In this fresh and introspective collection of essays, Julia Corbett examines nature in our lives with all of its ironies and contradictions.
Each story delves into an overlooked aspect of our relationship with nature—insects, garbage, backyards, noise, open doors, animals, and language—and how we cover our tracks. Corbett confronts the owner of a high-end market who insists on keeping his doors open in all temperatures, and takes us on a trip to a new mall with a replica of a trout stream that once flowed nearby.
By weaving personal narratives with morsels of highly digestible science and research, Out of the Woodsleads to surprising insights into the products, practices, and phrases we take for granted in our everyday encounters with nature and encourages us all to consider how we might revalue or reimagine our relationships with nature in our everyday lives.
Julia Corbett is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Environmental Humanities Graduate Programat the University of Utah. With a background in journalism and environmental studies, she writes both academic research and creative nonfiction about human relationships with the natural world.
