ohio, he now lives, after thirty years in the American West, in North Carolina. A collection of his Selected and New Stories will appear in 2019 from Flood Editions.