Abstract
This thesis consists of a collection of seven literary nonfiction essays. These personal essays fall, in varying degrees, between memoir and literary journalism. Elements of personal narrative are interwoven with philosophical musings, scientific research, and journalistic investigation. The collection is strongly place-based, taking places in several locations across Idaho. Many of these essays are question- or idea-driven, focusing primarily on interpersonal interactions as well as human interactions and relationships with animals and the natural world. Coexistence between the people, animals, and plants that inhabit this planet is a central theme in these essays--and the title, Finding Balance, comes from this idea. Some of these essays identify, celebrate, and contemplate these relationships, while others are more political in nature, making arguments for cultural and social change.