Edge Effects

The historian who wrote the book on a half millennium of Caribbean hurricanes turns to the still-unfolding disaster in Puerto Rico. The post The Unlearned Lesson of Hurricane Maria: A Conversation with Stuart Schwartz appeared first on Edge Effects.

How does the celebrated author of the new story collection "Florida" write books in a poisoned, warming world? "By being constantly, constantly angry. All day long." The post Why All Fiction Should Be Climate Fiction: A Conversation with Lauren Groff appeared first on Edge Effects.

Two geographers, co-editors of the new volume Historical Animal Geographies, discuss how the animals around us shape our histories, our environments, and the stories we tell about the world. The post The Animals’ Guide to History: A Conversation with Stephanie Rutherford and Shari Wilcox appeared first on Edge Effects.

Astronauts love growing plants in space, and it turns out there are benefits for us on Earth. Botanist Simon Gilroy discusses his experiments growing cotton in zero gravity. The post Gardening in Outer Space: A Conversation with Simon Gilroy appeared first on Edge Effects.

The Flint water crisis is not over. Anna Clark’s new book tells the history of how we got here and how lead is here to stay. The post The Water’s Not Fine: A Conversation with Anna Clark appeared first on Edge Effects.

A historian implicates the canning industry in the rise of the industrial food system and our current public health crisis. And yet, she says, maligning canned food is not the answer. The post What Canned Food Stands For: A Conversation with Anna Zeide appeared first on Edge Effects.

What is the relationship between American agriculture and democracy? In this lively interview, Jess Gilbert and Pete Daniel get to the root of their disagreement over the role of the state and debate what effects the writing of agricultural history has on policy making. The post In Search of a Democratic Agrarian Tradition: A Conversation with Pete Daniel and Jess Gilbert appeared first on Edge Effects.

A new generation of experimental poets responds to the growing awareness of human impacts on the planet with work that challenges traditional nature poetry and poetic form. The post Why We Need Experimental Poetry in the Anthropocene: A Conversation with Lynn Keller appeared first on Edge Effects.

The founder of Wisconsin Green Muslims talks about her group’s solar and water conservation work rooted in faith and justice, and its Greening Ramadan initiative for the Islamic holy month that begins this evening. The post Muslims Stand Up for Environmental Justice: A Conversation with Huda Alkaff appeared first on Edge Effects.

The acclaimed author and activist, who has edited the new Library of America edition of "Silent Spring," reflects on how Carson changed her style of writing to become "defense attorney for the Earth." The post Rachel Carson Joins the Literary Canon: A Conversation with Sandra Steingraber appeared first on Edge Effects.

How can we use the arts to decolonize our relations to the land? An artist, activist, and scholar discusses the many forms of creative resistance we can use to imagine and enact new and better worlds. The post Indigenous Art as Creative Resistance: A Conversation with Dylan Miner appeared first on Edge Effects.

How do we expand the emotional range of environmental writing? One author argues that irreverence can be a potent form of subversion as we confront climate crisis. The post Humor in Environmental Storytelling: A Conversation with Michael Branch appeared first on Edge Effects.

What would it mean to see through the eyes of dogs? The tangled histories of humans and animals show us how personhood, criminality, and cruelty are constructed. The post What Dogs Can Teach Us About Justice: A Conversation with Colin Dayan appeared first on Edge Effects.

An anthropologist and activist discusses her work with Indigenous youth and how social services and other state programs may be colonial intervention by another name. The post Indigenous Youth and the Changing Face of Settler Colonialism: A Conversation with Jaskiran Dhillon appeared first on Edge Effects.

Are there better ethics than hope? Two scholars with new books about the author of Walden reflect on Henry David Thoreau's environmental ethic, flirtations with despair, and anarchist politics. The post Thoreau, Now More than Ever: A Conversation with Laura Dassow Walls and Daegan Miller appeared first on Edge Effects.

One historian exposes shadowy corners of cannabis's history and offers prescriptions for achieving a bright, sustainable future for the world's widest-ranging crop. The post A Century of Cannabis: A Conversation with Nick Johnson appeared first on Edge Effects.

The decline of honeybees is cause for alarm and a symptom of global biodiversity loss. Beekeepers, however, find creative ways to build relationships with honeybees and steward their hives. The post Finding Hope and Community with Honeybees: A Conversation with Heather Swan appeared first on Edge Effects.

What does the scientific study of biological diversity have to do with the history of U.S. imperialism in the Caribbean? Just about everything, says the author of a new book on American field stations in the tropics. The post The Tangled Roots of U.S. Imperialism and Biodiversity Science: A Conversation with Megan Raby appeared first on Edge Effects.

The fight against African American land loss isn't just about economic justice. It's about environmental sustainability. The post Food Justice Requires Land Justice: A Conversation with Savi Horne appeared first on Edge Effects.

To be outside the "home" was a dangerous place to be in Gilded Age America. Richard White tells the story of how the modern nation reluctantly came into being alongside the environmental crisis of the late nineteenth century. The post Making the Nation in the Gilded Age: A Conversation with Richard White appeared first on Edge Effects.