Backtracking a bit and reading Sally Mann's autobiography: "Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs" Which was published in 2016 but oddly, overlooked by me.

 

Blogger in Paris. At the Eiffel Tower. 1978.

I have known of Sally Mann's work for decades now and always thought of her as a gifted photographic artist. The fact that she is a writer; and a damn good one, was never on my radar. Recently there have been announcements everywhere about her newest literary work called: "Art Work. On the Creative Life."

I suggested to my family, who are always asking what I would like for my birthday, Christmas, Groundhog Day, or flag day, that they could do worse than getting me the new Sally Mann book. But the birthday is a month away and being newly captivated by the idea of famous, contemporary photographer as literary ace, I decided I should do some homework while waiting for the upcoming volume. 

I sat down with her 2016 book, "Hold Still" just yesterday morning, after swim practice, and I've been swept in by not only her writing but also her amazingly dramatic and ultra-Bohemian existence. Now less that a quarter of the way through the book I am riveted and even when turning on a sprinkler in the garden I come rushing back into the house to take up where I left off with the book. 

If you don't like strong, smart, eccentric women you might not like this book... but for all of us normal, well-adjusted folk it's a treasure trove. And an interesting read.

Since it's peppered with photo references, photo stories and even ..... photographs I can't really label this post as "OT." Read the book, don't read the book, whatever. But I think, now at the quarter way mark, I can pronounce it great reading.