What unites these pieces of writing and art is their close, careful attention to the natural world: to migrating birds, to trees we see outside our window even if we live in a city, to the stark beauty of a desert sunset and the tragedy of changing weather patterns, to snowflakes and cut flowers, and even to the worlds we invent in our fiction. Each of these pieces enables me to see something I have seen thousands of times, like the sunset, in a new way. They also serve as necessary reminders, as the weather gets colder and the leaves begin to fall, of the beauty and significance of each season. After reading this issue, I hope you will feel inspired to look more closely at the world you see outside your window or on your way to school.
Emma Wood
