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Recipes from My Garden: Herbs and Memoir Short Prose and Poetry
Flash prose, poetry, and essays inspired by her kitchen, garden, and family memories; Nadja Maril’s chapbook, RECIPES FROM. MY GARDEN is a sensual feast for the soul. Drawing upon her life experiences as an artist’s daughter, antiques dealer, journalist, and author; Maril mines simple objects for meaning and creates a lavish buffet.
Editorial Praise for RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN
"Suffused with the tastes of cilantro, mint, and cucumber fresh from a garden, the smell of salt air from the ocean’s edge, the familiar scent of coffee and tobacco from a father’s hug, or the simple pleasure of the sounds of clicking insects through a backdoor screen, Nadja Maril’s lovely and sensitive RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN is a feast for the senses and a balm for the spirit. While exploring personal memories that touch on abstract questions of identity and history, Maril also reminds us of the tiny yet profound comforts of earthly existence.”
--Aaron Hamburger, author of HOTEL CUBA--
“In RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN , Nadja Maril casts a richly sensual literary spell. From the deft and resonant garden-inspired pieces that find the taste of ‘summer’ in basil and celebrate the ‘welcoming gaze of sunflowers,’ to the sharply observed portraits of small yet potent memories— buying a perfect dress with her mother; baking a cake ‘too beautiful to be cut’-- Maril mines moral and spiritual meaning from everyday life. The promise Maril makes about a ‘chicken and rice’ recipe is true of this whole vibrant ‘soul nutrition it will provide.’ ”
--Elizabeth Searle, novelist and scriptwriter (A FourSided Bed; I’ll Show You Mine)--
“RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN celebrates the splendor of traversing a literary life and surviving the time of Covid. Nadja Maril’s first collection of poetic prose, flash memoir, and poetry introduces us to her family, her nurtured garden, and the myriad spaces she navigates to cope with our world. With true artistic excellence, Nadja’s words yearn for an understanding of what troubles us, inviting us into a landscape of riddles, questions and puzzles.”
--Indigo Moor, author of Everybody's Jonesin' for Something--
“ [ RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN] is a treasure of small love odes to beloved kitchens, and vegetable gardens, and the simple joys of a blooming sunflower. It is a book of memory and of pleasure that speaks of the love of family across many generations. The passed-down recipes inside the pages are themselves the most generous kind of love letter.”
--Susan Conley, author of Landslide--
About the Nadja Maril’s work has been published in The Lumiere Review, Lunch Ticket, Spry Literary Journal, Change Seven, Litro Magazine, Zin Daily, BarBar, The Sunlight Press. Nadja earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the Stonecoast Program at the University of Southern Maine and is a Contributing Editor for Old Scratch Press. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland.
A former journalist, weekly columnist and editor, her articles have appeared Victorian Homes, Chesapeake Taste, Old House Journal, The Cape Cod Times, The Annapolis Capital, What’s Up? Media, and The Washington Post. She is also the author of two reference books, American Lighting 1840-1940 and Antique Lamp Buyer’s Guide.
Nadja Maril’s children’s books—Me, Molly the Artist’s Cat, and Runaway Molly the Artist’s Cat —were collaborative projects with her father, artist Herman Maril, whose paintings and drawings illustrate the stories that are set in one of her favorite places—Cape Cod. Nadja is also the author and illustrator of Who is Santa? a book for all ages. You can find her blog at Nadjamaril.com.
Editorial Praise for RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN
"Suffused with the tastes of cilantro, mint, and cucumber fresh from a garden, the smell of salt air from the ocean’s edge, the familiar scent of coffee and tobacco from a father’s hug, or the simple pleasure of the sounds of clicking insects through a backdoor screen, Nadja Maril’s lovely and sensitive RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN is a feast for the senses and a balm for the spirit. While exploring personal memories that touch on abstract questions of identity and history, Maril also reminds us of the tiny yet profound comforts of earthly existence.”
--Aaron Hamburger, author of HOTEL CUBA--
“In RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN , Nadja Maril casts a richly sensual literary spell. From the deft and resonant garden-inspired pieces that find the taste of ‘summer’ in basil and celebrate the ‘welcoming gaze of sunflowers,’ to the sharply observed portraits of small yet potent memories— buying a perfect dress with her mother; baking a cake ‘too beautiful to be cut’-- Maril mines moral and spiritual meaning from everyday life. The promise Maril makes about a ‘chicken and rice’ recipe is true of this whole vibrant ‘soul nutrition it will provide.’ ”
--Elizabeth Searle, novelist and scriptwriter (A FourSided Bed; I’ll Show You Mine)--
“RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN celebrates the splendor of traversing a literary life and surviving the time of Covid. Nadja Maril’s first collection of poetic prose, flash memoir, and poetry introduces us to her family, her nurtured garden, and the myriad spaces she navigates to cope with our world. With true artistic excellence, Nadja’s words yearn for an understanding of what troubles us, inviting us into a landscape of riddles, questions and puzzles.”
--Indigo Moor, author of Everybody's Jonesin' for Something--
“ [ RECIPES FROM MY GARDEN] is a treasure of small love odes to beloved kitchens, and vegetable gardens, and the simple joys of a blooming sunflower. It is a book of memory and of pleasure that speaks of the love of family across many generations. The passed-down recipes inside the pages are themselves the most generous kind of love letter.”
--Susan Conley, author of Landslide--
About the Nadja Maril’s work has been published in The Lumiere Review, Lunch Ticket, Spry Literary Journal, Change Seven, Litro Magazine, Zin Daily, BarBar, The Sunlight Press. Nadja earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the Stonecoast Program at the University of Southern Maine and is a Contributing Editor for Old Scratch Press. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland.
A former journalist, weekly columnist and editor, her articles have appeared Victorian Homes, Chesapeake Taste, Old House Journal, The Cape Cod Times, The Annapolis Capital, What’s Up? Media, and The Washington Post. She is also the author of two reference books, American Lighting 1840-1940 and Antique Lamp Buyer’s Guide.
Nadja Maril’s children’s books—Me, Molly the Artist’s Cat, and Runaway Molly the Artist’s Cat —were collaborative projects with her father, artist Herman Maril, whose paintings and drawings illustrate the stories that are set in one of her favorite places—Cape Cod. Nadja is also the author and illustrator of Who is Santa? a book for all ages. You can find her blog at Nadjamaril.com.
80 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 24, 2024
A meditative collection of short prose, poetry and essays that were a pleasure to read.
Many people might call this book a "quiet read," in a world filled with noise and chaos, but what is wrong with "quiet." This little chapbook's focus on the senses provides a wonderful respite.
Masterfully the author brings to life the magic of food memories, fresh garden produce, and family traditions. The mixture of short prose, verse and longer essays was a fresh approach to memoir I enjoyed. Maril starts small and builds to make thoughtful connections that resonate. A great little book to give as a gift.
Many people might call this book a "quiet read," in a world filled with noise and chaos, but what is wrong with "quiet." This little chapbook's focus on the senses provides a wonderful respite.
Masterfully the author brings to life the magic of food memories, fresh garden produce, and family traditions. The mixture of short prose, verse and longer essays was a fresh approach to memoir I enjoyed. Maril starts small and builds to make thoughtful connections that resonate. A great little book to give as a gift.
October 8, 2024
"Eat until satiated" is a line I particularly liked from Maril's piece, "The Nature of Basil." The writing makes me revisit my own introduction to the garden with my father. I can smell the heady smell of tomato leaves... nothing better.
This is a lovely volume of thoughts and meditations about our senses and their affiliation to plants and food. I gave a copy to my friend as she recovered from surgery. I will give copies to others for the holidays, and I will keep a copy for myself. The cover is also beautiful, and the size is perfect for taking it out for coffee. You'll get some looks of envy from your Starbucks fellows.
This is a lovely volume of thoughts and meditations about our senses and their affiliation to plants and food. I gave a copy to my friend as she recovered from surgery. I will give copies to others for the holidays, and I will keep a copy for myself. The cover is also beautiful, and the size is perfect for taking it out for coffee. You'll get some looks of envy from your Starbucks fellows.
October 20, 2024
A blend of poetry and flash memoir, Maril's collection is truly a recipe for delight. Filled with lush details and poignant moments, you'll be drawn to reread the creative non-fiction pieces and poems just to experience them again!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews