Robert Aquinas McNally
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ramcnally.bsky.social
Robert Aquinas McNally
@ramcnally.bsky.social
180 followers 110 following 81 posts
Writer finding & telling stories at the intersection of the human and the wild. Author most recently of CAST OUT OF EDEN: THE UNTOLD STORY OF JOHN MUIR, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, AND THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS.
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ramcnally.bsky.social
Love it that my publisher, @univnebpress.bsky.social, makes sure that good reviews of my CAST OUT OF EDEN reach a wider reading audience.
univnebpress.bsky.social University of Nebraska Press @univnebpress.bsky.social · 20d
"Perhaps these Indigenous stories are the truly untold part of the John Muir story, and @ramcnally.bsky.social at least starts to unsettle the conservationist consciousness that sought to forget" writes Kendall Lovely in California History.

bit.ly/4nSNotd
Cover of "Cast Out of Eden: The Untold Story of John Muir, Indigenous Peoples, and the American Wilderness" by Robert Aquinas McNally.
October 24, 2025 at 1:22 AM
ramcnally.bsky.social
Thomas Wilmer named his NPR "Journeys of Discovery" podcast with me about John Muir and CAST OUT OF EDEN the best of last year's best and has reposted it. Appreciation to Tom for the nod and to Katya Cengel for connecting me to Tom in the first place.

www.kcbx.org/podcast/jour...
Unveiling the hidden story of John Muir
Author Robert Aquinas McNalley shares tales of John Muir and his racist attitudes in his new book, Cast out of Eden
www.kcbx.org
October 21, 2025 at 5:51 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
So, supplying the weapons of war makes said supplier a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. May want to rethink that.
politico.com Politico @politico.com · Oct 9
Trump really wants a Nobel Peace Prize.

Zelenskyy said he will lobby for Trump to win the award if he sends Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine and helps broker a ceasefire with Russia.
Zelenskyy: If Trump gives us Tomahawks, we’ll lobby for Nobel Peace Prize
Long-range missiles and a ceasefire with Russia is all it would take for a nomination from Kyiv, Ukrainian leader says.
www.politico.eu
October 9, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
sierraclub.org
In September, SC staff & volunteers traveled to D.C. to participate in Wilderness Week to ask Congress to protect our public lands, support the Roadless Area Conservation Act, and safeguard park rangers & other stewards of shared lands.  
sc.org/RACA
sc.org/LandsAction
@natlwilderness.bsky.social
October 8, 2025 at 5:53 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
Tonight's the night! At 6:30 p.m. I'll be at the Mill Valley (Calif.) Public Library (375 Throckmorton) to talk about CAST OUT OF EDEN and take audience Q&A. To register for this free event, follow the link.

Hope to see you there!

millvalleylibrary.libcal.com/event/14529233
Author Talk: Robert McNally on John Muir
The Mill Valley Library presents an evening with Robert McNally, author of Cast Out of Eden: The Untold Story of John Muir, Indigenous Peoples, and the American Wilderness. John...
millvalleylibrary.libcal.com
October 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
Next week, CAST OUT OF EDEN is heading to Mill Valley, CA.

Wed., 10/8, 6:30–8, I'll be talking about the book and taking questions at the Mill Valley Public Library, 375 Throckmorton Ave. Register for the free event through the link.

Hope to see you!

millvalleylibrary.libcal.com/event/14529233
Author Talk: Robert McNally on John Muir
The Mill Valley Library presents an evening with Robert McNally, author of Cast Out of Eden: The Untold Story of John Muir, Indigenous Peoples, and the American Wilderness. John...
millvalleylibrary.libcal.com
October 4, 2025 at 11:00 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
“When you’re alone, you can become part of nature and your humanity doesn’t get in the way. It’s almost like an out-of-body experience when suddenly you hear different sounds and you smell different smells and you’re actually part of this amazing tapestry of life.”

Jane Goodall, 2021.
October 2, 2025 at 3:09 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
This evening, 9/24/, 7 p.m., I'll be talking with poet and scholar Denise Low-Weso re: John Muir and Native resilience as part of her Indigenous Voices series at THE 222 art gallery in Healdsburg, Calif. For tickets, follow the link. And please join me!

the222.org/product/indi...
September 25, 2025 at 4:06 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
CAST OUT OF EDEN in Healdsburg, Calif., this Thursday evening, 7 p.m.

For full details about and tickets to this event in an amazing art space, please follow the link.

Hope to see you there!

the222.org/product/indi...
September 22, 2025 at 11:26 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
My latest on Substack, about a solitary backcountry trip that made me aware of what I knew but had yet to admit. Please give it a read -- and tell me what you think.

ramcnally.substack.com/p/healing-in...
Healing in the Wild
Revelations have this way of being unexpected. That’s why they’re revelations.
ramcnally.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
wcooperbooks.bsky.social
Today's *real* headline that @theonion.com wouldn't have even tried:

US President Sues New York Times For $15 billion Over Articles Questioning His Success.
September 16, 2025 at 3:30 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
CAST OUT OF EDEN is heading to Healdsburg, Calif.!

Thursday, 9/25,7–8:30 p.m., at THE 222, 222 Healdsburg Ave., in conversation with poet Denise Low (Lenape) about John Muir & Native resilience in her Indigenous Voices series. Order tickets via this link.

the222.org/product/indi...
September 15, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
univnebpress.bsky.social
Like many girls growing up in the eighties and nineties, @mfraterrigo.bsky.social leaned on popular culture to transition from childhood to adolescence and beyond.

Save 40% on THE PERILS OF GIRLHOOD when you order now: bit.ly/467xun5
September 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
univnebpress.bsky.social
"The rain starts, a soft thrum, and Dylan, our pandemic lab-collie mix darts from his bed and hurls himself at my ankles."

In this essay, @mfraterrigo.bsky.social explores how to limit re-trauma when writing. Read it on Brevity (@dintywmoore.bsky.social): bit.ly/4m2M2KH
Craft Your Thunder Jacket
How to Limit Re-Trauma When Writing By Melissa Fraterrigo The rain starts, a soft thrum, and Dylan, our pandemic lab-collie mix darts from his bed and hurls himself at my ankles. His soft fur is plush against my skin but he’s trembling, rattling my desk, and I have work to do. Hard work. “It’s okay,…
brevity.wordpress.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
univnebpress.bsky.social
THE PERILS OF GIRLHOOD by @mfraterrigo.bsky.social is a "raw and courageous exploration of her own life, the lives of her friends and family, and the lives of her two now-teen daughters," writes Patrick T. Reardon for Third Coast Review. bit.ly/3Kb1qY8
book cover
September 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
A notorious plant parasite -- think THE LAST OF US -- has a great deal to say about walking alone in the wild. My latest Substack explains. Do check it out, please, and leave a comment.

open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Sauntering Solo
Or what dwarf mistletoe has to do with hiking alone.
open.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Robert Aquinas McNally
univnebpress.bsky.social
By interrogating the personal and emotional toll of being female, the essays in THE PERILS OF GIRLHOOD by @mfraterrigo.bsky.social serve as a reckoning for women and girls.

Enter our goodreads giveaway for a chance to win a copy: bit.ly/4mNApbl
September 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
At moments of extreme danger, John Muir and Alexander von Humboldt shared a cosmic vision of creation. Discover what they saw in my latest Substack post.

open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Meeting God — and Alexander von Humboldt
At moments of extreme danger, Muir and Humboldt shared a cosmic vision of creation.
open.substack.com
September 4, 2025 at 3:30 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
"Heading High with No Plan B," my latest on Substack, Iooks at how John Muir willingly took cold and hunger as the price to pay for exploring the Sierra Nevada. Have a read.

open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
August 28, 2025 at 3:21 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
My latest on Substack, the Trumpian strategy to profit from national parks by breaking them. Read all about it!

ramcnally.substack.com/p/break-nati...
Break National Parks, Sell Them Off
Disaster capitalism is the name for Trump’s strategy. It would make a ticked-off John Muir ready to fight.
ramcnally.substack.com
August 21, 2025 at 3:18 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
John Muir was a big fan of Yosemite. Would he have also been a big fan of the Netflix series set in Yosemite? To find out, read my latest Substack post.

open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
John Muir, UNTAMED Fan?
The hit Netflix series is set in Yosemite, the national park synonymous with Muir. How would it have played with him?
open.substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 3:52 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
Not everything that spills from the guru's mouth is true, and it always pays to question and corroborate.

Read all about it in my latest Substack post.

open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Playing the Newbie
John Muir posed as a wilderness superhero. A young journalist bought the act.
open.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 3:59 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
This short video from one of my wildlife cameras in the Trinity County backwoods features a tiny, bright-eyed deer mouse taking an unexpected ride down a slippery slope.

open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
Intermezzo: Deer Mouse Toboggan
This short video from one of my wildlife cameras in the Trinity County backwoods features a tiny, bright-eyed deer mouse taking an unexpected ride down a slippery slope.
open.substack.com
July 31, 2025 at 3:51 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
This week it's about nature mysticism, something John Muir did well and which many of us share with him. Have a read and please leave a Comment on your own experiences of awe in the presence of the wild.

open.substack.com/pub/ramcnall...
July 24, 2025 at 10:12 PM
ramcnally.bsky.social
Read all about it, and what it means, in my latest Substack post. And please do subscribe; it's free.
July 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM