nonfiction — K. C. Catalfamo

Grunion, little fish that mate on beaches from California to Mexico, face a lot of obstacles to maintaining a healthy population. And the most pernicious may be drunk beachgoers.

Read more (or listen to audio) at Hakai Magazine.

Kelly CatalfamoFebruary 12, 2019Journalism, Hakai Magazine, Science, Nature, Fish, Marine Science, California, Longform

The Desert Architecture School Where Students Build Their Own Sleeping Quarters

Frank Lloyd Wright, known for creating “organic architecture” that prioritizes harmony between buildings and the natural environment, liked minimalist desert living so much that he encouraged his protégés to continue building rudimentary desert shelters after construction was completed. In addition to providing hands-on practice, the shelters forced aspiring architects to become intimately familiar with nature’s impact on living spaces.

The Perils and Pleasures of Jack Jumping

Skis, the snowboard, the toboggan, the bobsled, the luge, the inflated tube: Humans have designed plenty devices to get from the top of a snowy hill to the bottom. But some Vermonters aren’t satisfied by sleek, mainstream, mass-produced equipment. They favor "jack jumping" on a bizarre homemade device that looks like a seat perched atop a single ski.

Kelly CatalfamoFebruary 12, 2018Atlas Obscura, Journalism, Sports, Odd, New England, Americana

To See What the Upcoming Year Holds, Take a Solo Walk in a Dark Forest

Participating in the ritual known as årsgång, or “year walk,” promised information about the future—if a walker followed the rules and reached the local church or graveyard. This form of divination is recorded in documents dating back to the 1600s, but many such records refer to it as “ancient,” making it unclear exactly when Swedish people began performing the ritual.

Read at Atlas Obscura.

Kelly CatalfamoJanuary 5, 2018Atlas Obscura, Folklore, Feature, Sweden, Scandinavia, Forest, Nature, History, Journalism

Need a New Hobby? Look for Hidden Letterboxes

Across the world, a network of hobbyists is exchanging clues and secretly hunting down caches they use to communicate with each other, all while closely guarding their search from the “muggles” around them.

Kelly CatalfamoDecember 12, 2017Hollywood ForeverAtlas Obscura, Odd, Journalism, Feature, Geography, Art

The myth and reincarnation of John Wilkes Booth

To understand how the Shakespearean actor-turned-assassin from Maryland supposedly came to haunt a theater in Texas, you have to turn to local folklore, modern conspiracy theories and the book that likely started it all: Finis L. Bates’ “The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth,” published in 1907.