Nature writing conjures up images of remote mountains, exotic birds, and the solitary hiker in pristine wilderness. But maybe it’s time to rethink our notions of what it means to write about nature, so that we also look at the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the curious fact that mostly poor people live near hazardous waste sites. A new generation of nature writers calls for a messier and more human take on the natural world. Also, a conversation with renowned poet Gary Snyder on nature, Buddhism and "the practice of the wild."
