by Jefferson Holland
Nonfiction. 360p
 
Jefferson Holland, Poet Laureate of Annapolis, lyricist and performing musician, has produced a book that could change the habits, if not the lives, of people longing for new haunts in the populous Annapolis region. The book consists of his newspaper columns about outdoor places, some barely known, that provide quick getaways for humans and their dogs, or perhaps for humans with other humans. Each outing "reveals bits of history, culture, nature, wildlife and the charming characters he and Millie befriend along the way," says Thomas Guay, author of Chesapeake Bound: An Annapolis Novel. The book answers many questions: How to best preserve shoreline for creatures who pass between water and land? What tiny state park was once a very local airport? What were the hottest spots on the Bay for Black Marylanders-so appealing that Whites integrated them? In what parks was Annapolis water once purified? Where can your dog get in the water, and you get on the water?
"Jeff Holland is our renaissance man: poet, musician, environmentalist," says Terrance Smith, author of Four Wars, Five Presidents: A Reporter's Journey from Jerusalem to Saigon to the White House.