Jvail

"What the Indians here used to do, was, to burn out the brush every year in the woods, up the gorges keeping the oak and pine stands tall and clear..."  - Gary Snyder, "Control Burn" (line breaks omitted), 1971. “The idea that we need to just let nature take its course really underestimates the management…

Reader, I fear you've committed an agricultural act. Again. Probably just a few hours ago. As poet/farmer Wendell Berry famously pointed out, "eating is an agricultural act." Yet how many consider it so when they open the fridge or pull in the drive-thru? The ramifications are endless. Every time you eat, you contribute to soil…

Next to me sit two fat books, over 1,500 Pulitzer Prize-winning pages, on J. Robert Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb. Which with some effort I will now push aside, despite my interest in the matter. There are other issues of importance at hand. Two new titles on the theme of wilderness have held my attention…

Ten years ago I boldly reviewed a book called Reinventing Bach, despite the fact that I'm musically illiterate. Against some coworkers' advice, I've also posted a rather negative review of an up-and-coming author's book (which several people told me they appreciated), and even "reviewed" a book I hadn't read. Now I'm going to try to…

One of the perks of working at the Ask Desk is how over time one gets to know a good chunk of Lawrence's library-going population. From artists and mechanics, to struggling folks proud to tell you about their new job, to kids and retirees new to town, it's a living version of the Pictures at…

Aaand there went another Groundhog Day. You know what that means: we're more than halfway through winter. Time to think about the birds and the bees. Literally. I think about the birds much of the time, but late last year I found myself suddenly intrigued by the bees and other bugs (thank you Ed Yong…

Flying to Florida, looking out from a cramped window seat as we descended over the Gulf of Mexico, I did a double-take. Were it not for my seat belt I would have jumped up and down, for I clearly saw a sperm whale at the surface. I've wondered if my eyes were playing tricks ever…

Mycology is mushrooming! So reads one of my favorite bumperstickers, and it certainly is, now more than ever. As if to prove it, even as I wrote this I discovered oyster mushrooms growing nearby, and cooked them for dinner. I've been exploring the wonderland of tiny interconnected subterranean tubes (this is not related to mushroom…