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Ellen Brown

@ellenbrownarts.bsky.social

590 followers 1.1K following 170 posts

Science Writer. Editor. Artist. Minnesota's Northwoods. #naturewriting #naturejournaling #noticing #conservationartist #birds #birdart #greatlakes #binders #flashnonfiction #cnf #essayist #delmarvareview #johnshopkinsalumni

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Nov 15

"We cannot predict the value our work will provide to the world. That’s fine. It is not our job to judge our own work. It is our job to create it, to pour ourselves into it, and to master our craft as best we can."

~James Clear

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · 13h

We are so lucky to have Margaret Renkyl. She is such a lovely writer. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/o... #naturewriting #november #nostalgia #Autumn

Opinion | The Lovely Loneliness of Sunday Afternoons in Autumn

www.nytimes.com

Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · 6d

lithub.com/five-essenti... #lithub #litsky #booksky #readingsky

Five Essential Books For Understanding Why We Choose What We Choose

I am a historian who likes to write about ideas and concepts that have become so ubiquitous and ordinary that we don’t normally talk or even think much about them. You might call this a form of int…

lithub.com

Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Sep 4

A.O. Scott takes apart a scene from “Mrs. Dalloway,” Virginia Woolf’s 1925 masterpiece, and shows why the book is a must-read now. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... #readingsky #writingsky #litsky

How Virginia Woolf's ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ Predicted the Future 100 Years Ago (Gift Article)

Our critic A.O. Scott takes apart a scene from “Mrs. Dalloway,” Virginia Woolf’s 1925 masterpiece, and shows why the book is a must-read now.

www.nytimes.com

Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Aug 30

Yes! ❤️

Author Krishna Prasanth Guttikonda @krishna-author.bsky.social · Aug 30

#booksky

Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Aug 28

I Can’t Look Away From This Poem About Looking www.nytimes.com/interactive/... #poetrysky #writingsky #litsky

I Can’t Look Away From This Robert Frost Poem About Looking (Gift Article)

Our critic A.O. Scott gazes into a well with Robert Frost.

www.nytimes.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jul 27

He Read (at Least) 3,599 Books in His Lifetime. Now Anyone Can See His List. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/b... #booksky #writingsky #litsky #readingsky #booklist

He Read (at Least) 3,599 Books in His Lifetime. Now Anyone Can See His List.

www.nytimes.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jul 26

I definitely started feeling a bit fidgety toward the end! A worthwhile exercise. It was interesting learning about this painting, too! www.nytimes.com/interactive/... #focus #seeing #looking #meditation

Test Your Focus: Can You Spend 10 Minutes With One Painting? (Gift Article)

It’s very hard to slow down and look closely at something. You may find it’s worth it.

www.nytimes.com

Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jul 25

Joe Harkness' new book "Neurodivergent, By Nature" looks like a fascinating read! I'm looking forward to it! #naturewriting #sciencewriting #neurodivergent #biodiversity #booksky #readingsky

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jul 25

My pleasure, Brent! The poems are enjoyable to read, and I always learn something from the analysis!

Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jul 24

I Want This Poem Read Aloud at My Funeral www.nytimes.com/interactive/... #writingsky #naturesky #poetrysky #litsky #naturewriting

I Want This Jane Kenyon Poem Read Aloud at My Funeral (Gift Article)

Jane Kenyon’s “The Pond at Dusk” is a quiet, mischievous reckoning with nature and mortality. Our critic A.O. Scott plumbs its depths.

www.nytimes.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jun 30

Kudos to you; I hope your success continues! I read mostly nonfiction (nature, science, memoir) and find myself passing over "beach read" covers (bold backgrounds, abstract graphics, large blocky text). I assume what's inside won't interest me, but I'm probably overlooking some great books!

Reposted by Ellen Brown

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · Jun 30

🧪 Open to Science Poetry Submissions 🖋️

The Consilience journal is now open for submissions of science-themed poetry and artwork! Issue 22 explores the topic of ‘Waves’.

Submit your work for free here:

www.consilience-journal.com/submit

#SciComm #SciArt #Poetry

submit — Consilience

For each issue of Consilience we invite submissions of poetry or artwork. All submissions must have a link to science, fit the theme of the upcoming issue, and also be in line with our inclusivity sta...

www.consilience-journal.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jun 23

Despite the saying, I do judge books by their covers. This article prompted me to consider why that is. #booksky #readingsky #litsky #bookcovers #books #publishing www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/b...

The Book Cover Trend You’re Seeing Everywhere

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Ellen Brown

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · Jun 23

🧪 New Science & Poetry Journal 🖋️

Issue 21 of the science, poetry, & art journal Consilience, has just been published and free to read!

This issue features poetry and artwork that explores the scientific topic of ‘Chaos'.

🔗 www.consilience-journal.com/issue-21

#SciComm #SciArt #Poetry #Chaos

Chaos (Issue 21) — Consilience

Issue 21 of Consilience features poetry and artwork that explores the topic of 'chaos'.

www.consilience-journal.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jun 20

Happy Friday! I hope you all get a chance to connect with the Wood Wide Web this weekend! Kingdom of Funga: A Mycelial Reading List on a Strange and Surreal World Around Us longreads.com/2025/06/17/k... #naturewriting #writingsky

Kingdom of Funga: A Mycelial Reading List on a Strange and Surreal World Around Us - Longreads

Seven stories celebrating the mystery and power of fungi.

longreads.com

Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jun 11

Calling all nature writers and writers of flash fiction. Check out this opportunity from @ecologicalcitizen.bsky.social #naturewriters #naturewriting #ecofiction #writers #writingsky #submissioncalls #litsubmissions #flash #flashfiction #litsky

The Ecological Citizen @ecologicalcitizen.bsky.social · Jun 11

🐺 Feral Lines — a flash fiction call from The Ecological Citizen — seeks *plot-driven* stories of nature’s resurgence, human retreat, and Earth unchained.

ecologicalcitizen.net/call-for-fla...

🖋️ <500 words
📅 Due: 30 Sept 2025

#EcologicalFiction #Rewilding #EarthStories #FlashFiction

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Reposted by Ellen Brown

Brevity / Dinty W. Moore @dintywmoore.bsky.social · Jun 11

Three simple approaches that will make our writing lives less frustrating and richer in countless ways.
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/06/11/m...

Butterflies, Clouds, and Joan Baez: How Mindfulness Enhances My Writing Life

By Dinty W. Moore Three brief, mindful reminders have significantly influenced my writing over the years, and along the way, have greatly enhanced my writing life. I’d like to share them. The…

brevity.wordpress.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jun 10

The Subversive Joy of BookTok www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/o... “To read for joy, for wonder, for emotional truth is to hold onto something deeply human. In a moment when the stories we’re allowed to tell and read are increasingly politicized, if not outright banned, that act feels quietly radical.”

Opinion | The Subversive Joy of BookTok

www.nytimes.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Jun 3

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/o...

Opinion | What if Robert Frost’s Neighbor Was Right?

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Ellen Brown

Nicola Pitchford @npitchford.bsky.social · May 22

Margaret is a (very fine) nature writer. I try also to focus on nature writing. But none of us can “stay in our lane” while authoritarian destruction is aimed at our neighbours. (By the same people who are also coming for nature, not coincidentally.)

Grateful to Margaret for her non-nature writing.

Margaret Renkl @margaretrenkl.bsky.social · May 22

Not my usual essay, but sometimes the world gives a writer no choice of subjects. When terror comes for your neighbors, you stand witness. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/o...

Opinion | The Profound Inhumanity of ICE Raids

www.nytimes.com

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · May 8

'We all have “our rivers.” We have relationships with nature. Macfarlane’s book is a call to talk about those relationships more. Use the language of connection. Don’t just imagine a river is alive, but believe it.' bigthink.com/mini-philoso...

#booksky #readingsky #mayreads #naturewriting

You cannot put the wind in a bag: How we learned to see nature

The award-winning nature writer, Robert Macfarlane, talks with Big Think about how to reacquaint ourselves with the rivers in our lives.

bigthink.com

Reposted by Ellen Brown

Nicola Pitchford @npitchford.bsky.social · Apr 23

Getting my togs on for #WorldBookDay

(Love this soft @bittersouth.bsky.social tee)

Dark blue tee shirt with the words in white, “read banned books.”

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Apr 23

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year! I can’t wait! #nature #naturejournaling #naturesky #biophilia #natureconnection #sciencewriting #naturewriting

Wild Wonder Foundation @wildwonder.bsky.social · Apr 22

Say you’ll BEE there! Early Bird Passes on sale now for the 7th annual Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference–live online September 10-14, 2025.

WHAT’S ALL THE BUZZ ABOUT? Learn more, check out the stellar line up of speakers and teachers, and sign up now at wildwonder.org/25

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Apr 17

I've loved this poem for many years. I find myself returning to it a lot lately. #wendellberry #nationalpoetrymonth #naturewriting #naturepoetry #nature #peace #peacefulmoment #deepbreaths youtu.be/-ewB0WL3bNw?...

“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry, A Poetry Film by Charlotte Ager & Katy Wang

YouTube video by The On Being Project

youtu.be

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Ellen Brown @ellenbrownarts.bsky.social · Apr 16

A useful tool. www.project2025.observer

Project 2025 Tracker

Track the progress on Project 2025