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CommUNITY Reads
Wildbranch Part I: Intimacy
"We define intimacy as relationship in its many forms, from Paul Grindrod’s “Des Ta Te: A Love Story,” which explores the complex relationship between the author and a rescued bald eagle, to an essay like Jim Collins’s “Fishing with George,” a reflection on a friendship that developed over years of fishing the streams of New England together." (p. xvi)
- Wildbranch: An Anthology of Nature, Environmental, and Place-based WritingLogin with G# and password to access full eBook.
Essays
- Des Ta Te: A Love StoryPaul Grindrod, pp. 3-10
A handler’s relationship with a rescued bald eagle. Discusses the symbolism of the bald eagle for Americans, the perception of eagles and reality of their behavior when they feel secure and trust those around them. - Exaltation of ElkJanisse Ray, pp. 15-21
Two hikers in Montana suddenly find themselves in the midst of a heard of elk and are able to motionlessly observe them in the wild. - Letter to DouglasTony Cross, pp. 22-24
Written as a letter to a Douglas Fir tree, comparing it to the grand Sequoias of California. While the Sequoias are what tourists come to see, and what the writer thought was drawing him to California, he has discovered that the quiet dependability of the Douglas Fir is his “solidity” and the writer likens it to home. - MigrationsGlenda Cotter, pp. 34-36
Observing flocks of migrating birds, the narrator thinks about how bird migration connects people "with places that we may never see," especially as we become more fragmented and polarized from each other. - Fourth Night MagicRobert Kimber, pp. 39-41
Short story that describes the unity and bliss that settles over a group of canoers on their fourth night together. The comfort of familiarity and togetherness, the way in which each person automatically assumes a responsibility for the good of the whole; shared experience - Calling the DoveDorinda G. Dallmeyer, pp. 46-48
The narrator recalls her grandfather teaching her to call doves, how he used to hunt them and it was admirable because of the skill required.