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In the early 1970s, two idealistic young people—Gwen Carpenter
Roland and Calvin Voisin—decided to leave civilization and
re-create the vanished simple life of their great-grandparents
in the heart of Louisiana's million-acre Atchafalaya River
Basin Swamp. Armed with a box of crayons and a book called
How to Build Your Home in the Woods, they drew up plans
to recycle a slave-built structure into a houseboat. Without
power tools or building experience they constructed a floating
dwelling complete with a brick fireplace. Towed deep into
the sleepy waters of Bloody Bayou, it was their home for eight
years. This is the tale of the not-so-simple life they made
together—days spent fishing, trading, making wine, growing
food, and growing up—told by Gwen with grace, economy, and
eloquence.
Not long after they took up swamp living, Gwen and Calvin
met a young photographer named C. C. Lockwood, who shared
their "back to the earth" values. His photographs of the couple
going about their daily routine were published in National
Geographic magazine, bringing them unexpected fame. More
than a quarter of a century later, after Gwen and Calvin had
long since parted, one of Lockwood's photos of them appeared
in a National Geographic collector's edition entitled
100 Best Pictures Unpublished—and kindled the interest
of a new generation. That photo and many others by Lockwood
are included here.
With quiet wisdom, Gwen recounts her eight-year voyage of
discovery—about swamp life, wildlife, and herself. A keen
observer of both the natural world and the ways of human beings,
she transports readers to an unfamiliar and exotic place,
preserving her great adventure for those who did not make
the trip in person.
"I [would write] in the stern of our red and green bateau
while Calvin was running nets or lines from the bow. Since
ink smears when it gets wet, I used pencils on a yellow
legal pad propped against the black Mercury outboard motor.
Whenever it was time for me to crank the motor and run us
to the next line or net, I'd sit on the pad to keep it from
blowing away. . . . During the writing process, we carried
on our regular conversations. The stories are almost extensions
of those conversations, rising and falling with our voices,
capturing the essence of our daily lives like our elderberry
wine captured the fragrance of April to be released again
in October."—from the prologue
Gwen Roland is a writer and editor for the
Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Program at the University of Georgia in Griffin. She is at
work on a novel set one hundred years ago in the Atchafalaya
Basin. |
