What the Raven Said

Two women met over a decade ago online in a writing class. They have never met in person, never spoken on the phone, by zoom or Facetime, but always kept in touch via email. They found themselves deepening their writerly friendship with a shared sense of humor, and respect for one another's work, daily confidences-during times of stress, times of joy, the mundane and the ridiculous-recounting every aspect of their very different lives. The singular yet powerful element of the pandemic shifted what was a general back and forth email friendship into a serious consideration of the narrowed world outside two writer's windows. As the letter-writers watched their own small world, they also began to wonder, taking more careful note of the daily habits of the wildlife around their homes. Questions arose, theories put forth; but always present was a sense of wonder and delight in learning the cycle of life offered before them. Whether as mundane as the canny squirrel on the wire, or as breathtaking and heartening as a new fawn being presented to the house, there was always something to write about. These moments soothed human fears and frustrations- the pandemic, the politics, the responsibility and guilt that burdens the human mind; but also gave space for humor, for deepening friendship, and the profound thoughtfulness and reflection that comes from observing the natural world. The singular yet powerful element of the pandemic shutdown shifted what was a general back and forth email friendship into a serious consideration of nature just outside two writers' windows. This is the natural history of a year of friendship in letters.