Natural Stories

Home
Archive
About
New
A short history of a natural story
Natural stories must be anchored in storytelling. Even a novel that doesn’t seem to be about nature can be a natural story, when its language and themes…
 • 
John Clayton
2
Charley versus nature
Heralded as an American classic, even a classic of nature writing, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley is a natural story in the sense of not really…
 • 
John Clayton
3
The swoops and swirls of natural stories
The abstract painter Jackson Pollock was a thoroughly urban artist. So what do we mean when we talk of his nature?
 • 
John Clayton
3
Pond scum can be so inviting
In which our hero labors to find meaningful tension in the life and work of Henry David Thoreau
 • 
John Clayton
5
October 2023
John Muir’s big mistake
The moment when the legendary naturalist entertained doubt—and nearly scuttled the American public lands tradition
 • 
John Clayton
2
“I have a gun,” she lied
In Depression-era Appalachia, a tiny, feisty woman takes a stand for the vision of nature she believes in
 • 
John Clayton
Hayduke Leverages!
A satire inspired by the very real Abbey Subdivision in Moab, Utah.
 • 
John Clayton
MSD: Nature is urban culture
The story of a newspaper columnist who believed that a city's growth should arise first from its natural surroundings
 • 
John Clayton
Natural Stories: The memoir version
In which our hero tells a story that involves the meaning of "nature writing"
 • 
John Clayton
September 2023
Natural Stories: A Manifesto
Welcome to the Natural Stories newsletter, where our slogan is: Nature is story; stories are our nature.
 • 
John Clayton
4
August 2023
Coming soon
This is Natural Stories, a weekly newsletter from author John Clayton. Stay tuned!
 • 
John Clayton
© 2023 John Clayton
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing