The Return of the Fertilizer King and Other Tales - Tapa dura

The Return of the Fertilizer King and Other Tales explores the inner- connectedness of man and his friends in the insect world-as well as man's connection with any other beings that might be traversing the soil or flying through the skies. Creatures living under the ground as well those above the ground are presented in their relationship to the home gardener, as well as the commercial farmer. Author Mark Sturges employs an important tool in his poetry called personification, which encourages the reader to respect insects as conscious creatures, rather than something to be stepped on. The Return of the Fertilizer King and other Tales moves from the forest to the pasture to the vineyard and back again. Soil restoration through organic composting is the underlying thread that weaves this collection together.

Mark U. Sturges is, indeed, a fertilizer king. His farm in Bandon, Oregon, ships organic compost and nematodes and dung beetles to thirty states. Mark has been a poet for over thirty years. In addition to writing, Mark sells fine wine on the South Coast of Oregon. He and his wife Maryanne have lived in Bandon, Oregon for twenty-five years.