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

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  • A Walk

    2–3 minutes

    Yesterday I went for a walk, and the world was mine. It was just me and my dog; the only two people in the river’s sight, the only two people ever to live. Heavy water spread in waves against mudded cliffs. Their sound was cylinders, wind chimes. Always we looked past the houses lining the

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  • Foraging: A Local Food Solution

    4–6 minutes

    My best guess is that you’ve never eaten a dandelion. Now, I don’t mean this in an offensive way— I just mean that most people have never had the delight of plucking one of those yellow flowers from the grass and grinding it between their teeth. Dandelions (taraxacum officinale) are among the most notorious weeds,

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  • Inspiration

    3–4 minutes

    There was a time when anyone could look up at night— anyone, anywhere on the entire planet—and, if the clouds were absent, they could see the sky in its entirety. I have always looked for the stars on clear nights, but I haven’t always found them. I’ve stood outside, tilted my chin to Canis Major,

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  • And So The Ash Tree Grows

    1–2 minutes

    There is a little ash tree growing at the base of the cedars. I hope it grows tall, and I hope I get to see it tall. Someday, after we move away, there will be other people living here. What will they see? Will they know the trees as I do–wandering between their trunks, eyes

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Learn more about Francesca Varela's novels