What does it mean to have had Ann Blum--Annie to some--in our lives? The letters and stories from family and friends assembled in this book, together with photos and Ann's own words, evoke her presence. They allow us to think about what we want to carry forward, into the lives we still have.

Ann Shelby Blum (1950-2015) was a mother, sister, daughter, partner, friend, historian of the family in Mexico--and, earlier, of natural history illustration in the United States--a writer, teacher, colleague, mentor, gardener, talker, listener, and laughterer. She was a college dropout and...