David Gessner

David Gessner is the author of 12 books, including Leave It As It Is; Quiet Desperation, Savage Delight; All the Wild That Remains; and the forthcoming A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World. He teaches at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he founded the journal Ecotone.

The Road to Paradise and Back

Fires in the West, hurricanes in the East—what it’s like on the ground as we confront our rapidly changing world

by David Gessner | Thursday, December 01, 2022

Looking Back From the End of the World

What Thoreau can teach us about living life during—and after—the pandemic

by David Gessner | Tuesday, June 02, 2020

Remembering Brad

What a stroke of luck when some of your favorite books were written by one of your dearest friends

by David Gessner | Wednesday, June 02, 2021

Dangerous Ground

When confronting matters of race, some boundaries are more easily breached than others

by David Gessner | Tuesday, September 04, 2018

Taking Down Teddy

In our rush to condemn the heroes of the past, we must be sure not to abandon empathy

by David Gessner | Thursday, September 10, 2020

A Planet in Peril

Can humanity engineer its way out of trouble?

by David Gessner | Monday, March 05, 2018

The Taming of the Wild

As we celebrate the centenary of the National Park Service, a meditation on “the best idea that America ever had”

by David Gessner | Monday, June 06, 2016