From editors David Joy and Eric Rickstad comes Gather at the River, an anthology of twenty-five remarkable essays on fishing from an ensemble of contemporary authors. Their experiences explore the ways we come to water, for renewal and reverie, or to simply stand waist-deep in a river and watch the trout rise.

Gather at The River is more than a collection of big fish stories; it's Ron Rash writing about the Appalachia of his youth and C.J. Box revealing the river where he wants his ashes spread. It's Natalie Baszile on a frogging expedition in the Louisiana Bayou and a teenaged Jill McCorkle facing new realities of adulthood on Holden Beach, North Carolina. This is an anthology about friendship, family, love and loss, and everything in between, because as Henry David Thoreau wrote, "it is not really the fish they are after."

The contributors are an eclectic mix of critically acclaimed writers including New York Times Bestselling Authors Ron Rash, Jill McCorkle, Leigh Ann Henion, Eric Rickstad, M.O. Walsh, and #1 Bestseller C.J. Box.

Some of the proceeds of every sale will benefit C.A.S.T. for Kids, public charity that joins volunteers who love to fish with children who have special needs and disadvantages for a day of fishing in the outdoors.

Sales Points / Marketing Angles: David Joy has high name recognition in the South. Eric Rickstad is New York Times bestselling. Both editors have powerful online followings: David Joy boasts a strong and faithful Internet following, with Twitter followers @DavidJoy_Author nearing 11.4K. He is active on social media, a dogged self-promoter, and will be marketing this book on his store visits on his 2018 tour. He writes often for major outlets like Time and the New York Times Magazine, as well as regular contributor to Garden & Gun. Eric Rickstad is also active on Twitter with over 20k followers. Review in Garden & Gun confirmed. Other glossies will feature in Father's Day gift guides. There aren't many books that combine fishing with good literary writing. Cross country appeal. Not only southerners: CJ Box, Todd Davis, Leigh Ann Henion and others live across the country. A number of the contributors have recent big books (Silas House and Natalie Baszile), while others are perennial bestsellers (Ron Rash, Jill McCorkle, CJ Box) Illustrations are tasteful but add an appeal for gifting (especially during the dads and grads) Outreach to outfitter stores, fishing magazines, outdoor recreation magazines. Charity angle: some of the proceeds of every sale will benefit C.A.S.T. for Kids, public charity that joins volunteers who love to fish with children who have special needs and disadvantages for a day of fishing in the outdoors.

About the Author

David Joy is the author of the Edgar nominated novel Where All Light Tends to Go, as well as the novels The Weight Of This World and The Line That Held Us. He is also the author of the memoir Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey, which was a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award and the Ragan Old North State Award. Joy is the recipient of an artist fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council. His latest short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Garden & Gun, and The Bitter Southerner. Joy lives in the North Carolina mountains.

Reviews
"Come for the fish stories, but stay for the writing-it sparkles like the flank of a mullet, thumps like the tail of a bull redfish, and leaps off the page like a tarpon." --David DiBenedetto, Editor in Chief, Garden & Gun Magazine
"Novelists Joy (The Line That Held Us) and Rickstad (What Remains of Her) have pulled off the feat of assembling a fishing anthology that even non-anglers can enjoy, featuring essays from various writers that pay tribute to the beauty, peacefulness, and, sometimes, humor that accompany this pursuit." -Publishers Weekly



Book Information
ISBN 9781938235528
Author David Joy
Format Paperback
Page Count 216
Imprint Hub City Press
Publisher Hub City Press