A collection of engaging and provocative essays, Prairie Soul extends the transcendental tradition of writes like Aldo Leopold and Annie Dillard. Entomologist and nature writer Jeffrey Lockwood writes about humans and insects from the grasslands of Wyoming, where he has lived and worked for almost two decades. Like Ed Abbey's Southwestern desert or Wendell Berry's rural Kentucky, Lockwood's home environment and study of grasshoppers form an interesting starting point for consideration of universal concerns and connections with the world at large. Locwood thoughtfully examines:
- Spirituality and the place of religion in science
- The soulful connection between human beings and the places they live
- Grasslands and ecology
- The environment as common ground that transcends cultural and political boundaries
- An accomplished author in the field of nature writing, Lockwood reflects on the Wyoming prairie and its connections to philosophy, literature, art, and religion.
- In the tradition of Annie Dillard and Wendell Berry, Lockwood interweaves aspects of the natural sciences with the humanities.
- Jeffery Lockwood was the 2002 winner of the Pushcart Prize for his essay "To Be Honest," a prize named by Publishers Weekly as among the "most influential projects in the history of American publishing."
