Robert Aquinas McNally
@ramcnally.bsky.social
Writer finding & telling stories at the intersection of the human and the wild. Author most recently of CAST OUT OF EDEN. Now working on TO SEE SUCH TREES. Wild justice in the forest, and out.
Read all about Trump's continuing, profit-driven assault on the earth in my latest Substack post. And let me know what you think here or in the comments.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-wil...
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-wil...
Trump’s Wild Outrages Only Get Worse
The mess will continue well after the MAGA crew leaves office. That’s the point.
ramcnally.substack.com
September 24, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Read all about Trump's continuing, profit-driven assault on the earth in my latest Substack post. And let me know what you think here or in the comments.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-wil...
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-wil...
My latest on Substack, a warm-up for the book in progress. And please subscribe. It's free. Readers count more than money.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/chicken-or...
ramcnally.substack.com/p/chicken-or...
Chicken or Egg, Redwood Grove or Cathedral?
Which came first, of course, plus the why and wherefore of how one prompts comparison with the other
ramcnally.substack.com
September 17, 2026 at 3:12 PM
My latest on Substack, a warm-up for the book in progress. And please subscribe. It's free. Readers count more than money.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/chicken-or...
ramcnally.substack.com/p/chicken-or...
Trump's latest attack on public lands raises big questions: Is the planet a commodity to be priced and marketed? Or is it a font of sustenance, reverence, and awe?
Learn more about the questions, and the answers, in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-ass...
Learn more about the questions, and the answers, in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-ass...
Trump’s Assault on Bears Ears Comes Down to a Struggle for the Soul
Is the planet a commodity to be priced and sold off? Or is it a font of sustenance, reverence, and awe?
ramcnally.substack.com
September 10, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Trump's latest attack on public lands raises big questions: Is the planet a commodity to be priced and marketed? Or is it a font of sustenance, reverence, and awe?
Learn more about the questions, and the answers, in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-ass...
Learn more about the questions, and the answers, in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-ass...
Read my latest post all about the forest path to discovering what Gerard Manley Hopkins called "the dearest freshness deep down things." It's there for the finding.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/that-fresh...
ramcnally.substack.com/p/that-fresh...
That Freshness Deep Down
The forest offers a path to the core of being. All you have to do is show up and pay attention.
ramcnally.substack.com
September 3, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Read my latest post all about the forest path to discovering what Gerard Manley Hopkins called "the dearest freshness deep down things." It's there for the finding.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/that-fresh...
ramcnally.substack.com/p/that-fresh...
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
New newsletter out now. mailchi.mp/d4886446b3a1...
Katya's book and journalism news and more
mailchi.mp
August 30, 2026 at 7:15 PM
New newsletter out now. mailchi.mp/d4886446b3a1...
There is wealth to be made and a price to be paid. Guess who’s taking the money and who’s ponying up.
Read all about the latest chapter in the long story of greed at Bears Ears National Monument in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-bea...
Read all about the latest chapter in the long story of greed at Bears Ears National Monument in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-bea...
Trump’s Bears Ears Re-redux: Insider Greed Lays Waste to Land and People
There is wealth to be made and a price to be paid. Guess who’s taking the money and who’s paying the piper.
ramcnally.substack.com
August 20, 2026 at 4:00 PM
There is wealth to be made and a price to be paid. Guess who’s taking the money and who’s ponying up.
Read all about the latest chapter in the long story of greed at Bears Ears National Monument in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-bea...
Read all about the latest chapter in the long story of greed at Bears Ears National Monument in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/trumps-bea...
Tricksters all, predators shock us arrogant humans out of our self-inflated ways. That’s good for trees.
Read all about it in my latest essay:
ramcnally.substack.com/p/val-plumwo...
Read all about it in my latest essay:
ramcnally.substack.com/p/val-plumwo...
Val Plumwood’s Attack Crocodile Says Something Critical About Redwoods
Tricksters all, predators shock us arrogant humans out of our self-inflated ways. That’s good for trees.
ramcnally.substack.com
August 13, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Tricksters all, predators shock us arrogant humans out of our self-inflated ways. That’s good for trees.
Read all about it in my latest essay:
ramcnally.substack.com/p/val-plumwo...
Read all about it in my latest essay:
ramcnally.substack.com/p/val-plumwo...
Three cheers! The Yurok Tribe takes ownership of former sawmill site on stolen ancestral land and transforms it into a public gateway to the redwoods.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/o-rew-come...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/o-rew-come...
‘O Rew Comes Full Circle
Three cheers! The Yurok Tribe takes ownership of former sawmill site on stolen ancestral land and transforms it into a public gateway to the redwoods.
ramcnally.substack.com
August 6, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Three cheers! The Yurok Tribe takes ownership of former sawmill site on stolen ancestral land and transforms it into a public gateway to the redwoods.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/o-rew-come...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/o-rew-come...
My latest, on grief at the loss of the wild. Do give it a read and let me know what you think. Thanks.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
We Mourn Lost Family and Friends. What About Mountains, Reefs, and Forests?
Sadly, we tend to soldier on as if nothing has happened. But something has been lost, and we don’t know what to do with the real, often-unnamed grief.
open.substack.com
July 30, 2026 at 10:32 PM
My latest, on grief at the loss of the wild. Do give it a read and let me know what you think. Thanks.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
Paid opportunity for @unlincoln.bsky.social students!
Are you a University of Nebraska student with a passion for books and a love of marketing? We are currently hiring a student worker in the Marketing Department!
More details can be found here: bit.ly/44DVWfL
More details can be found here: bit.ly/44DVWfL
July 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Paid opportunity for @unlincoln.bsky.social students!
Adding insult to injury, Trump's minions are seeking to erase the five Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition tribes from the national monument their vision created.
Nothing white nationalist about that, right?
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
Nothing white nationalist about that, right?
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
Days after slashing Bears Ears, Trump administration removes tribal seals from monument signs
President Donald Trump shrank Bears Ears by 91% and disbanded a tribal-led commission. Now, the BLM is removing tribal seals from remaining monument signs.
www.sltrib.com
July 23, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Adding insult to injury, Trump's minions are seeking to erase the five Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition tribes from the national monument their vision created.
Nothing white nationalist about that, right?
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
Nothing white nationalist about that, right?
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
The president is illegally hacking two national monuments into scattered splinters and kicking Indigenous nations to the curb. Nothing white nationalist about that, right?
Read all about it in my latest post: open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall....
Read all about it in my latest post: open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall....
Trump Moves to Crush Utah Tribes and Wild Lands
The president is illegally hacking two national monuments into scattered splinters and kicking Indigenous nations to the curb.
open.substack.com
July 23, 2026 at 3:28 PM
The president is illegally hacking two national monuments into scattered splinters and kicking Indigenous nations to the curb. Nothing white nationalist about that, right?
Read all about it in my latest post: open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall....
Read all about it in my latest post: open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall....
It's enough to give one hope: Pasadena students and allies protest removal of beloved trees the school district plans to take down. And they may be winning.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Pasadena Protesters Sit in Marked Trees to Stop Removal
Cheered on by storied tree sitter Julia Butterfly Hill, citizen activists hope to preserve beloved trees the school district plans to take down.
open.substack.com
July 16, 2026 at 4:26 PM
It's enough to give one hope: Pasadena students and allies protest removal of beloved trees the school district plans to take down. And they may be winning.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
That’s not exactly what Ronald Reagan said. But what he did say missed the point every bit as badly. A lot of folks still do.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
July 2, 2026 at 7:08 PM
That’s not exactly what Ronald Reagan said. But what he did say missed the point every bit as badly. A lot of folks still do.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Back in the day Americans destroyed wilderness as evil’s home turf. Trump and MAGA are still down with that.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
The Big, Bad Woods
Back in the day Americans destroyed wilderness as evil’s home turf. Trump and MAGA are still down with that.
open.substack.com
June 25, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Back in the day Americans destroyed wilderness as evil’s home turf. Trump and MAGA are still down with that.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe -- it's free.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
The next book begins to take shape, and my Substack essay series shifts focus. Read all about it in my latest post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
June 18, 2026 at 4:20 PM
The next book begins to take shape, and my Substack essay series shifts focus. Read all about it in my latest post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
When a redwood goes by Hyperion or Stratospheric Giant, no longer is it just any old redwood. The name changes everything, something Rudyard Kipling would understand.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
What a Difference a Name Makes
When a redwood goes by Hyperion or Stratospheric Giant, no longer is it just any old redwood. Names change everything.
open.substack.com
April 30, 2026 at 3:11 PM
When a redwood goes by Hyperion or Stratospheric Giant, no longer is it just any old redwood. The name changes everything, something Rudyard Kipling would understand.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Find out about the gray whale, the people it has changed, and a certain writer. All in my latest Substack post.
Do let me know what you think.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/marine-det...
Do let me know what you think.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/marine-det...
Marine Detour: Gray Whale Lamentations
It was nearly wiped out then recovered. Now things are taking a dire turn in this personal story.
ramcnally.substack.com
April 23, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Find out about the gray whale, the people it has changed, and a certain writer. All in my latest Substack post.
Do let me know what you think.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/marine-det...
Do let me know what you think.
ramcnally.substack.com/p/marine-det...
In its way, this is a story of cosmic humility. Read all about it my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Trees Go Longer, Farther, Deeper into Space Than Humans
Artemis II continued the arboreal cosmic travel that began with Apollo 14, but Artemis I took it the farthest yet.
open.substack.com
April 16, 2026 at 3:48 PM
In its way, this is a story of cosmic humility. Read all about it my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
Author Melissa Fraterrigo designed and hosted a free memoir-writing workshop for anyone who purchased her forthcoming book, and discovered that many readers were eager for an insider’s perspective on how to draft a memoir.
Here's how she did it: janefriedman.com/teach-your-b...
Here's how she did it: janefriedman.com/teach-your-b...
janefriedman.com
April 9, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Author Melissa Fraterrigo designed and hosted a free memoir-writing workshop for anyone who purchased her forthcoming book, and discovered that many readers were eager for an insider’s perspective on how to draft a memoir.
Here's how she did it: janefriedman.com/teach-your-b...
Here's how she did it: janefriedman.com/teach-your-b...
Just how tall can a tree grow? The answer, at least for the moment, is a little over 381 feet. Maybe, just maybe, it can reach even higher. No wonder it carries the name of a Greek god known as a primal force of nature.
Read all about it in my latest Substack.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
April 9, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Just how tall can a tree grow? The answer, at least for the moment, is a little over 381 feet. Maybe, just maybe, it can reach even higher. No wonder it carries the name of a Greek god known as a primal force of nature.
Read all about it in my latest Substack.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Clearcuts maximizes profit and destroys forests for generations. The Menominees are showing us what sustainable forestry looks like -- and making a living in he process.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
To Make America’s Forests Healthy Again, Look to the Original Owners
The Menominees steward a Wisconsin forest that nurtures both trees and tribe.
open.substack.com
March 26, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Clearcuts maximizes profit and destroys forests for generations. The Menominees are showing us what sustainable forestry looks like -- and making a living in he process.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
A year ago, Trump ordered national parks and monuments to scrub the unpleasant history they present. Now they're doing it. George Orwell warned us about this.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
The Dangerous Books MAGA Plans to Ban
A year ago, Trump ordered national parks and monuments to scrub the unpleasant history they present. George Orwell warned us about this.
open.substack.com
March 19, 2026 at 3:12 PM
A year ago, Trump ordered national parks and monuments to scrub the unpleasant history they present. Now they're doing it. George Orwell warned us about this.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
My CAST OUT OF EDEN featured in the latest post of the Univ. of Nebraska Press blog!
News and Reviews featuring @abdourahmanwaberi.bsky.social @waitmanwbeorn.com @ramcnally.bsky.social <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:oedyh5qleiubn7srt6jzmuzw" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky-mention">@tracibrynne.bsky.social @tracibrynne.bsky.social and more!
News & Reviews
Reviews When We Only Have the Earth Review in North American Review: "Waberi’s poems plead, reason, celebrate, demand, and yearn. Waberi’s language is an act of noticing. Carlson’s translation completely captures the concerns and voice of the poet. The rest of the conversation is up to the reader." Between the Wires Review in Slavic Review: "Beorn's book is a significant step towards change; his well-researched and judicious work not only gives voice to those silenced; it places Janowska more firmly on the map of the Holocaust."
unpblog.com
March 12, 2026 at 3:47 PM
My CAST OUT OF EDEN featured in the latest post of the Univ. of Nebraska Press blog!
If it hadn’t been for three activist women, writers all, California’s first state park and redwoods preserve never would have come into being.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Big Basin Wasn’t One Man’s Big Win
If it hadn’t been for three activist women, writers all, California’s first state park and redwoods preserve never would have come into being.
open.substack.com
March 12, 2026 at 3:39 PM
If it hadn’t been for three activist women, writers all, California’s first state park and redwoods preserve never would have come into being.
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Read all about it in my latest Substack post.
open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...