Books

The Soul Tree presents luminous photographs from the Blue Ridge Parkway and lyric poems written in resonance with the images. Each page offers a unique layout design created to elevate and inspire the reader with both the power of art and the power of nature. While all the images present the vistas and details of the region, the poetry, deeply rooted in the nature imagery of the sacred texts, speaks of the universal fusion of internal and external realilties. The poems illuminate themes of vision, faith, healing and, ultimately, the vital sacrality of nature. Poet Laura Hope-Gill and photographer John Fletcher’s stunning renderings of the land capture both the form and the spirit of the mountains beloved by so many. The Soul Tree received the honor of being one of the first Okra Pick Award recipients by the Southern Independent Booksellers Association.

Praise for The Soul Tree

This collection of poems and photographs is a gift outright. It is a gorgeous work of love and generosity, reminding us how deeply restorative Nature is when perceived with the heart’s eye and what a profound muse Nature becomes when alchemized by a poet of Laura Hope-Gill’s capabilities. A book to own and cherish. Li-Young Lee, Behind My Eyes

Look Up Asheville is a creative exploration of Asheville’s architecture rendered through stunning photography by Michael Oppenheim and creative prose by Laura Hope-Gill. This journey through Asheville’s eclectic architecture takes us back to the early 20th century, the Golden Age of Engineering and the rise of this mountain town to international regard as the “Paris of the South.” Asheville’s early architects experimented with new materials while exploring styles of the past, from Romanesque to Renaissance and Neo-Classical, and also reached for the Art Deco and European Styles.

Look Up Asheville II features many of Asheville’s beautiful Bed & Breakfasts, including the lovely Beaufort House Inn, photographed by Michael Oppenheim. Facts and tales about the iconic buildings are written by Laura Hope-Gill, with a Foreword by premier author and poet Robert Morgan. Designed by Michele Scheve, Look Up Asheville II does more than inform readers and viewers of the architectural, social and creative history of Asheville; it celebrates all these with stories and luminous images.