Best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Yearling, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings may not be the first author you think of when celebrating World Bee Day in Asheville, NC. But through a series of interesting connections, we think she’s a great fit.
We’d even go so far as to say she’s the bee’s knees!
Like a pollinator buzzing from flower to flower, we can explain our reasoning, step by step. Here’s why we like to celebrate World Bee Day with Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
Who was Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings?
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (August 8, 1896–December 14, 1953) is best known as the author of the 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn. Rawlings showed an interest in writing at a young age, winning prizes for her work at as young as 15. At age 31, she purchased a 72-acre orange grove in Florida with a small inheritance and brought the place, called Cross Creek, to fame through her writing. Over the course of her career, Rawlings published numerous short stories and 11 novels and story collections.
What Does She Have to Do with Asheville?
We’re sure it must have been a point of pride for Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings to be represented by Scribner’s. After all, the publishing house represented a slew of other great contemporary writers, including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Asheville’s own Thomas Wolfe. Not only did these great authors share the same publisher, they all worked closely with the same editor, Maxwell Perkins. And so, the authors were familiar with each other both professionally and personally.
In fact, we know that Rawlings dined with Fitzgerald in Asheville in 1936. Scott was in town visiting his wife Zelda, who spent the last 12 years of her life living in Asheville, on and off. He was also suffering from alcoholism and bad press at the time. We may never know what they talked about during their dinner. But we know Rawlings must have been sympathetic to Fitzgerald’s plight. She was no stranger to a tumultuous marriage and the effects of alcoholism on relationships.
To recognize her time in Asheville, the 21st Annual Marjorie Rawlings Conference took place at the Renaissance Hotel downtown during the spring of 2008.
What Does Asheville Have to Do with Bees?
Pollinators are kind of a big deal in Asheville, NC! Did you know that our great city has not only been named “Bee City, USA”, but we were the first-ever city to receive that title?
In 2012, Asheville became the first to accept the title and responsibility of being an official Bee City, launching a national movement. This region understands the important role pollinators play in our environment and provides many ways for members of the community to get involved. Large rural spaces, small backyards, and urban rooftops are used for beekeeping in Western North Carolina. Even the rooftop of the Renaissance Hotel—the same one chosen by the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society in 2008—is home to hives comprising tens of thousands of honeybees.
What’s the Best Way to Celebrate World Bee Day?
At the time this article was posted, World Bee Day on May 20 is still a few days away. That gives you plenty of time to prepare for this fun annual celebration.
World Bee Day is an initiative of the United Nations General Assembly. The annual event was created to recognize bees and other pollinators, as well as to raise awareness about why they are increasingly under threat from human activities. According to the UN, “The goal [of World Bee Day] is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.”
There are many ways to promote local pollinators, from simply learning more about their impact to taking action on an individual or government level. For instance, this World Bee Day, you could celebrate by sponsoring a hive. Or you could make a bee water fountain by leaving a water bowl outside.
We also recommend reading and sharing your favorite stories, passages, and poems about bees and other pollinators. Here’s a quick quote from none other than the subject of this post:
“The wild bees had found the chinaberry tree by the front gate. They burrowed into the fragile clusters of lavender bloom as greedily as though there were no other flowers in the scrub.”
—Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling
Read more about World Bee Day at un.org/en/observances/bee-day.
Learn More about Authors in Asheville on the AVL Lit Tour
Did you know about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ connections to Asheville?
There’s one sure-fire way to learn more about the many literary greats with connections to our area. Learn about many Asheville-related authors, from the 19th century to the present, on the next AVL Lit Tour.
Asheville Literary Tours are a great respite to enjoy the city’s sites and also grow your minds. Book your 90-minute AVL Lit Tour today!
Book Your AVL Lit Tour Today!
The banner photo depicts Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings on her front porch. Photo Courtesy of George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.