Catbirds like to perch where they have cover and a view, and though the old-timey phrase “sitting in the catbird seat” originally meant a position of advantage, I always thought it conveyed perspective. A catbird — reclusive but curious, lyrical if not especially musical — atop a shrub, commenting on the world’s goings-on.
That’s not a bad description of a what a journalist does. Hence this newsletter’s name.
In July of 2024 W. W. Norton will publish my new book, Meet the Neighbors. It’s about the science of animal intelligence, the idea of animal personhood, and what all that means for how we think about nature. For the next little while this newsletter will have lots of book-related interviews, commentary, outtakes, shiny objects … and giveaways!
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🖼️ Al Kreml