John Yunker 
When I look at visitor stats for the past year, EcoLit Books has seen a steady increase in the number of daily visitors. We now average just over 200 unique visitors per day, with many days surpassing 300 and a few days over 500. For a website devoted to environmental and animal literature, these are …
Guest book review by Gene Helfman. “. . . are such rare, extraordinary kinships valuable because they remind us of a continuity with living creatures that we easily forget?” Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief (turned into an Oscar-winning movie starring Meryl Streep) and The Library Book (a must read for any bibliophile), titled her latest book On Animals when …
Creativity is something that is easier to identify than to explain. And one person’s definition of creativity may vary from your definition. For proof, you need only enter the modern art wing of a museum to hear “Why is that art?” uttered. But though creativity may be in the eye of the beholder, nobody would …
Sadly there is not enough time for us here at EcoLit Books to read all the fine works submitted to us. Here are a few titles we’ve received over the past few months that are new (or forthcoming) to the world… Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future Danielle Clode An Australian biologist delves …
If you’ve visited our slowly growing list of environmental literary (and journalistic) outlets, you’ll have noticed that we’ve been approaching 100 for the past few months. As of today we’re at 99 journals and magazines. I know there are others out there — and if you have something to add please send a link my …
If you’ve got a book to share, High Country News has created a unique Summer Reading site at http://reading.hcn.org.
As a fan of the Rachel Carson Center I was excited to see the recent launch of the first edition of Springs, their new environmental journal: The Rachel Carson Center (RCC) is pleased to announce the launch of Springs: The Rachel Carson Center Review. Our new open-access online publication features peer-reviewed articles, creative nonfiction, and artistic contributions that …
Here’s an opportunity to be a part of a very special anthology… The call is for nonfiction or fiction writing that conveys one clear and unified message: that our oceans are worth fighting for. To help restore a culture of inspiration and reverence towards Earth’s oceans we are looking for masterfully woven stories from a range of perspectives—from marine …
Kingfishers are birds more often heard than seen. Walk next to Bear Creek here in the Rogue Valley and you will probably hear them, though seeing them is not so easy. Fortunately, we have a new book about the kingfisher by Marina Richie to shed light on this fascinating bird. Marina takes us along with …
Here’s a short story contest worth looking into (and free to submit)… Often when promoting waste reduction and reduction of high-energy activities, such as running hot water, we come up against health and safety issues. Some of these are valid, but many are misinformed. This is a targeted competition aimed at using an engaging fictional …
Before you read further, please note that this opportunity is intended for scholars and educators in Environmental Humanities. I’m not but, reading this, I wish I was… The University of Oregon Center for Environmental Futures is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the fourth annual Understories Writers’ Workshop in the Environmental …
Our good friend Mary Woodbury has created a subreddit devoted to Ecofiction: A place to find meaningful fictional stories about our natural world and humanity’s connection with it. The subreddit explores the wild, crazy, and breathtaking literary trail of ecofiction. Our motto is “blowing your mind with wild words and worlds.” We hope to raise …
There is only so much time to read all the amazing books we receive here at EcoLit Books. So I wanted to at least mention a few titles in our To Be Read stack knowing that we might not actually get to them soon, and not for lack of interest. Judging by the brief time …
Animal agriculture is one of the most environmentally damaging industries on our planet — not to mention unfathomably cruel. And though there are times when I wonder if we as a society will ever move beyond eating animals, I was heartened to see this recent announcement from the Plant Based Foods Association. They report that …
In less than two weeks the virtual The Nature of Cities Festival begins. The event is designed and run by The Nature of Cities, a registered not-for-profit based in New York. And, like the name says, it is focused on “building cities that are better for nature and all people.” The festival will be held March …
