Diane Ackerman at the 2007 Texas Book Festival. Diane Ackerman (born October 7, 1948) is an American poet, essayist, and naturalist. Read full biography of Diane Ackerman →
The further we distance ourselves from the spell of the present, explored by our senses, the harder it will be to understand and protect nature's... →
When all is said and done, we exist only in relation to the world, and our senses evolved as scouts who bridge that divide and provide volumes of... →
I've always found it best to have a routine. I go to my study at the same time every day and climb into my bay window. I may not be inspired... →
Like many animals, wild ponies can sense a drop in barometric pressure. When a storm threatens, they know to seek shelter in hilly areas and huddle... →
What a lonely species we are, searching for signals of life from other galaxies, adopting companion animals, visiting parks and zoos to commune with... →
We try to exile ourselves more and more from nature - not always consciously: We build houses; we dismiss nature; nature has to be outside, because... →
The more we exile ourselves from nature, the more we crave its miracle waters.
As the most social apes, we inhabit a mirror-world in which every important relationship, whether with spouse, friend or child, shapes the brain... →
Gardeners may create order briefly out of chaos, but nature always gets the last word, and what it says is usually untidy by human standards. But I... →
The garden is a living, pulsing, singing, scratching, warring, erotic, and generally rowdy thing. I may find peace in its midst, but I regard it as a... →
Even without seeing the crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas and katydids, we hear them shrilling in this season and trust that they're the tiny... →
I'm fascinated how often and with what whole-heartedness people will risk their lives to perform acts of courage, sacrifice, and compassion for... →
We embrace two-legged beings, and can warm to four-legged beings, too, but for most people, six legs is pushing it. Most don't need multi-eyed... →
Diane Ackerman at the 2007 Texas Book Festival. Diane Ackerman (born October 7, 1948) is an American poet, essayist, and naturalist.