The Serra is Burning tells the tale of a year I spent living and working at a brand-new mental health and wellness retreat center in the mountains of eastern Portugal, a year that was completely derailed by a massive wildfire that swept through the region. 

 

Let me invite you to read my story, and then, perhaps, to sit with the photographs documenting before, during and after the fire. And after that—let’s talk about it. We can talk about this fire and what it tells us about our world, about mental health and wellbeing, about cross-cultural encounters and colonial echoes. There is so much to talk about. Let’s get started.