The fourth state of matter / Jo Ann Beard -- Getting along with nature / Wendell Berry -- The pain scale / Eula Biss -- The unwanted child / Mary Clearman Blew -- Torch song / Charles Bowden -- Embalming Mom / Janet Burroway -- Physical evidence / Kelly Grey Carlisle -- The glass essay / Anne Carson -- Burl's / Bernard Cooper -- Visitor / Michael W. Cox -- Living like weasels / Annie Dillard -- Return to sender / Mark Doty -- Leap / Brian Doyle -- Somehow form a family / Tony Earley -- Kissing / Anthony Farrington -- The beautiful city of Tirzah / Harrison Candelaria Fletcher -- Sun dance / Diane Glancy -- Mirrorings / Lucy Grealy -- Present tense Africa / William Harrison -- Reading history to my mother / Robin Hemley -- World on a hilltop / Adam Hochschild -- A small place / Jamaica Kincaid -- High tide in Tucson / Barbara Kingsolver -- Small rooms in time / Ted Kooser -- The essayist is sorry for your loss / Sara Levine -- Mastering the art of French cooking / E.J. Levy -- Portrait of my body / Phillip Lopate -- Flight / Barry Lopez -- The undertaking / Thomas Lynch -- Sorry / Lee Martin -- Interstellar / Rebecca McClanahan -- Bad eyes / Erin McGraw -- The search for Marvin Gardens / John McPhee -- The date / Brenda Miller -- Son of Mr. Green Jeans / Dinty W. Moore -- Celibate passion / Kathleen Norris -- This is not who we are / Naomi Shihab Nye -- Autopsy report / Lia Purpura -- Watching the animals / Richard Rhodes -- Shitdiggers, mudflats, and the worm men of Maine / Bill Roorbach -- Repeat after me / David Sedaris -- Imelda / Richard Selzer -- The Pat Boone Fan Club / Sue William Silverman -- A measure of acceptance / Floyd Skloot -- Black swans / Lauren Slater -- The love of my life / Cheryl Strayed -- Mother tongue / Amy Tan -- If you knew then what I know now / Ryan Van Meter -- Consider the lobster / David Foster Wallace -- Hawk / Joy Williams.