Why Dirt

The author conducting very serious research. Photo credit: Tommy Werner

Welcome to my dirt blog ✌️🤎🪱 (Field notes? Rot log? Decomposition notebook? Taken.)

You may or may not know I’m writing a book about dirt for kids, which is due out on Workman in spring 2023. Yay!

But that’s a while from now… and I’m impatient. So here I am firing up this website to share why dirt is endlessly fascinating, ridiculously fun, and vitally important.

Expect peeks behind the book-making scenes including activities, interviews, art, crafts, inspiration, events (virtual and IRL when possible), and generally a lot of the wonder, awe, and play I can’t fit in the book. I hope you love it.

So who am I and why dirt? Well…

Who are you?

I’m Lauren. I grew up on my family’s farm in western North Carolina, moved to France, and now live in Brooklyn. I’ve studied and written about food and the environment for the past decade including a long stint as the Editor-in-Chief of the James Beard award-winning Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn. I’ve also dabbled in photography, weaving, and printmaking over the years and am generally enthusiastic about all things nature and art.

Why dirt?

Because it’s fun! Anyone who has not cracked a smile while digging in the dirt or squishing their feet in mud, please message me immediately—we have to talk. There’s really nothing like this silly, simple pleasure.

Also, dirt’s a mystery. Like space or the ocean, it’s mostly unexplored even though a quarter of all species on Earth live in the dirt! Only 1% of soil micro-organisms have been identified and a single tablespoon of dirt can contain thousands of species, billions of individuals, and hundreds of feet of fungal networks. Like, what?!

Not only does it house so much of our planet’s life, but it’s also a history of life on this planet. I’m fascinated by how the ground keeps record of the past, human and otherwise. Shout out to paleontologists, geologists, archaeologists, and soil scientists! They study the dirt for a living, helping us understand who we are, where we’re from, and what might lie ahead.

…Which is the scary part. We are losing healthy dirt around the world at an alarming rate: think 30 soccer fields a minute. It’s an environmental emergency, especially considering how powerful dirt can be in the fight against climate change. This is within our control, however; we can actually live with dirt in a way that helps draw down carbon from the atmosphere. So why not?

Great question! I’ll explore all this and much more in the book and here on this dirt blog. We’re just getting started.

Want to keep in touch?

Follow @dirt.book on Instagram if that’s your thing and/or subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of this page.

I love dirt, too! How can I be in touch?

Yay, yes! Please reach out.

🤎