White desk with pink notebook, roses, keyboard, and gold paperclips that Francesca Varela uses to write environmental fiction

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  • The Redwoods

    1–2 minutes

    In my “barefoot” walking sandals I wander along endless wood sorrel carpets. Head tilted up, always up. I want to hum to match their steady breathing. There is no wind. The trees; they catch it all. They are not the ones who show us the wind; they are the ones who steal it, who absorb

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  • Which is Greener: E-Readers or Paper Books?

    2–3 minutes

    As an environmental studies grad, an author, and a lover of reading, I often think about the environmental impact of books. I wrote my first novel, Call of the Sun Child, in praise of the natural world–especially the magnificence of trees–yet every paper copy I sell is the carcass of a dead tree. From across the forest

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  • Has Wilderness Solitude Been Stolen From Women?

    2–3 minutes

    There are times when I want walk into the forest alone. Walk where there are no paths. No concrete, or gravel, or dirt trails worn thin by hiking boots. I want ferns by my feet. When I pause, and hold my breath, and listen closely, I want to hear branches clipping together, and distant, wind-woven birds

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  • The Great Peril of Our Existence

    3–4 minutes

    “The great peril of our existence lies in the fact that our diet consists entirely of souls.” A few years ago I read this on Wikipedia while researching the Inuit worldview for a school paper, and, for some reason, it’s always stuck with me. Maybe because it’s true. Scaldingly true. Our diet consists entirely of souls.

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Learn more about Francesca Varela's novels