REASONS FOR AND ADVANTAGES OF BREATHING

Lydia Peelle's stories deal very much with issues of land, landscape and our changing relationship with it as our lives grow further removed from place, nature and our fellow species. This collection is outstanding. Harper Collins bought it at auction in a significant deal.

Of the eight pieces which make up this collection, five have already been published: "Mule Killers" appeared in Epoch and won an O. Henry Prize (2006) "The Still Point" appeared in Epoch and will be in the forthcoming Best New American Voices (2009) "Shadow on a Weary Land" appeared in Best New American Voices (2007) and will be in a forthcoming Prairie Schooner "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" appeared in The Sun and won a Pushcart Prize (2007) "Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing" appeared in One Story Lydia Peelle is 29 years old. She was born in Boston and grew up just outside of it. She attended Brown and Cornell Universities. She currently lives with her musician husband in Nashville where she works at the Governor's Office as a speech writer.