"Beowulf is an existential poem. It offers insight into a whole social structure," explains Robert Bjork, director of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. "But it also takes you into the existence of the individual. And it’s a poem without real resolution." Bjork thinks the poem should be viewed as a retrospective nostalgic look at a pagan past through a sympathetic, Christian present. --by Sheilah Britton

"A person undergoing a standsill has no breath, no heartbeat, no blood flow, no viable temperature, and most important, no brainwaves or other brain activity that clinically define being alive," writes Edward J. Sylvester in his book on brain surgery, The Healing Blade. In his writing, Sylvester turns complicated science into ordinary language. He also sets a scene, offering his readers a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of surgeons, patients, and their families. (part three in a three-part series) --by Melissa Olson-Petrie

Stephen J. Pyne doesn’t begin his writings on wildland fires by analyzing his audience, as most writers are advised to do. Likening the "general reader" to the myth of the Sasquatch, this author of nearly 20 books says he focuses on establishing a strong voice instead. (part two in a three-part series) --by Melissa Olson-Petrie

"A flurry of movements in and around the dried flower stalks of the big brittlebush in the middle of the yard catch my eye, and I wander over to see what’s up. There I find a mob of small native bees flying from flower stalk to flower stalk," writes naturalist John Alcock. The author of nine books, Alcock teaches graduate-level "popular science writing," teaching students how to turn the arcane and incomprehensible into something relevant and beautiful. Part one in a three-part series. --by Melissa Olson-Petrie