Matthew Battles, Editor, Arnoldia

As Arnoldia‘s editor, I look forward to following woody plants into realms of science, culture, and landscape. Our community of contributors has long set the highest standard for plant science, horticulture, the history of science, and all of the topics the magazine has covered throughout its history. In addition, we’re experiencing an efflorescence of new voices and perspectives in natural-history writing, as artists and humanists are explore the living world with newfound urgency. As the Arboretum pursues its commitment to expanding equity in the landscape, advocating for biodiversity, and fighting climate change, it has so much to offer this new generation of writers and artists.

I come to Arnoldia from a career merging literary, scholarly, and artistic forms of inquiry. I’ve written for such venues as The American Scholar, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, and Orion. My 2017 book Tree (Bloomsbury), which explores the entanglement of trees with humanity from antiquity to the present, was inspired and informed by research here in the Arboretum. I live in Jamaica Plain’s Woodbourne neighborhood with my wife, Rebekah, where the Arboretum has enriched our family life for more than 25 years. I love walking to work!