Kirk Cummins is an essayist and emerging novelist with a long career in earth science, natural resources, and organizational leadership. His literary work centers on the human condition and its intersection with the natural world—and sometimes the unnatural. He writes in the genres of literary and noir fiction, narrative essay, and short story. With roots in New Mexico and South Texas, he has a deep love and affinity for the American West and Latin American culture. He now lives in the Colorado Front Range outside Denver, escaping to the mountains whenever possible.