The goal of Trail-A-Week was 52 essays. In August of 2015, I realized that I wouldn't be a writer until I let my bones show. I'd already understood - gradually, after 24 years of doing it - that I am not fully living unless I am writing. But aside from a few (utterly nerve-wracking) published bits, I've written … Continue reading Dear Reader
Right Work
This week's essay was written for the Columbia Land Trust, a conservation group that serves the entire Columbia River region. The topic was suggested by a conversation I had with the Trust's Volunteer Coordinator last weekend, while we were surveying for non-native grass incursions. You can read the original post on the Trust's blog here. *** It … Continue reading Right Work
Puffin Day
Today I went to see the work of a Portland artist who spent 3 months in Antarctica drawing birds. She was actually researching a bird I’ve never heard of, the Snowy sheathbill. But I was captured by her depictions of a single Arctic tern - a forceful little seabird with which my only direct encounter … Continue reading Puffin Day
Lying Fallow
I added a new state to my map last week. Though meeting a new country is closer to how it feels for an urban Pacific Northwesterner to visit Alaska for the first time. I checked into my Juneau accommodation with something like 30 hours to spare, before I was due at the artists’ camp that … Continue reading Lying Fallow
Happy New Year. You’re Welcome.
I wrote an essay for Christmas last week. New Years, I am taking the week off. But you don't have to miss an essay just because I'm being lazy. Instead, I invite you to return to a previous piece. Any will do. But this time, let's play the Lovecraft Adjective Game. As you read aloud, … Continue reading Happy New Year. You’re Welcome.
Tara K. Shepersky 