Nina Munteanu
@aliennextdoor.bsky.social
I'm an eco-fiction author, limnologist/aquatic ecologist, photographer, instructor at UofT. I explore and celebrate the fractal Natural World from microscopic diatoms and miniature lichens and fungi to the giant cedars and pines of old-growth forests
The Ecology of Story: revealing hidden characters of the forest #onwriting #nature #forest #characters #ecology #storytelling #writing ninamunteanu.me/2020/04/25/t...
The Ecology of Story: Revealing Hidden Characters of the Forest
Story is place, and place is character—Nina Munteanu I remember a wonderful conversation I had several years ago at a conference with another science fiction writer on weird and wonderful protagon…
ninamunteanu.me
January 26, 2026 at 2:35 AM
The Ecology of Story: revealing hidden characters of the forest #onwriting #nature #forest #characters #ecology #storytelling #writing ninamunteanu.me/2020/04/25/t...
When a leaf falls ... #Nature #decomposition #saprophytes #forest themeaningofwater.com/2026/01/25/w...
When a Leaf Falls…
I love to walk the forest in the winter, whether I’m plowing through fresh deep snow, or crunching over hoarfrost-covered forest litter. Winter is a time for Nature to rearrange and remake itself. …
themeaningofwater.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:49 AM
When a leaf falls ... #Nature #decomposition #saprophytes #forest themeaningofwater.com/2026/01/25/w...
When snow plays the symphony to the genius of the air #snow #WINTER #NaturePhotography themeaningofwater.com/2022/02/20/w...
When Snow Plays the Symphony to The Genius of Air
Swiss Alps near Zermatt, Switzerland (photo by Nina Munteanu) How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on m…
themeaningofwater.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:48 AM
When snow plays the symphony to the genius of the air #snow #WINTER #NaturePhotography themeaningofwater.com/2022/02/20/w...
Behold! Winter's beauty! #WINTER #snow #beauty #NaturePhotography themeaningofwater.com/2023/02/26/b...
Behold, Winter’s Beauty!
Fresh snow in a meadow by the Otonabee River, ON (photo and rendition by Nina Munteanu) Fresh snow clings to branches in a thicket by the river, ON (photo and rendition by Nina Munteanu) Heavy snow…
themeaningofwater.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Behold! Winter's beauty! #WINTER #snow #beauty #NaturePhotography themeaningofwater.com/2023/02/26/b...
For those of you in my old stomps in #Ontario ... #snow #WINTER #snowstorm #NaturePhotography themeaningofwater.com/2022/03/06/w...
When Snow Dazzles…
Snow covered fir trees after a fresh snowfall near Wolfville, NS (photo by Nina Munteanu) I grew up in southern Quebec, where the first snow of the season often came from the sky in a thick passion…
themeaningofwater.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:31 AM
For those of you in my old stomps in #Ontario ... #snow #WINTER #snowstorm #NaturePhotography themeaningofwater.com/2022/03/06/w...
Slime molds I've met so far ... (blue one care of New Hampshire Garden Solutions; rest are my photos) all with crazy names like Wolf's Milk Slime, Push Pin Slime and Tree Hair Slime ... #slimemolds #ecology #Nature #NaturePhotography
January 23, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Slime molds I've met so far ... (blue one care of New Hampshire Garden Solutions; rest are my photos) all with crazy names like Wolf's Milk Slime, Push Pin Slime and Tree Hair Slime ... #slimemolds #ecology #Nature #NaturePhotography
Nature’s Symbiosis and When Fungus Grows on Fungus… #fungi #mushrooms #symbiosis #parasitism #mycoparasite themeaningofwater.com/2025/12/14/n...
Nature’s Symbiosis and When Fungus Grows on Fungus…
Big fungi have little fungi upon their backs to mine them, and little fungi have lesser fungi, and so ad infinitum… (Adapted from Augustus DeMorgan) . Various saprophytic mushrooms (photos by Nina …
themeaningofwater.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Nature’s Symbiosis and When Fungus Grows on Fungus… #fungi #mushrooms #symbiosis #parasitism #mycoparasite themeaningofwater.com/2025/12/14/n...
Walking through the forest, veiled in a soft mist, feeds my soul with a delicious energy... #forestwalk #forests #walking #NaturePhotography #WatershedPark #BritishColumbia
January 19, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Walking through the forest, veiled in a soft mist, feeds my soul with a delicious energy... #forestwalk #forests #walking #NaturePhotography #WatershedPark #BritishColumbia
Found some gorgeous Violet Toothed Polypores on an old log in the forest ... #fungi #mushrooms #polypores themeaningofwater.com/2026/01/18/t...
The Toothy Grin of the Violet Toothed Polypore (Trichaptum abietinum)
A purple string of Violet Toothed Polypore (Trichaptum abietinum) amid dust lichen on a Douglas fir log, Watershed Park, BC (photo by NIna Munteanu) . On a recent walk in my favourite local forest …
themeaningofwater.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:41 AM
Found some gorgeous Violet Toothed Polypores on an old log in the forest ... #fungi #mushrooms #polypores themeaningofwater.com/2026/01/18/t...
Eco-fiction as Hyperobject ... #ecofiction #hyperobject #writing #genre ninamunteanu.me/2026/01/18/e...
Eco-Fiction As Hyperobject: Defining the Undefinable…
In two excellent articles in Climate Cultures entitled “A History of Eco-fiction, Part 1 and 2”, eco-fiction author and critic Mary Woodbury starts out with several rather long definitions of eco-f…
ninamunteanu.me
January 19, 2026 at 5:18 AM
Eco-fiction as Hyperobject ... #ecofiction #hyperobject #writing #genre ninamunteanu.me/2026/01/18/e...
The forest today ... playful fog and light dance through the trees... #forest #mist #forestwalk #fog #beauty #NaturePhotography
January 18, 2026 at 1:55 AM
The forest today ... playful fog and light dance through the trees... #forest #mist #forestwalk #fog #beauty #NaturePhotography
Bristly beard lichen shares a Hawthorn branch with Abraded camouflage lichen ... #lichen #ecosystems #ecology #NaturePhotography #ecology
January 17, 2026 at 2:05 AM
Bristly beard lichen shares a Hawthorn branch with Abraded camouflage lichen ... #lichen #ecosystems #ecology #NaturePhotography #ecology
During yesterday's walk through the forest, I met several old friends... #forestwalk #forest #walking #NaturePhotography
January 15, 2026 at 6:08 PM
During yesterday's walk through the forest, I met several old friends... #forestwalk #forest #walking #NaturePhotography
The Red Alder ... A tree study... #trees #TreeStudy #ecology #nature #forests #RedAlder themeaningofwater.com/2025/11/09/r...
Red Alder: Misunderstood ‘Weed Tree’—Haven for Lichen & Moss
Campbell Valley Park: from upper left, forest path, oregon grape, vine maple, upper marsh (photos by Nina Munteanu) . I had just moved back to British Columbia from Ontario and was looking for a fo…
themeaningofwater.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:04 PM
The Red Alder ... A tree study... #trees #TreeStudy #ecology #nature #forests #RedAlder themeaningofwater.com/2025/11/09/r...
Beauty in death ... When a moss-covered cedar stump forms an entire micro-ecosystem of living things... #NaturePhotography #cedar #stump #forests #naturewalks #Nature #photography #ecosystem
January 14, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Beauty in death ... When a moss-covered cedar stump forms an entire micro-ecosystem of living things... #NaturePhotography #cedar #stump #forests #naturewalks #Nature #photography #ecosystem
The hidden costs of self-publishing ... #selfpublishing #WritingCommunity #writers ninamunteanu.me/2015/07/22/t...
The Hidden Costs of Self-Publishing, Part 1: The Solution to “Author Solutions”
What do Simon & Schuster, Hay House, Barnes and Noble and Reader’s Digest have in common? Each of these reputable and famous names in publishing has forged a partnership with Author Solutions. …
ninamunteanu.me
January 13, 2026 at 6:44 PM
The hidden costs of self-publishing ... #selfpublishing #WritingCommunity #writers ninamunteanu.me/2015/07/22/t...
Using the subtext of body language in #storytelling ... #writing #WritingCommunity #bodylanguage #onwriting #writers ninamunteanu.me/2014/11/27/u...
Using the Subtext of Body Language in Storytelling
Kinesics is the study of “body language”, which explores how movements and gestures project a person’s hidden thoughts. Blushing is an obvious reaction. But more subtle ones can be used. When body …
ninamunteanu.me
January 13, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Using the subtext of body language in #storytelling ... #writing #WritingCommunity #bodylanguage #onwriting #writers ninamunteanu.me/2014/11/27/u...
Walking the old growth parks in the #Vancouver area #BritishColumbia #oldgrowth #forests ... themeaningofwater.com/2024/10/20/w...
Walking the Old-Growth Parks in Vancouver Area
Rice Lake old growth forest, Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, BC (photo and rendition by Nina Munteanu) Whenever I’m visiting Vancouver (which is most summers), I like to explore several new des…
themeaningofwater.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Walking the old growth parks in the #Vancouver area #BritishColumbia #oldgrowth #forests ... themeaningofwater.com/2024/10/20/w...
The semi-colon is dead; long live the semicolon ... #semicolon #punctuation #grammar #goodwriting #onwriting #WritingCommunity ninamunteanu.me/2021/02/28/t...
The Semi-Colon is Dead; Long Live the Semicolon
Ice forms on the shores of Jackson Creek in early winter, ON (photo by Nina Munteanu) I’ve been a coaching writers for over two decades. I help fiction and non-fiction writers get published. I teac…
ninamunteanu.me
January 12, 2026 at 9:42 PM
The semi-colon is dead; long live the semicolon ... #semicolon #punctuation #grammar #goodwriting #onwriting #WritingCommunity ninamunteanu.me/2021/02/28/t...
Defending the em-dash ... #onwriting #AIgen #punctuation #goodwriting ninamunteanu.me/2026/01/11/o...
On Writing: Defending the Em-Dash
Robot reading (image by Stock Cake) I love using the em dash. Along with the semi-colon, it’s my go-to punctuation. And before you ask—no, I don’t use AI in my writing. Lately, I’ve discovered that…
ninamunteanu.me
January 12, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Defending the em-dash ... #onwriting #AIgen #punctuation #goodwriting ninamunteanu.me/2026/01/11/o...
Coming out this spring! ninamunteanu.me/2024/11/17/g...
Gaia’s Revolution: A View of a Post-Capitalist Future
My upcoming book Gaia’s Revolution (Book 1 of The Icaria Trilogy by Dragon Moon Press) explores a collapsing capitalist society in Canada through ravages of climate change and a failing technology.…
ninamunteanu.me
January 11, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Coming out this spring! ninamunteanu.me/2024/11/17/g...
Visiting an old-growth rainforest... #LighthousePark #oldgrowth #forest #rainforest #BritishColumbia #naturewalk themeaningofwater.com/2019/11/02/o...
Old Growth Forest of Lighthouse Park: One of Vancouver’s Gems
Decades ago, when I first arrived in Vancouver to teach and consult, I visited Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. I took the main path—Beacon Lane Trail—through old-growth forest straight to the ol…
themeaningofwater.com
January 11, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Visiting an old-growth rainforest... #LighthousePark #oldgrowth #forest #rainforest #BritishColumbia #naturewalk themeaningofwater.com/2019/11/02/o...