Why a sunflower?

I remember my aching neck as I gazed up at the towering sunflowers of our Texas garden. Our rosemary, sprinkled in purple, was a rarity of a bush, consuming the entire corner as the mint ran wild between carrots and snap peas that never made it inside. I don’t recall collecting the sunflower seeds. I don’t even remember planting them. I only know that many years ago I watched the sunflowers turn their spiraled faces to the light in radiant, practical beauty. I’ve always been a strong believer in function, and our sunflowers delighted that inclination, beaming yellow with that frame of leaves like the velvet casing of a diamond, all the while growing food for harvest. 

My hope is to live up to this emblem, to be shining and functional and light-seeking writers. It was a simple decision, then, to choose the sunflower to represent English Pursuits. You’ll find it on the logo, our website page, and faded into every cover.