Arizona's rivers take center stage at this year's National Book Festival

Take a trip on the river to see who's representing Arizona at this year's National Book Festival .

The big picture: Melissa L. Sevigny's " Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon " and Phoebe Fox's " On the Verde River " will represent Arizona at the festival, which will be held on Aug. 24 in Washington, D.C.

Zoom in: "Brave the Wild River" is the story of botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, who surveyed the Colorado River's plant life during a 43-day expedition in 1938.

• Sevigny, a science writer and reporter at KNAU in Flagstaff, writes that no comprehensive plant list had been published and that Clover and Jotter's work was the go-to source on the subject for 50 years.
• The book details not only their journey but the sexism Clover and Jotter faced at the time.
• Some newspaper accounts described the scientific endeavor primarily as "thrill-seeking jaunt these reckless women had no business participating in," the Arizona Republic wrote in 2023 review , while one newspaper reported at the time that the perilous river was "a mighty poor place for women."

Between the lines: Fox's "On the Verde River" is an illustrated chronicle of the Verde Valley's plants and animals.

• "The book's poetic prose and beautiful artwork convey a message of appreciation and stewardship for the Verde River," wrote Friends of the Verde River , which published the book.
• Fox is a children's author who'd written eight books prior to "On the Verde River."

Catch up quick: Last year, Tom Zoellner's " Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona " and Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford's "Raulito: The First Latino Governor of Arizona" represented the state at the festival.

🗣 You tell us: What recent Arizona-centric books from local authors do you think should represent the state at the National Book Festival?