Still I Choose the Mountain

Lorrie Castellano's Still I Choose The Mountain is equal parts embrace and elegy. These precise poems celebrate what it means to be alive, while mourning both the loss of youth and of our natural world. As with any landscape, you'll find rich layers. Layers of memory in gardens cultivated by Italian ancestors, layers of silt in the muddy rivers meandering across Texas. Small birds, rocky trails, hot coffee, and careful words all add to the texture of a world well observed. Yes, we are mortal, but her poems insist upon the steady gifts of nature and family connection. Whatever the circumstance, we are assured, "Yet, here we are." These words linger like the scent of basil, reminding us life is fleeting, and to be enjoyed.

--Laurie Filipelli, author of 2019 Writers' League of Texas Discovery Prize winner, Girl Paper Stone