Here in New England, where chlorophyll is making its grand exit and the days are showing signs of shortening, the search for cold-weather reading material has begun. Which is why we’re excited to see the new issue of Orion land in readers’ mailboxes, fill newsstands, and make its way around the web.

As usual, we’ve got some of the issue’s highlights online: visit the table of contents page to read them all, including Rowan Jacobsen’s report from the Mad River Food Hub, a model of small-scale infrastructure that may hold local food’s future; a conversation between Michael Pollan and William Cronon on the promise and challenge of finding meaning in the natural world; an essay from Belle Boggs on what’s really at stake when schools skimp on science education; and much more.

And when you’re ready to step away from the screen, we hope you’ll pick up a copy of the full issue in print. There, you’ll find all of the above, plus new writing from Barbara Kingsolver and Bill McKibben; a poem from Ursula Le Guin; a powerful essay from the Arctic; and gorgeous visuals from landscapes real and imagined.

To hear more about the issue, listen to the newest installment of the Editors Out Loud podcast, which features Orion’s editor, Jennifer Sahn, and associate editor, Hannah Fries.

Thanks, as always, for reading and supporting Orion. We hope you enjoy the November/December 2013 issue, and don’t hesitate to share your thoughts—{encode=”letters@orionmagazine.org” title=”send us a letter”}, if the mood strikes, or simply leave a comment below. Cheers!