Two Hearted-Oak: The Photography of Roman Loranc
By Roman Loranc
Great oaks shrouded in fog at The Nature Conservancy's Cosumnes River Preserve illustrate the magic and romance of California's Central Valley in Two Hearted-Oak: The Photography of Roman Loranc (Great Valley Books/Heydey Books, $39.95). The Central Valley, often better known for large-scale agriculture and increasing pollution, serves as the centerpiece of this heartfelt collection. Paired with wife Lillian Valle's poetry and essays, Loranc's images share a story of the landscape's degradation and more recent rejuvenation. The book registers the "beauty and mystery of what is still here," as Valle writes, while honoring "the people who will not let it die … who are putting it back, grass plug by grass plug." In the foreword, Graham Chisholm, executive director of the Conservancy's California chapter, lauds Loranc for inspiring readers to support restoring this fragile landscape to its ancient past.
— Sara M. Kaplaniak
