An article written and read by Paul Breeden.

Paul Breeden decided as a little boy to someday work for National Geographic. His first published artwork was in National Geographic magazine. From there he went on to illustrate for various other national and international magazines, books, and a U.S. postage stamp. His work was featured at the National Gallery of Art, American Botanical Artists, Brandywine Museum, Geosphere, International Earth Summit, The White House, and 100 Years of Illustration. Having worked in a variety of media, including calligraphy and photography, Paul now primarily paints acrylic Maine landscapes, mountains, and the working waterfront. For fun he paints mind-boggling trompe l’oeil watercolors.

See the photos and read the full article here. Discover additional content in the Spring 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up.

A book recommendation read by Liz Thompson.

Liz Thompson, Managing Editor of From the Ground Up, is an ecologist from Vermont who has explored, photographed, written about, and helped conserve many wild places. She serves on the board of Northeast Wilderness Trust.

Read the book recommendation and discover additional content in the Spring 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up.

An poem written and read by Scudder Parker.

Scudder Parker’s first volume of poetry, Safe as Lightning, released in June 2020 by Rootstock Publishing, was awarded the Best Poetry Book of 2020 by the Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE). Scudder’s poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals including Sun Magazine, Crosswinds, The Lascaux Review, Sky Island Journal, Vermont Life, Northern Woodlands, and Twyckenham. “The Poem of the World” was selected as a finalist in the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest.

For Scudder, poetry is the search for truthfulness, not homage to conclusion. It is exploration—fit of bone in socket, bees at riot in oregano blossoms, ache of old injustice summoning an opened heart, the strange joy of longing, laughter at long-defended foolishness. Family, farming, failing, finding. Foraging for the innocent sacred, patient in our midst. Scudder’s had numerous careers—preacher, organizer, gardener, politician, energy consultant, poet—and is still learning from each of them. His new volume, The Poem of the World, published by Kelsay Books, is now available in bookstores and online. You can follow Scudder’s work at Substack.

Read the poem and discover additional content in the Spring 2026 Issue of From the Ground Up.