From an isolated Sandhills ranch whose denizens “only see each other for funerals and fires,” to the comeback story of bats in northeast Missouri, to the 1,000 Year Plan for the Lower Midwest, our very first issue takes readers on a journey through the science and societies of the Lower Midwest. Art by Missouri regionalist painter Bryan Haynes weaves through a literature section featuring Kate Strum, Kim Lozano, and others. Potato dioramas of World War I-era Kansas inmates add a little levity, and Caroline Bauman writes of her childhood float trips down Buffalo River, “There’s magic in letting the familiar awe you.” We agree — and we think you will, too.
