Jude Stewart has written about culture for The Atlantic, Slate, Cabinet, Design Observer, Gastronomica,and The Art of Eating,among other publications. She is the author of: ROY G. BIV: An Exceedingly Surprising Book about Color and Patternalia: An Unconventional History of Polka Dots, Stripes, Plaid, Camouflage, and Other Graphic Patterns. Her latest book, Revelations in Air: A Guidebook to Smell, from which the microessays in this issue were adapted, will be published by Penguin Books in October 2021.