We are thrilled to welcome Columbia resident Merrill Sapp to Skylark to celebrate the launch of her debut book, Knowing Wonder: An Elephant Story.

This is a stunning evocation of the lives of a small herd of elephants as they roam across the African continent, and a beautiful portrait of these majestic, deeply intelligent and empathetic creatures. It is both enchanting and enraging. It is the elephants’ fate to be so deeply attuned to their environment and yet ultimately helpless when confronted with the rapacious greed and stupidity of men. Sapp tells us that elephants never forget. We promise you that anyone who reads this book won’t forget it, either.

Merrill Sapp is a cognitive psychologist, physician assistant, professor, and student of nature. She has traveled the world to learn about and work in the service of elephants. As a cognitive psychologist, she explores elephants' experience of the world to show how they respond to their surroundings and their surroundings respond back. Her writing has appeared in About Place Journal, Ecological Citizen, Earth Island Journal, and Mongabay News. She teaches at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.