The Nail in the Tree: Essays on Art, Violence, and Childhood
by Carol Ann Davis
$18.95
The Nail in the Tree narrates Carol Ann Davis’ experience of raising two sons in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, on the day of and during the aftermath of the shooting there. Part memoir, part art-historical treatise, these meditations lead her to explore crucial subjects, including whether childhood can itself be both violent and generative, the possibility of the integration of trauma into daily life and artistic practice, and the role of the artist.
Published: March 2020
Format: paperback
Out of stock
“A poignant and poetic essay about terror; specifically, the terror that occurs when you have two children who very well could have been witness to a school shooting. It speaks to the way that life barges in on what should be the idyllic innocence of childhood.”
– Elisabeth Donnelly, Flavorwire.com
“Davis’s essays weave together the trauma of the [Sandy Hook School] shooting… with the sacred, mystery, wonder, and survival… to help to bring order to disorder.”
— Joy Gaines-Friedler, River Teeth
“A true poet” – Hélène Cixous
Listen to Carol Ann discuss The Nail in the Tree, as well as sharing some new poems, on the Give and Take show with Scott Jones.
Listen as Carol Ann Davis reads an excerpt for Green Mountains Review‘s “Social Distance Reading Series.”
Read a featured excerpt at Lit Hub.
Lindsey Anthony-Bacchione reviews The Nail in the Tree for Brevity magazine.
Listen to a 2020 interview with Carol Ann Davis by Brainard Carey of Yale Review at Museumofnonvisibleart.
Jennifer Jordán Schaller interviews Carol Ann Davis for Mutha magazine.
Listen to a playlist curated for the book at Largehearted Boy.
The Nail in the Tree narrates Carol Ann Davis’ experience of raising two sons in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, on the day of and during the aftermath of the shooting there. Part memoir, part art-historical treatise, these meditations lead her to explore crucial subjects, including whether childhood can itself be both violent and generative, the possibility of the integration of trauma into daily life and artistic practice, and the role of the artist. Davis is the author of two previous poetry collections, Psalm (2007) and Atlas Hour (2011), both from Tupelo Press, and a professor of English at Fairfield University.
Additional information
| Weight | 0.5 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6 × 0.4 × 9 in |
Click here to access the complimentary Reader’s Guide.
