Kissed by a Fox
And Other Stories of Friendship in Nature
Through heart-opening stories from her own life, Stuckey shows the depth of relationship possible with the birch tree in our backyard, the nearby urban creek, the dog who settles on our bed each night.
She invites readers into a different story of nature—into a livelier, more personal universe where people and place are not separate and where other creatures respond to human need.
With the eloquence of the great nature writers before her, Stuckey encourages us to open ourselves to deeper connection with nature.
from Counterpoint Press
Winner of the 2013 WILLA Award in Creative Nonfiction
To approach the world in a personal manner is essential to knowing and especially to healing our ecologically broken world.
Watch the book trailer
A book that began as a collection of personal stories of friendship in nature became an insightful history of Western thought on nature and the environment.
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“An entertaining and emotionally resonant book.”
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“She seamlessly blends memoir, philosophy, and meditation on our role in the natural world ... but she always comes back to our connection with nature. As we are guided through the years of Stuckey’s journey we come to the realization of our own connections with the natural world.”
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“I bought a copy of her book as a gift before I’d even completed this review. It’s that good.”
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“I’m impressed by the skillful way in which she moves between the two worlds, weaving a tapestry of scientific facts, philosophical, and personal experience. Kissed by a Fox is an elegant and moving work of art.”
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“This unusual memoir is both mind-expanding and heartwarming.”
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“How profound and beautiful her vision is of community, of intimacy, of paying attention to and cherishing our neighbors of all species and sorts—and how powerful and persuasive!”
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“Kissed by a Fox will make you think about life and nature in a different way.”
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“Stuckey’s book does make you look differently at the things around you, not just your dog or cat, but the trees you carelessly brush by on your way to the bus stop, or the squirrel that darts across your path. That is her point—for us to finally see nature, to remember to take in that beauty as we saunter by. It’s a book about hope.”
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“Kissed by a Fox is a work of the soul by a naturally gifted writer. Priscilla Stuckey tackles one of the most elusive subjects: the relationship of the human spirit to the rest of the natural world, and the impact on our humanity when we distance ourselves from it. This is a book of healing.”
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“Priscilla Stuckey's treatment of the relations between religious communities and nature is the best I've ever read. And her beautiful writing both warms my heart and brings shivers of heartache and understanding.”
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“An amazing philosophical memoir that weaves together the author's personal stories of ‘friendship in nature’ with an insightful history of Western thought, or failure of thought, on nature and the environment.”
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“A courageous book that beautifully illustrates how personal practices that deepen our relationships with all the beings among whom we live enable us to participate in a rejuvenating conversation with an animate Earth.”
Water was the landscape architect of everything in sight. The realization, simple and obvious, dazzled me. In a moment my orientation shifted—from locating myself by way of roads and streets to finding my way in terms of flowing water. My mental map was redrawn, and the most prominent features on it now were creeks. I had begun to think in terms of watersheds.