Essays
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East to the West
A writer contemplates where the West begins, both in the landscape and in his life.
by John Daniel, Mar 09, 2010 -
Good night, sweet trees
A scientist sees a Shakespearean tragedy unfold in the West’s dying aspen forests, victims of climate change.
by William R.L. Anderegg, Feb 26, 2010 -
The squeal of silence
Time spent alone in a cabin in the wild reminds a writer that silence is more than the absence of noise.
by Charles Goodrich, Feb 11, 2010 -
Drive that Hummer
If you could find a Hummer that got perfect gas mileage and didn’t pollute, would you be willing to get behind the wheel?
by Ana Maria Spagna, Jan 27, 2010 -
Ending hunger
A New Mexico woman fights hunger by sending healthy snacks home with schoolchildren every Friday.
by Sharman Apt Russell, Jan 21, 2010 -
My brother, the bear
A Colorado woman copes with marauding bears, dead chickens and her beloved brother's schizophrenia.
by Laura Pritchett, Dec 08, 2009 -
The Eastern Frontier
New York City is really the West, buried under time's wrapping.
by Tom Zoellner, Nov 19, 2009 -
The kindness of hunters
After a lifetime of despising and fearing guns, a woman is blindsided by the everyday kindness shown by two hunters.
by Melissa Hart, Nov 08, 2009 -
My father's political career
A writer remembers her father's unlikely political career, running as a Democrat in a Republican part of Colorado.
by Marty Durlin, Oct 27, 2009 -
A guide to the past -- and the future
The WPA Guide to 1930s Montana has become the author's favorite guidebook.
by Jeremy N. Smith, Oct 15, 2009 -
Coming home to the cosmos
A wandering writer comes home to Utah after chasing meteorites around the world for years.
by Christopher Cokinos, Sep 09, 2009 -
The dictionary reader
What kind of person spends the whole summer stuck inside a cabin reading the dictionary?
by Ana Maria Spagna, Aug 20, 2009 -
The bare bones of life
The rocky, remote landscapes of the Southwest have long served astronomers as a metaphor for the surfaces of other planets.
by Anne Minard, Aug 03, 2009 -
A tenderfoot in Taos
An exhausted young mother, her lively new baby, and a compassionate drunkard have a brief but lovely encounter on the plaza in Taos, N.M.
by Michelle Nijhuis , Jul 17, 2009 -
Northward
The unexpected loveliness of the song of the varied thrush reminds the author that the birds are on the move, driven by climate change.
by David Oates , Jul 07, 2009 -
Natural comfort
It seems romantic to die alone in the wild, until you begin to lose the people you love
by Ana Maria Spagna , Jun 12, 2009 -
Time to breathe
Stargazing and geology satisfy the spiritual needs of a Utah writer and teacher.
by Christopher Cokinos , May 28, 2009 -
Schmear campaign
How do you find a really good bagel in a place like Missoula, Mont.?
by Jeremy N. Smith , May 13, 2009 -
The vitality of language
A mother introduces her newly adopted child to the birds at a raptor rehabilitation center and teaches her their names.
by Melissa Hart , Apr 27, 2009 -
Why I ride the Greyhound
Every passenger aboard a bus becomes a citizen of the world, contemplating the Western landscape as it passes by.
by Brian Kevin , Apr 17, 2009
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