{"id":47697,"date":"2021-11-12T14:55:06","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T19:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/?page_id=47697"},"modified":"2024-12-03T22:27:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T03:27:48","slug":"city-in-a-wild-garden-stories-of-the-nature-of-cities-vol-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/city-in-a-wild-garden-stories-of-the-nature-of-cities-vol-2\/","title":{"rendered":"City in a Wild Garden: Stories of the Nature of Cities, Vol. 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Cheeky monkeys, vertical farms, climate change, and tree tribunals: the second anthology of very short fiction in The Stories of Nature of Cities series offers radical re-imaginings of city life.\u00a0This year\u2019s volume is a collection of 49 stories from 20 countries that were inspired by the titular phrase, \u201cCity in a Wild Garden.\u201d Available in physical or e-book.<\/a><\/blockquote><\/figure>\r\n\r\n

Preface from City in a Wild Garden<\/em>\u00a0
<\/strong> \r\n(Jump to the Table of Contents.)<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Something we often discuss at The Nature of Cities is the meaning of words\u2014or specifically how what might seem to be common words with shared meanings are in fact open to vastly different meaning for different people. Many of the words we use when we talk about green cities\u2014sustainability, resilience, justice, livability, biodiversity\u2014are words that flourish in the realm of metaphor. In the minds of actual people though, the details of their meaning can be quite different. What does the word biodiversity mean? It might mean \u201cplants and animals\u201d to everyone, but in detail it may mean one thing to a scientist, something else to an architect, another thing to an artist, and that\u2019s before we even get to regular people on the street. Words such as \u201ccity,\u201d \u201cgarden,\u201d and \u201cwild\u201d are such words: they live beautifully in both metaphor and in rich detail\u2014especially when you put them together. What is a garden? It depends on who you ask. What is wild? It might be exciting or fear-inducing. What is a city?<\/p>\r\n

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This richness of meaning is the essence of imagination, the beating heart of creativity.<\/p>\r\n

We often talk about gardens in cities. But why should it be implied that the garden is the smaller of these entitles\u2014that somehow the (or a) garden always fits inside the city? Why should we not contemplate the idea of a city in a garden? And does this garden have to be the manicured perfection of Versailles? Perhaps that garden is wild: unkempt, untamed, a place a possibility, unexpected, even dangerous?<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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GET THE BOOK<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n

This is our second volume of short fiction about current and future cities. We wanted to explore how to imagine cities. A Flash of Silver Green: Stories of the Nature of Cities, Vol. 1<\/em><\/a> was about cities in the future, in 2099. This volume has a different prompt. We asked authors to be inspired by an imagining, an evocative phrase: \u201cCity in a wild garden.\u201d Beyond this, the call was open to stories of 750 words or less, from anywhere.<\/p>\r\n

Check our Volume 1 in this series: A Flash of Silver Green.<\/a><\/blockquote><\/figure>\r\n

As with our first volume, we were amazed by the diversity and number of submissions: we received over 1000 stories from 101 countries. Although many of them were wonderful, we awarded prizes to six stories and included these six and 43 more in this book: 49 stories from 20 countries. Indeed, one of our purposes with this collection is to see artistic imaginings of cities from global perspectives.<\/p>\r\n

PUBLICATION STUDIO<\/a> is a publisher of original books distributed through a global network\u2014a printer and binder able to make books one-at-a-time\u00a0and a social gathering place for those interested in publishing. Publication Studio, founded in 2009, prints and binds books of works by artists and writers we admire.<\/blockquote><\/figure>\r\n

The stories are arranged in three loosely thematic sections: Animal, Vegetable, Liminal. We say loosely because most of these stories concern, at one level or another, the boundary of transitional zones or states, so perhaps all could have fit into the section called Liminal. Animal, Vegetable, Liminal is a play on the title of an old parlor game, of course, and here it fits the creative breadth of the stories. There are stories people interacting or being inspired by animals to understand their own lives. There are stories of magical realism. There are stories about the frontiers between life and death. There are stories about infrastructure. All are rich and entertaining tales of how we might think of cities and the living beings that inhabit them.<\/p>\r\n

As Kirby Mani\u00e0 writes in the book\u2019s introduction<\/a>: \u201cIn the city, gardens can be a staging ground for \u2026 [a] fundamental reimagining of human-nature relationships. Our eyes must become attuned to the extraordinary beauty and rejuvenating splendour of nature\u2019s wildness. It is through the realm of art that we can safely play out the different possibilities of what sustainable urban futures can look like.<\/em>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n

The opening of the winning story: The Pomegranate Tree<\/strong>
by Ari Hanarvar, San Diego<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWhy do they hate us?\u201d I ask, the breeze stroking my tear-stained face.<\/p>\r\n

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\u201cThey <\/em>don\u2019t even know us. How could they hate us?\u201d Dad says, passing me his cigarette.<\/p>\r\n

We have a secret tradition in which I finish off his cigarettes on the rare occasion he smokes. Never mind that I\u2019m a nine-year-old girl in Pakistan. I take a few puffs and squash the butt on the edge of the fountain. We resume our walk around the willow trees and the rose bushes, holding hands.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWhat is it like to lose your dad?\u201d I ask. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard,\u201d he shakes his head.<\/p>\r\n

I think of Leila. Earlier, my entire third-grade class had gone silent as she entered the room, her face showing long, angry scratches. Would I claw my own face if I lost someone? We\u2019re good friends, and I hate it that I wasn\u2019t there when she found out. It was even worse that I didn\u2019t know what to say. So I just sat there, staring at my notebook, the phantom mosquito sound of the drone buzzing in my ear. I had heard that sound yesterday. Before my mother yelled for us to go into the basement. Before the explosion. Before the stench of the smoke. Before Dad ran out of the house barefoot.<\/p>\r\n

Leila\u2019s father was visiting his sick mother in Bajaur when a different drone got him last week. It also killed 41 kids at a school nearby. Even though by now we\u2019re used to going to funerals, it doesn\u2019t get easier.<\/p>\r\n

Dad stops to touch a dewdrop resting on the petal of a pomegranate blossom. Last autumn, this once bountiful pomegranate tree didn\u2019t fruit at all. I overheard my Aunt Dunya say it\u2019s the toxic remnants from drone rockets that are poisoning the groundwater. Dad lifts his index finger gingerly, but the dewdrop bursts anyway.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cDad, what\u2019re toxic remnants?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWhat makes the pomegranate tree shed blooms like tears. What sends away birds who refuse to watch the carnage,\u201d he says, his eyes scanning the clear blue of the empty sky.<\/p>\r\n

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…<continues><\/blockquote><\/figure>\r\n

Indeed, in this volume there are stories of transformation, loss, and despair, and also stories of great beauty and hope, with nature and people that emerge from trials, in which people and the wild have merged in fundamental ways\u2014where one thing has become another to the benefit of many, where people are challenged and rise, where nature moved and adapts; people whose spirits and beating hearts are embedded in thriving nature.<\/p>\r\n

Forty-nine stories from 20 countries are in this book, including the six that we judged to be \u201cprize-winners,\u201d by authors from the United States, India, and Brazil. These winners are placed at the beginning of each of the book\u2019s three sections. The overall winning story\u2014\u201cThe Pomegranate Tree\u201d by Ari Honarvar, which contemplates the fate of ants at the feet of a young girl\u2014leads the section called \u201cAnimal,\u201d followed by prize-winners \u201cMonkey Business\u201d by Rahul Kanvinde (2nd<\/sup> prize) and \u201cPassing Season\u201d by Fernanda Castro (3rd<\/sup>prize). The section \u201cVegetable\u201d is filled with stories with plants at the center and begins with prize-winners \u201cPlua Kora,\u201d by Jonathan Bronico (2nd<\/sup> prize) and \u201cPomegranate Heights,\u201d by Heidi Ball (3rd<\/sup> prize). Finally, the section \u201cLiminal\u201d is populated with people and places in transition, often towards and not away from nature. This section starts with \u201cThe City Incarnata,\u201d by CY Ballard (3rd<\/sup> prize).<\/p>\r\n

A collection such as this is produced with a lot of help, and we first want to thank the sponsors of the project: The Nature of Cities, ArtsEverywhere.ca, the University of Mississippi, the University of Johannesburg, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and the New York Urban Field Station (a joint venture of New York City Parks and the U.S. Forest Service). At these institutions, we are especially grateful to Shawn van Sluys (Musagetes Foundation); Douglass Sullivan-Gonz\u00e1lez (University of Mississippi); Lesley Lokko (University of Johannesburg); Ursula Heise (UCLA); and Lindsay Campbell, Erika Svendsen, and Bram Gunther (New York Urban Field Station).<\/p>\r\n

We are fundamentally indebted to the 100+ readers who helped us review the stories. These readers were from around the world, and we thank them. We could not have done this without them.<\/p>\r\n

Many thanks to our executive committee, who read and discussed the final 150 stories and made the selections for this collection. Members of this committee, made up of writers, professors, artists, and scientists, were Paul Downton (Melbourne), Joe Gleason (Washington), Peter Head (London), Ursula Heise (Los Angeles), Kirby Mani\u00e0 (Vancouver), Diane Pataki (Salt Lake City), Claire Stanford (Los Angeles), Mary Hall Surface (Washington), Alice Towey (El Cerrito), Elizabeth Twist (Hamilton), Curtis Walker (Guelph), Patrick Lydon (Daejeon), and Dimitra Xidous (Dublin). We hope you enjoy these stories and that they inspire you to consider the future of the nature of cities.<\/p>\r\n

David Maddox, New York<\/strong>
Curtis Walker, Guelph<\/strong>
Malerie Lovejoy, New York<\/strong>
October 2021<\/p>\r\n

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Book art by Steph Yates<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

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TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Preface: City in a Wild Garden\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
<\/strong>David Maddox, Curtis Walker, Malerie Lovejoy<\/p>\r\n

Introduction:<\/strong> <\/a>The Wild Edges of Our Garden\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
<\/strong>Kirby Mani\u00e0<\/p>\r\n

SECTION ANIMAL<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The Pomegranate Tree\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Ari Honarvar\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
First place\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
A girl and her father take part in a tradition of smoking and walk through a garden.<\/p>\r\n

Monkey Business\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Rahul Kanvinde\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Second place\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Wadia leaves bananas around his office, slyly training a monkey to thwart his boss’ business plans.<\/p>\r\n

Passing Season\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fernanda Castro\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Third place\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Alzira and her granddaughter celebrate the migration of the birds in their adapted apartment.<\/p>\r\n

Goats in Gotham\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Diane Koerner\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator steps off the subway four years into the future and learns the secret to saving herself and her environment.<\/p>\r\n

Cockatoos\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Elizabeth Hay\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator observes the cockatoos in the park during protests in Hong Kong.<\/p>\r\n

Mr. Coot Builds a Palace\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Alex Grehy\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Mr. Coot scavenges for materials to rebuild his family nest for his wife.<\/p>\r\n

Between the Cracks\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kate Wing\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Niall becomes fascinated with a new-found colony of ants in his garden.<\/p>\r\n

Jai Boro and the Gili Island\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prarthana Banikya\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Meera hears a robin chirp and recalls a story her grandfather told her when she was young.<\/p>\r\n

Daughter of Light and Green\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Egwuogu Osinachi \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Aku returns from a day in her dabba form as a cheetah and rides back to her city with Dami.<\/p>\r\n

The Painter and the Flatiron\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Andrew Dana Hudson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
A painter opens the mind of the super of the Flatiron by painting renditions of the building’s accessibility expanders.<\/p>\r\n

The Humane Mousetrap\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Theo Gittens\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator and his brother become forgetful while trying to catch a pet mouse.<\/p>\r\n

Welcome to the Wildlands!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bobby Rollins\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator attends the pre-opening of the Wildlands Resort and asks about the state of the land before the park was built.<\/p>\r\n

SECTION VEGETABLE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

Plua Koroa\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jonathan Bronico\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Second place\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Professor Jaime Robledo runs from police to bring his ill mother illegally cut plua koroa leaves.<\/p>\r\n

Pomegranate Heights\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Heidi Ball\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Third place\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator sends a pomegranate from their harvest to their neighbor as a way to make an introduction.<\/p>\r\n

The Hot Equations\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kevin Sandefur\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The crew of a spaceship repurposes the plants onboard to save their passengers from a depleting atmosphere.<\/p>\r\n

Elbert Lofton, Dreamer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rev. Teirrah McNair\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
<\/strong> The narrator observes his cousin, Elbert Lofton, as he conducts secret business in his dad’s shed.<\/p>\r\n

Ori Dreams of a Tree\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A. J. Bermudez\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Ori learns about trees and goes on a quest to plant one.<\/p>\r\n

The Road to Marianella\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Simon Rowe\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator takes a bus trip to Ciudad Jardi\u0301n to see Marianella.<\/p>\r\n

The Biophage\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Guy Russell\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator attempts to escape into the biophage after learning acquaintances having been self-sustaining there for nearly a year.<\/p>\r\n

Beginning With A Crack…\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Phyllis Lawrence\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator remembers the garden of a man named Mitchell from their former neighborhood.<\/p>\r\n

Howard’s Inheritance\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kyle Tam\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Jasper breaks into a government greenhouse to free the plants in inner-city London.<\/p>\r\n

Who Will Know\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Alex Kadiri\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The trees outside a family home tell the story of the father’s death.<\/p>\r\n

Life and Growth\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Holly Byrne\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator goes for a walk with Vee to a building filled with plants and moss.<\/p>\r\n

The Living Album\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gabriela Castro\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
<\/strong> The narrator becomes the youngest person to complete The Living Album of Forbidden Seeds.<\/p>\r\n

Taming the Wild City\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Michael Hargreaves\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
James and his team clear vines on the side of a high-rise when tragedy strikes in the burning heat.<\/p>\r\n

Essence of an Existence\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Roli Mahajan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator returns to the city they grew up in after ten years with the hopes of revisiting their favorite tree in the park.<\/p>\r\n

For Dirt is Mostly Mushrooms\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A.P. Hawkins\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Ashe follows a trail of mushrooms out of her garden and discovers the little boy who stole them.<\/p>\r\n

One Day in the Life of Jonny the Harvester\u00a0\u00a0 Gelya Sidyganova\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Jonny encounters a dancing birch tree during his lunch break one day.<\/p>\r\n

Growing Hope\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aida Bradauskait\u0117\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator goes to visit the new plant that has sprouted in their water-scarce city.<\/p>\r\n

Mother Moon\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jake Thompson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator tells the story of the creation of the Moon’s first city and the tragedy of the Moon Tree.<\/p>\r\n

First Contact Resolution\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jenni Juvonen\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The trees of Berlin demand a meeting with the city council to discuss their poor living conditions.<\/p>\r\n

SECTION LIMINAL<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The City Incarnata\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 CY Ballard\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Third place\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Passiflora spreads herself throughout the city and collects the pollen of Incarnata.<\/p>\r\n

People Gardens\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Torch\u00e9 Johnson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator is transported to the Ryne River as they undergo the Blooming.<\/p>\r\n

Skies\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lianne Darby\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Kernohan watches a light in the distance and hopes to find another person left in his city.<\/p>\r\n

Dead Matter\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jana Bianchi\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Outsiders arrive in S\u00e3o Paulo and offer hope to the dying city.<\/p>\r\n

The Roots of Sidewalks\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mary McColley\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
A girl of the city meets a boy of the garden.<\/p>\r\n

Fireflies and Butterflies\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gitanjali Maria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Maman resists pressures to sell his family land despite the expansion of the new city.<\/p>\r\n

Raison d’etre\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ros Collins\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Ame\u0301lie finds someone sleeping in her garden and realizes it\u2019s a friend from her past.<\/p>\r\n

Night Life\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Trevor C. Thompson\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Ray has dinner with his grandma, a city councilwoman, and talks about the struggles of his job working with climate migrants.<\/p>\r\n

Forging our Ocean\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Anastasia Kirchoff\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Haleigh receives a coded message from her boyfriend after not seeing him at the university that day.<\/p>\r\n

Steel City\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Joy Givens\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Tallulah works her last shift as a water harvester before fleeing the Steel Tower.<\/p>\r\n

Light Worries\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Giovanni Panerai\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Jennifer and Matt brainstorm how to restock their ship’s food supply with resources from their new planet’s ecosystem.<\/p>\r\n

Searching\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Remus Thirty\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Eman travels to a subterranean city, looking for evidence of human life.<\/p>\r\n

The Expulsion\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mohamed Kossay Talmoudi\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
The narrator explores the Great Desert after their expulsion from the city.<\/p>\r\n

Free Bird\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Abhishek Mukherjee\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Shehnaz discovers her father in public with a stranger while she is exploring the city during the annual “airocalypse.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Grand Tide Day\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Michael J. Miller\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Ronny leaves work on Grand Tide Day to travel back home and see his girlfriend Maria.<\/p>\r\n

An Outing\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A.D. Ternum\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Tom and his father leave an uncontaminated area after visiting the wild garden simulation room.<\/p>\r\n

Reflections from St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, 2292\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Charlotte Luke\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
<\/strong>Edith rows to St. Mary’s Cathedral and thinks about her husband and his passing.<\/p>\r\n

A Different Lifestyle\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Debbie Gravett\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
Noah receives a visit from his parents in his treehome in Woodland City. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>\r\n
Sponsors of Stories of the Nature of Cities<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      TABLE OF CONTENTS \u00a0 Preface: City in a Wild Garden\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 David Maddox, Curtis Walker, Malerie Lovejoy Introduction: The Wild Edges of Our Garden\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kirby Mani\u00e0 SECTION ANIMAL\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The Pomegranate Tree\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ari Honarvar\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First place\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A girl and her father take part in a tradition of smoking and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47770,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page_sevenwidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1030,951,1029],"tags":[81,44,47,25,1012,23,27],"coauthors":[118],"class_list":["post-47697","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-friec","category-poetry-fiction","category-stories","tag-africa","tag-art","tag-asia","tag-europe","tag-fiction","tag-north-america","tag-south-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47697"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55167,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47697\/revisions\/55167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47697"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=47697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}