It’s official: One half of this blog is going back to school. I've just started my first semester of the MFA program at Warren Wilson College just outside Asheville, NC. A mountain town with a full-bodied musical presence, Asheville boasts an interesting roster of residents...

Plants bring us bushels of joy every single day, but around this time of year our thoughts turn to the flora that terrify us. That's right: spooky plants. And we’re not just talking about the sight of our aphid-ravaged milkweed or a fast-moving touch-me-not. In honor of the...