New Hampshire–based artist Carolyn Arcabascio enjoys working with traditional media such as acrylics and oils, but for the past decade, she has often used digital painting apps. “I was excited to expand my exploration of color and brushwork in this medium,” she explained. Here she uses Procreate, a painting program for iPads, to create one of the illustrations for Todd Davis’s essay.
The dog in the photo is Greta, a 10-year-old mini schnauzer mix. “Greta enjoys all seasons and wants outside at all times,” said Arcabascio. “This she shares with my husband, Brett Robinson, who took the photo.”
Approximately 50 people contribute to the words and images in each issue of the magazine. Here are some of our Summer 2023 contributors.
Todd Davis (“What the Old Ones Show Us,” page 10) lives between the villages of Tipton and Bellwood along the Allegheny Front in Pennsylvania. He is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently Coffin Honey and Native Species. He teaches environmental studies at Pennsylvania State University’s Altoona College.
Laurie Dirkx (“Hummingbirds & Cardinal Flowers” photos, page 54) lives in the greater Rochester region of New York. Her photographs have appeared in publications by organizations ranging from Ducks Unlimited to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. She particularly enjoys photographing timber rattlesnakes, as well as working with conservation organizations, climbing mountains, and spending time with her Arabian mare and her German shepherd.
Ted Levin (Wood Lit, page 72; review of Seasonal Notes), a Vermont resident and long-term contributor to the magazine, is the author of Backtracking: The Way of a Naturalist, Blood Brook: A Naturalist’s Home Ground, Liquid Land: A Journey Through the Florida Everglades (which won the Burroughs Medal in 2004), and America’s Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattlesnake. He has written for many national publications, including Sports Illustrated, Audubon, and The New York Times.
Catherine Schmitt (“In the City, a Million Trees Take Root,” page 48; Discoveries, page 68) writes from the edge of the North Woods in Wabanaki territory in Bangor, Maine. She is the author of three books of nonfiction, including The President’s Salmon: Restoring the King of Fish and its Home Waters, and numerous articles and essays. She has a background in ecology and environmental science, and works as a science communication specialist with Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park.