Sarah Burris – Hold Still
Renowned American photographer, Sally Mann, reveals herself to be more than an artist, but also a skillful archivist, philosopher, poet, and storyteller in Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs. The book won the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. I was faintly familiar with Mann’s photographic work, especially her controversial Immediate Family series from 1992 featuring her children. I was curious to learn more about the artist herself. Mann’s ability to write beautifully is reason alone to read this title. Her eloquently crafted narrative quickly immerses you into her past and reflects the influences that made her the artist she is today.
Sally Mann’s photographic work covers a multitude of subjects including family, southern landscape, race, and death. Her writings analyze why she is drawn to these subjects. Mann, intrinsically tied to her physical surroundings, is still living in Lexington, Virginia where she was born. The southern landscape often reoccurs as the focus of her black and white photographs.
Mann dives into her personal family history, pulling genealogical resources from boxes in the attic; she connects you to her familial past in a way that is surprisingly intriguing. This includes a glimpse at her wealthy paternal great-grandfather who was extremely into the need for speed starting with a love of bicycles which he would teach his children to ride at the young age of 2. There is photographic evidence.
I highly recommend adding this poetically profound memoir to your reading list. My one recommendation is to read her chapter on “The Sublime End” on an empty stomach. Mann was granted permission to take photographs at the University of Tennessee’s Body Farm. The descriptions of body decomposition illustrated further by her photography is fascinating, yet graphic. Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs has significantly increased my reverence for Sally Mann as an artist and it inspired me to pick up my camera. No wonder this book is one of the best-selling nonfiction titles of 2015.
About Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris grew up in the Panama City area and received her master’s degrees in Fine Arts and Library Science from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. She recently relocated back to Panama City, the place she calls home. Sarah stays active within the local arts community and continues to produce work of her own. She enjoys neighborhood walks, crafts, reading, and a good cup of tea. Sarah is a Reference Librarian at Bay County Public Library. If you are interested in joining a book club, Sarah leads the Beyond the Lens: Book and Film Series that meets in the Bay County Public Library Meeting Room the third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m.