The Reading Table—June
“Our world has two oceans—an ocean of water and an ocean of air.” ~Rachel Carson
Considering clouds always brings to mind a day 27 years ago when I pulled to the roadside on the Big Island of Hawai’i and jumped out of the car to stare at the most magnificent clouds I had ever seen. I’d heard the word breathtaking, mostly in literature and poetry, but in this moment, I really understood what the word meant.
A newcomer to the island, there was nothing to distract me from seeing the ocean of air—the atmospheric ocean—in all its Hawai’ian splendor. It was as if I was seeing clouds for the first time.
Artist Nikki McClure’s very short biography on the book jacket flap alerts the reader that here is another human who is intimate with the two oceans:
Nikki McClure is an artist and writer. She lives in Olympia, Washington, where she sails and swims in the Salish Sea.
Her illustrations reflect this intimacy with the elements. But what struck me even more than her illustrations, is her process which she describes in an illustrator’s note at the end: from the first invitation from Orion magazine to illustrate excerpts from a film script written by Carson in 1956 to how she entered into dialogue with Carson:
The paper and I had conversations about what might happen.
I pulled Rachel Carson into these discussions. What would she want to see? What did she see? I read her letters to hear her voice in my head. I used photos from her seaside cabin; of her brooches; her writing desk, pen, and microscope; of her trying to work while caring for her mother, nieces, and nephew. I felt as though I was making the work with her. That it was collaboration. I had a new friend in addition to the sky and trees and shore; there was Rachel.
This is a special book. Ask your local librarian to help you find a copy to read and share with the young people in your life.
Go Deeper
Read Maria Popova’s review of Something About the Sky. (You’ll see some of the book’s illustrations.)
Visit the Cloud Appreciation Society website and Instagram page.
It is the wind, the softness of the breeze, and the smell of the sea that connect the lofty clouds to me here on the beach, this sky to you, this book to Rachel Carson and her voice. Wonder. Honor and protect. But begin with wonder. ~Nikki McClure
Be well. Thank you for making time to read The Interconnect. I’m glad you’ve found your way here. Please consider sharing this post with family, friends, teachers, and/or colleagues who might appreciate it.