Granta
When the Cholera Cameby Lindsey Hilsum
Hilsum's piece is both a history of the 1994 cholera epidemic in a refugee camp following the Rwandan Civil War and a form of personal reporting of what she came across while she was there. Written and published in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it hits closer to home than it could have years before. The refugees in Zaire dying of cholera were Hutus, most likely those that participated in the genocide of Tutsis just weeks before. Hilsum questioned if "the disease was a kind of divine retribution - collective punishment for a collective crime."
1236 days ago- Victim and Accused
by Vidyan Ravinthiran
Ravinthiran contextualizes his and his family's life within the broader context of their ethnicity, both in relation to his life in England and his family's as Tamils in Sri Lanka. He writes in a sort of stream-of-consciousness form, recalling his own memories as a poet and relating them to the more "serious" problems of his ancestors.
1236 days ago - Permafrost
by Eva Baltasar
In this brief introduction to her book, "Permafrost," we get a look into the life of Baltasar's main character. We learn of a love that seemed to have escaped her grasp, of her sister with who she has an odd relationship, and of moles that cover her body (one which is presumably cancerous). She is thoughtful and witty, yet clearly has a set of insecurities that could make an excellent book.
1246 days ago 
Of the Forestby Manari Ushigua
In this autobiographical essay from one of the leaders of the Sapara Nation in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Ushigua talks about his nation's difficulty in preserving their ancestral land. The Ecuadorian government divided much of it up into "oil blocks," until Ushigua successfully blocked this move with international support. With only 535 people left in his nation, this essay is meant to convey a philosophy and way of life in the hope of preserving it among an encroaching world.
1296 days ago- Survivors
by Adam Weymouth
The River Severn that runs through Great Britain once had one of the largest salmon runs in the world. Today, they are on the verge of extinction. In this essay, Weymouth investigates how salmon fishing has changed in recent years by following the life of a local fisherman, Nigel Mott. It's a delicate balance to put into place environmental regulations to regrow salmon numbers while also maintaining the quality of life and social impact of individuals in related industries.
1296 days ago - The Secret Love of Flowers
by Dino J. Martins
Martins grew up in a small town in Kenya. He learned of the intricate relationship between insects and plants, and decided to study them. After getting a degree at Indiana University and then a PhD at Harvard, he moved back to Kenya to study, to work with scientists from across the world, and teach the vital importance of pollination.
1330 days ago - Creep
by Caoilinn Hughes
Fiadh escapes an academic conference in Andorra to go skiing in the Pyrenees. A man from the conference, Garrett follows her up the lift. Fiadh wants time alone on the slopes, but the guy won't leave her alone.
1330 days ago - Water Is Never Lonely
by Judith D. Schwartz
During a walk through the Sierra Madre Mountains in central Mexico, Schwartz thinks about the lifecycle of water in the global ecosystem. She cites the naturalist Roberto Pedraza Ruiz on the invisible river of moisture that flows above the Amazon rainforest, and the meteorologist Millán M. Millán about summer breezes and storms from the Mediterranean.
1334 days ago - Shifting Baselines
by Callum Roberts
Roberts elaborates on the ecological phenomenon called shifting baselines syndrome. Every generation acquires a degraded version of nature compared to the previous one, but they simply normalize it and see nature deteriorating from their own viewpoint. Roberts believes that because of this, we don't see the true beauty of nature and what it could be; we only strive to maintain the system we have now. He recounts his own trips to the Maldives and how he witnessed the destruction of the island's coral reef.
1357 days ago 
Hold Your Fireby Chloe Wilson
Our work and personal lives often differ drastically; we may believe that the world should work one way but go to work for a company that believes another in order provide for ourselves and our families. Fiona builds missiles, but takes care of her sick husband and young child. She lives two separate lives, but must decide which one is really her.
1475 days ago
