“Earth and Sky: Nature Meditations in Word and Watercolor,” a book of short nature essays by Judy Benson paired with paintings by Roxanne Steed intended to inspire readers’ own reflections and creativity, has recently been published by the New London Librarium, based in the Hanover section of Sprague.

The book is a collection of essays about two friends’ encounters with nature through the tumultuous year of 2020.

“It was a strange and difficult journey we all went through collectively and individually that is worth looking back on as we move forward into an uncertain future,” Benson writes in the preface.

In her foreword to the book, author and editor Christine Woodside said: “This volume will speak to all people, even those who think they aren’t having intense experiences in nature every single day. Because everyone is.”

The book can be ordered at nllibrarium.com/earth.html or through Amazon.

Benson, of New London, is the communications coordinator for Connecticut Sea Grant, editor of its biannual magazine Wrack Lines and former health and environment reporter for The Day. Steed is an artist and teacher with a studio at her home in Mystic. Her work has been show at galleries across the country.