Encompassing identity, inspiration, ancestry, and stewardship, the essays and poems by leading Black women and nonbinary scientists in Been Outside explore how experiences in the natural world and life sciences shape the self. These writers and researchers contemplate the moments that sparked their love of nature, as well as the ways time in the field and outdoor adventures have enhanced or expanded their perspectives about what is possible. What does it mean to be a Black woman or nonbinary scientist studying the natural world? Camille Mosley considers how the rich fishing tradition of Black Americans relates to their career in freshwater ecology, Sharon Dorsey reflects on her reaction to finally meeting a wildlife professional who looks like her, and Tanisha Williams shares her powerful emotional journey of returning to South Africa to study plants. Edited by Amber Wendler and Shaz Zamore, these stories from twenty-two writers showcase the challenges and joys of carving out your own path through the natural world--and will inspire anyone seeking to craft their own outdoor life. In this way, Been Outside promotes collective action toward an outdoor community that welcomes everyone.

“Straight’s portrayal of a black woman’s life is nearly miraculous in its astonishing richness of detail, its emotional honesty and its breadth of human thought and feeling.” —USA Today Evoking the Gullah–speaking 1950s community of Pine Gardens, South Carolina, I Been in Sorrow’s Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots follows Marietta Cook, a maid with a growing interest in the civil rights movement, as she raises talented twin boys destined for pro football glory and comes to find peace in an often unjust world. Imbued with extraordinary resilience and joy, Susan Straight’s debut is a celebration of an extraordinary soul and a novel with a beautifully vivid sense of place.

I'VE BEEN KILLING SLIMES FOR 300 YEARS-AND NOW I'VE BROKEN THE LEVEL CAP?! I never needed to be this strong-all I did was fight a goddess! But life in this world is challenging no matter what your level is. Sandra shot up into a young woman pretty enough to make me jealous, I got lost on a deserted island, a "human" (who is definitely not a human) came to repay a favor, and Pecora discovered...livestreaming?! Stick around at the end of this volume for "Food for an Elf," detailing President Halkara's quest to find the perfect restaurant!

Her boyfriend cheated on her, so she married a stranger to get back at him. However, her ‘broke’ husband suddenly turned out to be one of the rising stars in A Country! It was true that he did not have a car or a house, but he did have a manor, a yacht, and a private jet. They said that Su Jianxi was a seductress who wormed her way into a rich man’s lap and even made a cuckold out of him. Later, Li Tingyao personally dispelled the rumors, saying he was the one who pursued Su Jianxi, and that the child was his!

The logical outcome of the space race, and the preliminary step towards the Moo, was the manned satellite, the Big Wheel moving in a stable orbit about the Earth, integrating the data necessary for a landing on the Moon, and eventually acting as a fuelling station for the Lunar rockets. After several failures, the station is ready, but even there, danger exists, unseen, unheard, invisible and terrible. Forced to exist in the belt of cosmic radiation surrounding the planet, men die within weeks from aplastic anemia. Seeking a solution to the problem, Doctor Paul Russell is sent up to the satellite and here learns of the two men fro the previous crew who vanished without a trace after spotting an unidentified spaceship in orbit further out from Earth than themselves.

The final battle -- the ultimate price. The once beautiful land of Hightspall is being carved up by warring armies led by figures from out of legend. One army is headed by the charismatic brute, Axil Grandys, and the other by Lyf, resurrected sorcerer-king and Axil's ancient nemesis. Only the escaped slave Tali and her unreliable magic stand in their way -- but Tali's gift grows more painful every time she uses it. As the armies converge on the fateful peak of Touchstone, Tali and her ally Rix must find a way to overcome Lyf and prevent Axil from using the Three Spells that will destroy Hightspall forever. Justice is the shattering finale to Ian Irvine's fantasy epic Tainted Realm trilogy.