Diane Olson
Diane Olson began her writing career at Catalyst, working as a staff writer for nine years. While her day job has changed—she’s now a content strategist/writer at MRM/McCann—writing for Catalyst will always be her true love.
Over her more than 20 years with Catalyst, Diane has written about everything from nirvana to nerve gas, and won 13 awards from the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalism.
Her “Urban Almanac” column—which was turned into a lovely little book, A Nature Lover’s Almanac: Kinky Bugs, Stealthy Critters, Prosperous Plants, and Celestial Wonders, illustrated by Adele Flail—ran for 18 years. And will likely return again some day.
Because above all, Diane loves writing about the natural world, in all its wondrous weirdness.
Articles
Garden, Home, Nature
The Urban Almanac: October 2016
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. OCT 1 If you’re still in the mood, there’s plenty to plant now, like shrubs, trees, roses, spring bulb …
Garden, Home, Nature
The Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural world Day by day in the home, garden & sky. SEPT 1 NEW MOON. Neptune reaches its closest approach to Eart …
Garden, Home, Nature
The Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural worldAUG 1 Today is Lammas, the beginning of the fall harvest season. AUG 2 NEW MOON. This month has two birt …
Home
Urban Almanac: July 2016
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. JULY 1 Famous Utahns born today: Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, physician and first woman state legislator …
Live
Urban Almanac
JUNE 1 Logan native and theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, known for his investigations into time, space and gravity—particularly his theory that wormholes could enable time travel— …
Creativity
The Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. —by Diane Olson MAY 1 BELTANE/MAY DAY. Halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, thi …
The Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. —by Diane Olson APRIL 1 All Fools’ Day. In some French-speaking countries, this is April Fish Day, when peopl …
The Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. —by Diane Olson MARCH 1 LAST QUARTER MOON This month was named for Mars, the Roman god of war and agriculture …
Live
Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. —by Diane Olson FEB 1 The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a colder than usual February, with an average …
Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural world.—by Diane Olson JAN 1 NEW YEAR’S DAY. It’s the perfect day to switch out calendars and mark birthdays a …
Urban Almanac
Editor’s note: Diane Olson, a veteran CATALYST staffer, wrote the “Almanac” column for 17 years (1995 to 2012), taking a break after writing A Nature Love’s Almanac: Kinky Bugs, St …
Connect
Urban Almanac
A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. Editor’s note: Diane Olson, a veteran CATALYST staffer, wrote the “Almanac” column for 17 years (1995 …
Get Dirty, Get Happy
Hey all you conspiracy theorists, I’ve got news for you. We’re not being controlled by the U.N., I.M.F., FBI, CIA, LDS, Illuminati, Comcast, or Fox News. Nope, it’s much bigger—and …
Is a Parasite Driving Your Car?
Cruel parasites and enslaved hosts are nothing new in the insect world. There’s the fluke that forces ants to commit suicide by ungulate. The hairworm that impels grasshoppers to …
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While Salt Lake City develops new projects, places rich in culture get destroyed. Such is the case with Swedetown, an area just west of the Capital. Read more about this unique Scandinavian community in danger from Michael McLane
catalystmagazine.net
Memories of a Salt Lake City neighborhood built on, and then lost to, industry. The perceived homogeneity of a city is upheld by the undoing of uni...