A Feeling for Rock is a visceral exploration of rock climbing as a passion and lifestyle. Through a mix of poetry, cartoons, essays, interviews, weavings, photographs and technical tips, it conveys the experience of being bamboozled by a route, connecting with the landscape or flicking through a guidebook. In addition, the book ventures into ethical regions of gender bias and privilege and questions our relations with each other and the rock. Chapters are headed by different feelings - Love, Curiosity, Astonishment, Pain, Lust, Fear, Wonder and so on - which lie at the core of a climbing life.
Do we function by these hierarchies - E5 over VS, summit over foothills, grades over enjoyment, human over non-human (we can drill the cliff, it doesn't have any feelings)? After 20 years on the rock, Sarah-Jane Dobner reflects on the joy, awe, comedy, pride, fear, surprise, tenderness and geekery of life as a climber.
Reviews of A Feeling for Rock
Lynn Robinson, BMC President:
"This fresh, eclectic mix of utility and art illustrates why we climb - alongside the how, where and what."
Natalie Berry, UKClimbing Editor in Chief:
"Sarah-Jane deftly explores the smorgasbord of emotions that rock, climbing and rock climbing culture have roused in her...As ever, SJ rocks the boat and tackles gender issues head-on; subverting the dominant discourse of men and mountains and instead putting sex, sensuality and emotion on the menu, through this highly immersive collection of prose, poetry and essays."
Lynn Robinson, BMC President:
"This fresh, eclectic mix of utility and art illustrates why we climb - alongside the how, where and what."
Natalie Berry, UKClimbing Editor in Chief:
"Sarah-Jane deftly explores the smorgasbord of emotions that rock, climbing and rock climbing culture have roused in her...As ever, SJ rocks the boat and tackles gender issues head-on; subverting the dominant discourse of men and mountains and instead putting sex, sensuality and emotion on the menu, through this highly immersive collection of prose, poetry and essays."
A Feeling for Rock is a diverse collection comprising new work alongside a selection of Sarah-Jane's writings published over the past decade. Topics include sensuality, injury, community, ethics, landscape and language. There are verbatim interviews with a handful of committed devotees - including Johnny Dawes, Mina Leslie-Wujastyk and Jesse Dufton - alongside beginners experiencing their first day on plastic.
Featuring 'emotion' chapter headings and ending with a light-hearted glossary, A Feeling for Rock is perfect for both dipping into or a more immersive read. Being full of pictures and soft to the touch, it is also rather a beautiful item to hold in your hands.
To order a copy visit dobdobdob.co.uk.
For updates and further information follow @afeelingforrock on Instagram or Facebook
Sarah-Jane Dobner, the author:
"Rock climbing has shaped my body, my bookshelves, my home, my holidays, the clothes I wear, the vehicle I drive, how I spend my money and what happens when I die. I am a product of the rock. The dynamic is visceral, spiritual, intellectual and emotional – no area untouched by this curious hobby."
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