Hi, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions through intimate stories outdoors.

So here's a pop quiz. How many pounds of feed does a cow need to eat in order to produce one pound of beef?

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They have the nutritional benefits of meat with the environmental footprint of plants.

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A few months ago, I went to a reading at a used bookstore.

One of the authors was a woman I had worked with back in my public radio days.

At the time, she was pursuing an

MFA and creative writing at the University of Wyoming, and on the side, she was reporting for

our local NPR station, where I also worked. I knew her journalism work, but I had never seen

any of her creative writing. And then I went to this reading.

She read an essay from her new book, The Skinned Bird,

and my goodness, it was exquisite.

Beautiful and heartfelt and devastating all at once. I immediately bought the book and read it cover to cover.

Today, you're going to hear one of my favorite essays from the book.

It's about language and learning to communicate,

...