In the summer of 2021, I read a mind-blowing science article about how plants might possess some rudimentary powers of perception. It sparked me to write “Cottonwoods,” which turned into an almost unspeakably sad story, making me very happy. You cry, I smile. That’s just the way art works, man.
I’m very grateful to the editors at december magazine, where it’s printed on paper ripped from the very trees that inspired it. Life, man.
And here’s the original article, “Plants Feel Pain and Might Even See,” that sparked my imagination in Nautilus.