The latest book by St. Marys native and former Era city editor Rob Simbeck is a collection of the noted author’s outdoor writing.
“The Southern Wildlife Watcher: Notes of a Naturalist,” brings together 36 of Simbeck’s essays on creatures common to the Southeast — but Simbeck says his friends in Pennsylvania should find a lot of common ground.
“The natural beauty and abundant wildlife of upstate Pennsylvania and western New York is something that has always stayed with me,” he says, “and I talk a lot in the book about the impact that had on me growing up. There are pieces about catching crayfish in the creek near our home in St. Marys, about robins, gray squirrels, and cottontail rabbits.”
There are also chapters on crows, red foxes, black rat snakes, bullfrogs, blue jays, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and monarch butterflies, among many others.
Published by The University of South Carolina Press, “The Southern Wildlife Watcher” combines a poetic voice with journalistic rigor, delightful storytelling with solid natural history. Simbeck covers habitat, diet, mating and reproduction, environmental challenges, and even folklore in outlining the lives of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and more. The book is a 168-page paperback with 36 full-color illustrations. It will be released on Aug. 28.
The University of South Carolina Press is offering 40 percent off the $18.99 cover price on advance orders placed before June 20 with code JSPRING20. Visit USCPress.com or call 1-800-537-5487 to order.
Simbeck attended Elk County Christian High School and earned a degree in English at Carnegie Mellon University. He spent four years with The Era, then three years as a magazine editor in Los Angeles, and has long lived and worked in Nashville, Tenn. He has written more than 20 books, most recently ghostwriting the memoir of former Dollar General CEO Cal Turner Jr. He has also been part of the world of country music for many years, working with artists including Blake Shelton, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, and Hank Williams Jr.
