The Loess Hills Project

About the Book

The Loess Hills, formed over millenia by windblown topsoil from the Missouri River plains, exist in only one other place on earth. Their presence inspires us, representing the interplay of strength and fragility, growth and decline. The Loess Hills came about because of topsoil. The Loess Hills Project came about because two friends traveled by car through the hills one summer day, and lent their talents for words and pictures to share their journey and the beauty of this unique geological feature as well as that summer day.

About the Author

KAY FRANCES SCOTT, writer, union actress and teacher, grew up at the edge of the Loess Hills, five miles from the Missouri River. After decades spent writing and performing in New York City, she returned to the hills where she still writes and performs. Her scripts have been performed in New York City , on Grand Bahama Island, and in various colleges and universities in the upper Midwest. She was inspired by the hills and by Carlouise’s photographs to share these meditations on their power to comfort by their very existence.

CARLA MANZUK, a union actress and an accomplished traveler, quickly recognized the beauty and the unique qualities of the Loess Hills while visiting her long time friend and fellow actress. She fell in love with photography and all things visual as a young woman. When she took the photos for this book, it was the last time she would use a camera and not her cell phone. This book came about because she fell in love with the hills themselves, the architecture and the lay of the land.