Nathanael Johnson discovers the wonders of city wildlife

By Ben Trefny

Published April 26, 2016 at 5:00 PM PDT

Nathanael Johnson climbs a tree outside of KALW

While San Francisco can’t compete with places like Yosemite for wildness, you’ll find the city is teeming with nature if you just take a moment to see. From slugs to oaks to falcons, we share our sidewalks with a variety of life.

NATHANAEL JOHNSON: She was seeing these things because she had these fresh, childlike eyes and i was completely blind to them because I was just seeing tree, period. And so to see this thing that had been invisible emerge and become visible and beautiful to me was just magic.

That’s what author Nathanael Johnson found in his new book ‘Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness.' He sat down to talk with KALW’s Ben Trefny.

Click the audio player above to hear the interview.

Crosscurrents

Ben Trefny

I joined KALW in 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, I helped our news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. I've also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and have taught hundreds of audio producers. I served as interim Executive Director for nearly two years. My work is currently focused on creating original live events, programming, and building partnerships with like-minded organizations.

See stories by Ben Trefny