Writing for deer; writing for animals
Summer in Ashland, Oregon, means fawns following their mothers through the streets of our small town. The local deer are, sadly, a contentious issue. Many residents resent their appetites for …
John Yunker
New writing opportunity: The Moth Nature Writing Prize
This is exciting! The Moth Magazine has announced its inaugural Moth Nature Writing Prize, featuring Richard Mabey as judge: The Prize will be awarded to an unpublished piece of writing …
Learning to love weeds: Beyond the War on Invasive Species
Dandelions. Bull thistle. Kudzu. Japanese knotweed. Himalayan blackberry. From front lawns to woodlands, these are among the most despised of plant species. Species that, we are told, are hell-bent on …
Review: In The Art of Earth Architecture everything old is new again
As an architectural enthusiast, I have long admired Louis Khan. When I first visited San Diego years ago, I made sure to visit The Salk Institute. To see how concrete …
Bird by Word: Two reviews of American Birds: A Literary Companion
As I finished reading American Birds: A Literary Companion I realized that there were two reviews I could write: the “typical American birder” review and the “atypical vegan birder” review. …
In Floating Coast, stories of survival, sadness and madness
The Bering Strait is probably best known these days for the 50-mile thin stretch of Pacific Ocean that separates Russia from the United States. But it is also one of …
In Animal City our painful past is still painfully present
If I asked you to picture a “cow town,” you would probably picture a small town, surrounded by pasture, set far away from the big city. Yet in the 1800s, …
Eating meat in third person: The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
Published in 1969, The Edible Woman is Margaret Atwood’s first novel. As a vegan, I was curious to read this book because it features a protagonist, Marian, who discovers one …
Writing Opportunity: And Lately, the Sun
Now that so many of us are hibernating these days, there’s more time to write and submit. Such as to this planned anthology… Our project, “And Lately, The Sun”, explores …
Review: Building a Better World in Your Backyard
When it comes to nonfiction environmental books these days, I feel that we’re reaching “peek dystopia.” Or, at least I hope we are. Because it seems that between books about …
New Writing Opportunity: Everything Change Climate Fiction Contest
Sponsored by the Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative at Arizona State University, the contest organizers are “looking for short stories that help us imagine how humans can live within Earth’s planetary boundaries—at the …