The Edge

The Edge Is What We Have

The Edge Is What We Have is a collection of fifteen essays about the influence of places on our relationships. “The edge is what we have” is a line from the poem “In a Dark Time” by the great writer of the Pacific Northwest, Theodore Roethke. The poem is a moody rumination about how emotional darkness can turn into the brightest, clearest vision—that turn is the “edge.” But the “edge” in my collection extends beyond emotional edges to artistic, and physical edges. It is also ecological. “Edge effect” is the term used to describe the fragmented ecosystems of semi-natural environments. Indeed, the vulnerable Earth is always on display in the collection. The essays acknowledge that the places where we become intimate with our environments and with one another are contracting. We feel the edge in that way, too. We feel the intensity of living at this time of diminishment of the Earth’s biodiversity. Therefore, the essays in my collection will ultimately inspire awareness of the land and the people who travel it.