Tree of a Thousand Skins

About the Book

'Tree bark?' my friends ask. 'You're taking pictures of tree bark?' They are incredulous. Until they see my bark photographs. It is obvious to them, as it was to me, that tree bark is as fine an abstract art as one might find. The spectrum of colors in bark is amazing, and the texture and patterns are no less remarkable. 'Where did you find these?' my friends ask. I tell them that I've discovered fascinating bark in several countries around the world and even in my own backyard. Somehow this notion intrigues them. 'But how did you happen on haiku? We didn't know you were a poet,' say my friends. I tell them the bark itself inspired me. I tell them I like writing haiku. I like the way it allows me to explore the bark in unique ways, like setting the bark to music. Some of the haiku relates the bark to my life; some are philosophical; some are whimsical. I tell them haiku is the perfect way to explore the mystique of tree bark. My friends approve.

About the Author

Sally Salisbury Stoddard is an art photographer and writer in Lincoln, Nebraska. With her geographer husband Bob, she has raised three children and traveled much of the world, including five years of teaching in India, one year of teaching in Nepal, and one year of teaching in China. In between times, she earned a Ph. D. in Linguistics, taught linguistics and composition at the University of Nebraska, conducted writing workshops, has shown her photography in galleries in several states, and participated in writing groups both online and off. She is the author of Text, Pattern, and Cohesion and the lead editor of Living on the Edge: Tales of Woodstock School.