The Mushroom at the Edge of the Forest

An article about Timothy Morton in the Guardian. If you haven't heard of Morton you should read this . Slightly newer than the last article, 2017!

I might try out just compiling things to read on the blog. Not only books ( I swear my Book Library is coming. It's just taking longer than I expected), but maybe also articles that I have found shape my thought. Or that are interesting and well-written. Feel free to offer submissions. I don't know if I will stay with this. Let's see how it goes! First article up is Generation Anthropocene: How humans have altered the planet forever.  It's old now, 2016 old, but I enjoyed it.

Shit happens, we say. And sometimes it does. But the fact of the matter is that sometimes, shit doesn’t just happen. Sometimes, human beings deliberately create the conditions under which shit is more likely to occur. Nobody says it’s easy, knowing the difference between right and wrong. Is it what you INTEND that makes all the difference, or what actually HAPPENS as a result of what you do, no matter what you intend? Everybody makes mistakes, nobody can see into the future, and isn’t too great an eagerness to lay blame a moral failing too? I think about this story and wonder what it means. One thing, I think, is clear: I should go on full alert if I hear myself say, “I’m not the one who does harm; harm just happens around me.” Like it or not, I own the consequences of my acts. They’re mine. —  Kathleen Dean Moore, The Pine Island Paradox

“If there is a meaning in the past and in the imagined future, it is captured in the moment. When you have all the time in the world, you can spend it, not on going somewhere, but on being where you are.” -- Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass, 296)  

It took me a long time to decide how to start this post (read: I debated what book, how to talk about it, what book, what style to use, what book, WHAT BOOK!). I scanned my shelves to get inspiration and I started with a book that I have loved for a long while. The cover makes me happy, the contents make me happy, and it just makes me happy. Which seems like a decent place to start. Barbara Kingsolver is an American writer from Kentucky, born in 1955 and she has been writing since 1985. She also has two degrees in biology one from DePauw University and one from the University of Arizona. Small Wonder is the first book I read from Kingsolver and as I’ve already said it is one of my favourites. It is a small collection of stories about all manner of topics (American culture, family, environment, hope, etc.). From the first story about a child rescued by a bear in Iran to the last story about really seeing people and life for what is. Kingsolver offers up tidbits of her life, t

I am starting this blog to start conversations. Mostly about the books or articles I will read. The topics will focus on eco-literature and responses to it. There may be some pictures, if they are relevant.  I wanted to share this photo as it is symbolic of why I wanted to start writing. In the past year I have seen this sign more than ever before. Actually, come to think of it, I am not sure I saw this sign before 2017. For me this photo shows how prevalent climate change is, how it permeates every choice and aspect of our daily lives. I have yet to decide on how this blog will function, there will probably be guest bloggers. I think it will be updated bi-weekly to start. Upcoming Posts: -- About Me -- Some Books Well, that's it for now. Not very informative, but it's one of those get it started or it never will.