I don't know about the awareness, but I think "literary art" has gone astray. Literary writing and praise for such now seems mostly about being a social warrior and little about quality writing and cracking good stories. It's sad. I recently read a novel highly praised by critics as "lyrical," and "unforgettably moving." Chapter 1: details of horrific child abuse. Chapter 2: same. Chapter 3: same. Etc. Ending? No resolution. The writing? Rife with errors and structurally boring. Sigh. But I think the tide will turn eventually.
Several years ago my senior technician, Jay Weaver, and I were in the Idaho desert hand seeding native shrubs back into a damaged area. We stopped to look in a playa (desert lakebed, usually dry) because this time it had water in it. We collected some strange-looking creatures, and later discovered that they were a species of predatory freshwater shrimp unknown to science! We partnered with two other biologists and described our new species. Wish I could add a photo! I incorporated this discovery into Book 3 of the SCAVENGER Series, SHRIMP.
