Issue 61 / Fall 2016
61 / Learning from Nature
Finding inspiration in the world around us
In this issue, we seek inspiration from the natural world—captured in powerful informative true stories. Deer antlers help surgeons build better prostheses, and scientists studying hibernation in arctic ground squirrels find a possible key to understanding Alzheimer’s disease. Biomimicry visionary Janine Benyus fights to restore natural balance on a parcel of land in Montana, and in Oregon, naturalists grapple with the ethics of killing one species of owl to protect another owl’s habitat.
Plus, how essay structures work on the human brain; 50 years of women writers exploring wilderness; hermit-crab essays; Thoreau’s remarkably elaborate journaling process; tiny truths; and more.
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What’s the Story #61
"There’s a story in every design and a design in every story"An Apprentice to the World
Adelheid Fischer visits biomimicry expert Janine Benyus, who puts her theories to the test in her Montana backyardHow the Mind Works
The better we understand the brain's processes, the more artful our writing can beNature Mothers
From Rachel Carson to Cheryl Strayed, what women writers have found in the wildThe Essay as Bouquet
"Hermit crab" essays can take many forms, both natural and notThe View Through the Crack
Could the arctic ground squirrel's hibernation habits provide the key to curing Alzheimer's?Into Every Life Some Rain Must Fall
Our changing environment poses numerous threats. Some, like too many sunny days, are deceptively pleasantEulogy for an Owl
When we protect endangered species, are we helping the animals—or just ourselves?The Missing Link to a Missing Limb
Every year in the United States, 185,000 amputations are performed. The key to better prostheses may lie in understanding deer antlersBorneo’s Night Lights
The race is on to discover untold mysteries in the rainforests of Borneo before they are lost foreverLearning from the Bees
In Thoreau's journals, we can see the writer flitting from subject to subjectEven in a Concrete Jungle
A sociologist finds an unexpected essay in a city parkEngaging the Senses
A teacher-writer heads to the beach to try out one of her own writing promptsIn Lieu of Flowers
Speaking well of the deadConnecting the Dots
An interview with the winner of the $5,000 "Learning from Nature" essay contest explores the idea of Alaska as America's final frontier and the relationship between the park's wild residents and visiting touristsRelying on Line and Shape
"Getting back to the drawing board is always an important exercise"