Around the Bend

Lisa G. Dill is an adjunct professor of creative and environmental writing at the University of Delaware.

"A good story flows like a river, revealing fresh territory, gathering tributary streams along the way. Lisa Dill's tale of a fortnight traveling along the muddy, moody Missouri is enlivened by a wealth of influences, including the wit of Mark Twain, the adventurous spirit of Lewis and Clark, the wisdom of Indigenous peoples, and the lore of scholars. Her own keen reflections flow through every page. Climb aboard the venerable boat she compares to 'a floating circus tent' and share the journey."--Scott Russell Sanders, author of The Way of Imagination and A Conservationist Manifesto "Lisa Dill writes exceedingly well about the story of her trip down the Missouri River. She shows us the living, breathing, silty life of the river as it wends its way across the continent. Her experiences and observations, made during her tortoise-like pace, provide a unique and fresh perspective and ultimately make a compelling case for why the river must be conserved by all seven states through which it lives and travels."--Charlene Porsild, author of Gamblers and Dreamers: Women, Men, and Community in the Klondike "With Around the Bend Lisa Dill takes her place among other masterful contemporary writers--John McPhee, Elizabeth Kolbert, William Least Heat-Moon--captivated by the spirit and meaning of great American rivers. This book is delightful, witty, and deeply observed, fed by tributary streams of history, geography, and ecology. The Missouri has found its muse. Highly recommended."--McKay Jenkins, author of The Last Ridge: The Epic Story of America's First Mountain Soldiers and the Assault on Hitler's Europe