Set against the backdrop of a post-pandemic and climate-collapsed world, Beaver Girl follows the journey of Livia, a 19-year-old confronting the aftermath of environmental upheaval. As wildfires encircle her, Livia seeks solace in Congaree National Park, where an unexpected alliance with a beaver family becomes a central theme in her fight for survival.

Steele skillfully intertwines elements of a morality tale, shedding light on humanity's role in climate disaster. The novel delves into the ecological significance of beavers as keystone species, emphasizing their ability to shape landscapes and create sustainable water sources.

Beaver Girl transcends traditional genres, offering a narrative that explores themes of redemption, resilience, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. Through this joint venture, Anxiety and Outcast Presses bring forth a powerful story that challenges readers to reflect on the consequences of environmental negligence.
 

Cassie Premo Steele, Ph.D., is a queer ecofeminist poet, novelist, trauma scholar and writing coach living out and proud in the American South. Her extensive body of work encompasses evocative poetry, insightful essays, and explorations of ecofeminist philosophy. Steele's writing resonates with readers by intertwining themes of women's and LGBTQ+ experiences, spirituality, psychology, and nature, forming a tapestry of thought-provoking narratives. As an advocate for environmental consciousness and gender and sexuality equality, her words bridge the gap between the personal and the ecological. Her acclaimed works, such as We Heal from Memory and Earth Joy Writing, reveal her deep-rooted commitment to the natural world and trauma-informed writing as ways to inspire change. Her most recent book is the new novel, Beaver Girl, which is the 2024 One Book, One Community selection for the city of Columbia, South Carolina, where she lives with her wife and their intergenerational queer family.

Her websites are www.cassiepremosteele.com and www.earthjoywriting.com

Praise for BEAVER GIRL:

If beavers spoke and thought human language, they'd probably sound a lot like the clever, soulful protagonists of Cassie Premo Steele's charming novel. Beaver Girl is a wonderful contribution to the castor canon that's certain to convert a new wave of Beaver Believers — and a good thing, too, since our semiaquatic brethren need all the supporters they can get!

 —Ben Goldfarb, Author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter

Beaver Girl explores a grim climate future through the eyes of both beavers and people. Although our species differ in many ways, Cassie Premo Steele skillfully illustrates what we have in common - a deep longing for safety, family, and to build a brighter future for the next generation. I was particularly happy to find so many tidbits of actual beaver ecology woven into the story. This is a book that I could easily read for fun or assign in one of the science classes I teach as an example of communicating science through story.

 -Emily Fairfax, Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota

Both sobering and hopeful, Beaver Girl is a story for our times. As Livia flees climate catastrophe, pandemic tragedy and societal collapse, Chap’s compassion and wise teachings offer us all another way of living in this troubled world.

 —Frances Backhouse, Author of Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver and Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers

Beaver Girl is the novel 'beaver believers' have been waiting for. Premo Steele has written an incredibly thoughtful fictionalized account of the relationship between a human and a beaver family that represents beavers' broader positive impacts not only for our degraded yet resilient landscapes, but also for our tender human spirits.

 -Alison Zak, Director of the Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund and author of Wild Asana: Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World