Payne Hollow is a reflective and poetic memoir describing the simple, self-sufficient life lived by Harlan Hubbard and his wife Anna along the banks of the Ohio River from the 1950s to the 1980s. After living on a shantyboat for eight years, the Hubbards crafted a custom home and studio at Payne Hollow in Trimble County, Kentucky, where they lived off the land and embraced a lifestyle focused on nature, art and solitude.
The book, illustrated with Harlan’s own ink drawings, captures the couple’s philosophy of living in harmony with the natural world, free from the distractions and demands of modern society. Hubbard eloquently describes in words and images their daily routines, the changing seasons, and the deep satisfaction he and Anna found in their way of life. Through his writing, Hubbard rejoices in the return to simplicity and creates an appreciation for the living world, making Payne Hollow not just a memoir, but a model for building a deliberate, mindful life in tune with nature.
Originally published in 1974, this second edition was published by Gnomon Press in 1997.
