Orion Magazine Podcast

Orion editors Jennifer Sahn and Andrew Blechman discuss the May/June 2013 issue of the magazine, including an essay by bestselling author Rebecca Solnit on Thoreau’s forays from his cabin to do laundry at his family’s house; Christopher Merrill’s literary look at the future of war; David Treuer’s formative years as an eager trapper of beaver; and a sea change among the turtles of Baja California.

Art is celebrated for its ability to revive the human spirit, but there is a growing legion of artists whose work also restores the landscape. Basia Irland creates such work in rivers around the world; here, she discusses her project "Books of Ice," which appeared in the March/April 2013 issue of Orion. She was joined by fellow restorative artist Daniel McCormick, who was profiled in Orion in 2008 ("Healing Sculpture"), and by author and art critic William Fox.

Managing Editor Andrew Blechman speaks with author Jeremy Miller about the Centroid, a little-known but rather fascinating statistic developed after every U.S. census to help describe the movement of America’s unusually restless population. Who knew a chronically underreported statistic could be so interesting, let alone telling?

Orion Poetry Editor Hannah Fries reads and talks about the poems that appear in the March/April issue: "When I Don't Know What Kind of Bird I Am," by Maya Smith Jansen; "Untitled," by Cynthia Huntington; "Watching Cranes, I Think of Camus," by Robert Cording; and "Hungry," by Gary Gildner.

Orion editors Jennifer Sahn and Andrew Blechman discuss the March/April 2013 issue of the magazine, including an essay by best-selling author Alan Lightman on the critical role symmetry plays at the core of creation (and its connection to the "God Particle"); a piece by Jeremy Miller about an abstract government statistic that is uncannily revealing; and a photo essay about a new highway that links the Amazon basin to Peru's Pacific ports, with predictably unsettling results.

The public is poorly served by reports about climate change that follow familiar lines and surface only when there’s a severe weather event or UN conference; meanwhile, media outlets like the New York Times are scaling back on environmental reporting. Orion and media watchdog Free Press convened a panel of authors and activists (including Kate Sheppard, M. Sanjayan, Bill McKibben, and others) to propose concrete actions for improving the state of climate reporting in the mainstream media.

The lid has already been lifted on the Pandora’s box that is nanotechnology—these particles are regularly added to our food, clothing, and personal care products, despite a lack of knowledge about their impact on our health and environment. A panel of experts on the science, ethics, and implications of nanotechnology joined Heather Millar, author of "Pandora's Boxes" in the January/February 2013 issue of Orion, for a roundtable discussion and answered listener questions.

Managing Editor Andrew Blechman speaks with author Erik Reece about his attempts to reconcile evolution with creationism so that the religious among us can more fully appreciate the natural world, rather than arguing about science and faith. If all life on earth originated from a single substance, why not call that substance God?

Author Luis Urrea reads his latest Wastelander column—“Ghosts of America”—about hanging out with live phantoms in the shadow of the new Dust Bowl.

Orion editors Jennifer Sahn, Andrew Blechman, and Chip Blake discuss the January/February 2013 issue of the magazine, including a piece on nanoparticles, which may well be in your toothpaste and socks; Erik Reece’s essay called “New Creationism,” about basing a spiritual appreciation of the natural world on biology; a new essay from Paul Kingsnorth about the Unabomber and the flawed world of environmentalism; and a very experimental piece of fiction.

If you were born during or after the early 1980s, you have lived your entire life with the threat of climate change. What are some of the ways we might deal with an uncertain future, and how might we find personal power and a sense of mission in its shadow? These questions and others are explored during this hour-long discussion, featuring Kandi Mossett, Timothy Denherder-Thomas, Joshua Kahn-Russell, and Deirdre Smith, four young leaders working to define new futures in an uncertain century.

Ecological degradation can strongly affect our emotions. How can we react to the negative feelings that arise when a favorite place is impacted by mining, logging, or pollution? Author Trebbe Johnson joined us to discuss her essay “Gaze Even Here,” published in Orion's November/December 2012 issue, and shared her thoughts on how to retain a love of place during trying times. She was joined by an expert panel, including artist/activist Lily Yeh and Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht, who coined the psychological term "solastalgia," which describes this phenomenon of ecological sadness.

Representing the landscape is one of the oldest traditions in art, but a new generation of photographers is reinterpreting how humans fit with the scenery. Orion hosted photographer Matt Black to discuss his documentary portfolio in the September/October 2012 issue, “After the Fall,” in which landscape plays a major role.

Orion editors Jennifer Sahn and Chip Blake look back on Orion's thirtieth anniversary year and discuss the November/December 2012 issue of the magazine, including Charles C. Mann’s ruminations on the future of our species in the face of vast population growth; a photo essay of indigenous Dene children canoeing through their tribal homelands in the Canadian Arctic; and the disappearing urban farmers of Dakar, Senegal.

Managing Editor Andrew Blechman speaks with author Charles C. Mann about evolutionary biology, overpopulation, and humankind’s place in the world. How is Homo sapiens doing, particularly compared to other species? Are we a successful species, and, if so, is our success killing us?