Introducing the May/June & July/August Double Issue

From its perch along a riverbank, the Orion office has a view of a world on the move. Look out any of the back windows, and you’ll see water coursing from north to south, birds returning from their winter homes, and many, many green things, each with leaves and buds reaching for the sky. All of which is proof that embarking upon a journey is more than just a human custom—it’s what we all do, animals and plants alike, in some way, during the warm months.

In honor of the season of movement, the new issue of Orion brings you Journeys, a special section of the magazine devoted to exploring the meaning of travel, and how it shapes us over the course of a day or a lifetime. From the heights of a hot air balloon to a day in Central America’s busiest outdoor market, you’ll find in this issue stories of six summer journeys—no suitcases required.

Between trips, find Orion’s usual mix of fiction, nonfiction, poems, and visual art, including “The Mongerji Letters,” a short story by Geetha Iyer that takes the shape of a salvaged correspondence between the Mongerjis, a family whose collection of flora and fauna reflect the world’s bygone richness. And don’t miss a conversation with Gar Alperovitz, who brings news of a new economic model that is already beginning to supplant an increasingly dysfunctional capitalism.

Also in this issue, Anthony Doerr celebrates Miracle Day, Peter Brewitt shows us how to paint the pavement, and Jourdan Imani Keith points out why shrinking one’s carbon footprint is about more than just carbon.

But it’s travel season! So get out from behind that computer and grab a copy of Orion in print—it’s sleek, it’s colorful, and it fits perfectly in a backpack. You’ll find all of the above, plus an essay on the legacy of passenger pigeons, photographs of the people behind the small-farm movement, and much more.

Enjoy, and don’t hesitate to {encode=”letters@orionmagazine.org” title=”send us your thoughts and reflections”}—we’d love to hear from you.