Strata by Laura Poppick
Strata, a forthcoming book from Maine-based writer Laura Poppick, is designed to give voice to some of the stories that have been physically and deeply embedded in our geology over the entirety of Earth’s history. Strata introduces ancient remnants of the Earth’s deserts, cliffsides, and sea floors as narrative elements that illustrate how our planet has changed before and how it may change again.
Poppick explores “four moments of transformation that shaped Earth and made our lives possible—from the first accumulations of oxygen in the atmosphere to the deep freeze of ‘Snowball Earth,’ the rise of mud on land and the dinosaurs’ reign on a hothouse planet.” We can see these trajectories borne out in our own landscape: The glacial movements that carved the regions’ rivers, shaped its topography, and left certain soils in certain corners of New England has, since the birth of civilization, never stopped shaping the development patterns, cultural histories, economic opportunities, and other elements of New England’s nature.
The ability to identify and interpret the signals and stories that lie both beneath and around us is relatively recent, with our shared understanding of the intricate systems that collectively define “life as we know it” making rapid advancement since the birth of the modern environmental movement. But, despite the newness of these discoveries and stories, we would be well served to learn all that we can from the Earth’s previous responses to radically shifting climates.
Strata will be released on July 15, 2025, through W. W. Norton. Pre-orders, launch events, and more on the book and author are available on the author’s website.
Recommended by Alex Redfield