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Ekostories

Stories and Essays by Isaac Yuen

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  • Pushcart Prize 47

    Pushcart Prize XLVII: Best of the Small Presses

    by Isaac Yuen

    Some personal writing news to cap off 2022: I’m honoured to have the title essay of my upcoming collection, “Utter, Earth”, published in the latest Pushcart Prize XLVII: Best of the Small Presses. The series has been published every year since 1976 and is “is the most honored literary project in America – including Highest Honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.” “A...

    January 6, 2023
    Comments 0
    Publication
  • Sergeant Major Fish Shoal

    A School is a Type of Shoal, wildness journal

    by Isaac Yuen

    My latest essay is part of issue 30 of wildness, a UK-based online journal featuring work from both established and emerging writers that embraces the mysteries of the self and the outside world. Come for the fish shoals, stay for the bird flocks and the many things related or distant in this piece about community, contact, and communion: “…While to shoal is to be...

    August 25, 2022
    Comment 1
    Publication
  • hermit crab

    A Hearth is a Kind of Home, Pleiades: Literature in Context

    by Isaac Yuen

    Happy to have another nature essay published, this time in the spring 2022 issue of Pleiades, “a literary biannual featuring poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews by authors from around the world.” This issue features a special folio of Latinx LGBTQIA+ Poets, so be sure to check it out! Titled “A Hearth is a Kind of Home,” my latest piece is a romp around the...

    June 1, 2022
    Comment 1
    Publication
  • The Perfect Party Guest, Center for Humans and Nature

    by Isaac Yuen

    Delighted to share that I have an essay published by the Center for Humans and Nature, “a nonprofit organization, publisher, forum, and place to explore, connect, and nurture our understandings of and responsibilities to the natural world.” Titled “The Perfect Party Guest,” the piece makes the case of considering certain creatures to your next gathering/shindig, ones that are perhaps not on everyone’s radar. Here’s...

    April 27, 2022
    Comment 1
    Entries, Publication
  • Crafting with Ursula: Writing Nature and Nature Writing

    by Isaac Yuen

    I’m very excited to share a recent conversation I had with David Naimon, host of Between the Covers. A bit about the show: Between the Covers , a literary radio show and podcast hosted by David Naimon, is brought to you by Tin House. These long-form in-depth conversations have been singled out by the Guardian, Book Riot, the Financial Times, and BuzzFeed as one of the most notable book...

    March 14, 2022
    Comments 4
    Earthsea, Non-fiction, Personal, Publication, Short Stories
  • Clouds in Finland

    Utter, Earth – AGNI Magazine

    by Isaac Yuen

    Thrilled to cap off the year with a few pieces of publication news! My latest essay titled “Utter, Earth” has been published in issue 94 of AGNI Magazine, a literary journal based out of Boston University. (Update: The piece has been selected to be part of Pushcart Prize XLVII: Best of the Small Presses 2023—a tremendous honour!) A bit about the issue: “Utter, Earth”...

    December 21, 2021
    Non-fiction, Publication
  • Lesser Short Nosed Fruit Bat Newborn

    Yes, You can Leave The Hospital Without Naming Your Baby

    by Isaac Yuen

    Some publication news: I’m super honoured to have a piece of creative nonfiction up at the latest issue of The Willowherb Review, a fantastic UK-based publication focused on providing a platform for nature writing from writers of colour. Some of you might recall that I also had another piece titled El Lugar de Los Sueños in Willowherb last year. Instead of another personal meditation, I...

    September 1, 2021
    Comments 2
    Non-fiction, Publication
  • Southern White Rhino

    Second Best is Best, Gulf Coast Online

    by Isaac Yuen

    I’m particularly excited to announce that a new essay published online over at Gulf Coast, a journal co-founded by one of my favourite writers, Donald Barthelme. “Second Best is Best” is one in a collection I’m working on where I try to cram as many creatures and entities into a single piece of prose as possible and still have it be semi-coherent. Inspired by...

    February 15, 2021
    Comment 1
    Non-fiction, Publication
  • Tiny Molecules: One Summer, by Iceland

    by Isaac Yuen

    One more piece of news to cap off the year: I’m delighted to have found a home for a new story in the winter issue of Tiny Molecules, an online quarterly literary magazine of small fiction. “One Summer, in Iceland” features the titular island of fire and ice as protagonist, or so it seems: “Yesterday for the first time this spring the rains died...

    December 21, 2020
    Comment 1
    Publication
  • Flash Fiction Magazine, Last Light

    by Isaac Yuen

    I have a new piece of flash fiction (stories that are less than 1,000 words) over at Flash Fiction Magazine. “Last Light” uses the concept of lightspeed as a means to convey the time and distance necessary for healing: It’s been a thousand days since the sun died. Our star. My heart. It takes last light eight minutes to kiss the brow of the...

    December 12, 2020
    Comments 0
    Fiction, Publication, Short Stories
Atlas der ungewöhnlichen Klänge: Eine Reise zu den akustischen Wundern unserer Erde

New Book Out in April 2023!

The Sound Atlas: A Guide to Strange Sounds Across Landscapes and Imagination

An essay collection in German:

"In this somewhat different travel guide, award-winning nature writers Michaela Vieser and Isaac Yuen take us to locations that are associated with special or disappearing sonic experiences. With them, we discover the hidden sounds across landscapes and imagination, learn the stories behind them, and immerse ourselves in fascinating acoustic worlds."

Available for preorder Now

Featured Ekostories

octoberama-charley-harper

Art, Animal, Essence: The Drawings of Charley Harper

Published by Isaac Yuen

I don’t remember exactly when I stopped drawing. I don’t mean the occasional doodles I do now; I mean before, when drawing was like daily bread, a childhood mainstay....

December 23, 2016
Art, Featured Ekostories
grasslands greenview Lyn Baldwin

Finding Place through Art and Science: The Field Journals of Lyn Baldwin

Published by Isaac Yuen

This piece was featured as an Editor’s Pick on Discover WordPress June 30, 2016. I began my first field journal in Belize, during my time there for biology field...

June 23, 2016
Comments 75
Art, Featured Ekostories
Wild Ideas Soyeon Kim Solutions

Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking

Published by Isaac Yuen

From the creators of You are Stardust comes Wild Ideas, the latest picture book by environmental educator Dr. Elin Kelsey and mixed-media artist Soyeon Kim. Smaller in scope but more...

August 22, 2015
Comment 1
Art, Featured Ekostories
May 2013 Styro-Buck at Ohio Falls

My Top 5 Eco-Art Tales, by the Artist at Ohio Falls

Published by Isaac Yuen

It wasn’t my intention to continue with the art theme. But as the rule of three calls and  I learn more about writing and blogging, I found myself more...

February 14, 2014
Comments 8
Art, Featured Ekostories
X-ray coloured tulips

X-Ray Photography of Nature, by Arie van’t Riet

Published by Isaac Yuen

Last week’s art by Greg Mort connected the intimate with the infinite. This week, I thought it would be interesting to explore art that delves into a world hidden...

February 7, 2014
Comments 7
Art, Featured Ekostories
Jörg-Müller The Changing Countryside - May 1953

Narrative in Art: The Changing Countryside

Published by Isaac Yuen

Over the years, I’ve come to recognize and appreciate the power of art, especially in its ability to deeply resonate with people.  Several years ago, a colleague of mine...

April 21, 2012
Comments 10
Art, Featured Ekostories
Tweets by ekostories

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Art and environment Biology Change Culture Earthsea eastern philosophy Ecology Environment Environmental Art Environmentalism Essay Ethics Hayao Miyazaki Hope Imagination manga Nature nature culture nature writing Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Orion (magazine) Resilience Science Fiction Slider Stories Storytelling Sustainability Ursula K. Le Guin WPLongform Writing

Ekostories on Movies

spirited-away-dreamscape

The Ecological Imagination of Hayao Miyazaki, Orion Magazine

by Isaac Yuen

It’s not every day that you get to work on a dream project with a dream publication. I’m excited to share that I have a new piece up online at Orion magazine, exploring the ecological imagination of Hayao Miyazaki. Where the word for forest is silence A tree and troll to watch over me Carrying on through a wayward world Reading the wind, mending the earth An introduction to the work of the venerated Japanese animator and filmmaker (who happened to turn 80 this year), the piece is also a retrospective on four movies dearest to my heart: Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Miyazaki tales were major sources of inspiration for me starting Ekostories—you can read everything I’ve written over the years in the archives HERE. And when you’re done, don’t forget to check out the rest of Orion’s latest issue (and hopefully subscribe!) It’s seriously fantastic both in terms of production value and in-depth content that explores the connections between people and nature....

March 12, 2021
Comments 7
Movies, Personal, Publication

Other Ekostories on TV

Deep Space Nine Station Artwork

The Cost of Change: Star Trek Deep Space Nine’s Progress

by Isaac Yuen

“This may be the last time we’re all together. But no matter what the future holds, no matter how far we travel, a part of us – a very important part – will always remain here, on Deep Space Nine.” – DS9’s finale, What You Leave Behind  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s finale aired 17 years ago, and as much as the new films have...

August 17, 2016
Comments 14
Television Shows
Star Trek TNG Darmok

Of Myths and Metaphors: Star Trek TNG’s Darmok

by Isaac Yuen

Several weeks past, I attended a workshop on the use of storytelling for effective social engagement. Sitting at my table was a doctoral student interested in better ways to communicate concepts of ecological economics to the public. As we chatted about the various metaphors embedded within conventional economics, particularly around growth and development, I started thinking about stories that focus on the challenge of communication and...

November 14, 2013
Comments 17
Television Shows
Bart Simpson

Escapades in Ecology: Simpsons’ Bart the Mother

by Isaac Yuen

“Hi, I’m Troy McClure. You may remember me from such nature films as “Earwigs, Ew!”, and “Man Versus Nature: The Road to Victory.” The Simpsons started life as a quirky satirical parody of the typical American middle-class family three decades ago and has since become a cultural touchstone for entire generations of viewers. There’s not much the longest running sitcom in US television story...

March 8, 2013
Comments 8
Television Shows
Avatar: The Last Airbender Wordle 3

Avatar: The Last Airbender – Balance and Moral Courage

by Isaac Yuen

It may seem excessive to devote an entire write-up to a single character, but I believe Aang, the chief protagonist of Avatar: The Last Airbender, warrants such an exploration. In an age of brooding, melodramatic, and angst-filled heroes, Aang provides a refreshing counterexample to what it means to be an emotionally intelligent, internally resilient, and ethically principled individual. His role as the outsider to...

September 20, 2012
Comments 14
Television Shows

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Ekostories Quote of the Month

“History, story, spell—there is in this etymological record a fable on the relationship between the human mind and the cosmos. However much we dislike the epistemological mess, facts are not, and have never been, perfectly distinguishable from fiction. For our species, interpretation is not so much applied to reality as bound up with it. Time and space may consist of nothing more than one meaningless random event after another, but we cannot make sense of the universe except through the filter of intelligently designed plots, satisfying character arcs, and comprehensible narratives. Stories, creations of fancy, then end up remaking the world."

The Age of Stories, Ken Liu

Stories and Essays by Isaac Yuen

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