Includes bibliographical references.

"The sagebrush steppes, aspen-covered mountainsides, and redrock deserts of the West have long intertwined with the culture of the Mormon Church, whose pioneer settlers often viewed land as a resource to be developed and consumed. As inheritors of Latter-day Saint traditions become more numerous and diverse, a new view of environmental stewardship has emerged, one that suggests humans must care for the ecology of the planet. Blossom as the Cliffrose features poems and prose by writers who are faithful, non-faithful, converts and de-converts, dragged in or forced out of the Mormon faith. This dynamic collection demonstrates the breadth, complexity, and diversity of a Latter–day Saint legacy of commitment to natural place and challenges readers to examine the myriad ways deeply rooted heritage shapes personal relationship with landscape."