Nature is at the heart of us all: Throughout history, mother Earth adapts, transforms, perseveres through the endless turmoil that is life.

70 million years ago, meteors drastically changed the atmosphere present on Earth. Most people know this as the extinction of the dinosaurs. Prior to that, 250 million years ago, it was the great dying, wiping out almost all existent species at the time.

Now, in contemporary terms, we face problems our mother has not yet dealt with. The domination of artificial intelligence, the threat of artistic extinction.

We are facing, in our modern era, the greatest mass-extinction of smaller human culture and civilization we have ever faced. As technology advances, the creation of a global, unified, human culture becomes closer than ever.

But, should this really be celebrated, or should we embrace the differences that nature imbeds in an individual?

From the rumbling earth of a volcanic eruption, to forest fires that spread at an unstoppable rate. From the rolling hills created by tectonic plates, to the undiscovered horror and beauty of the deep sea. We, the Echo Literary Magazine staff and writers, encourage you to explore this question in great depth as you read our 2024-2025 Literary Magazine. Nature is truly at the heart of us all.

-Evelyn Brown, Carson Mayekse, and Jaxon Hewitt-Zmich