Kathryn Scanlan

The February 2025 issue’s Object Lesson is a bit of a homecoming for Kathryn, who grew up near where the painter Grant Wood did. ‘His presence felt very real to me. I deeply appreciate his regionalist vision, which is stranger than he’s given credit for. The Midwest is often maligned and ignored, but he saw its genius of place, visible to anyone who looks closely.’ For her part, the author pores over the fireplace he built at home.