Clay Cansler

Clay Cansler is managing editor of Distillations. He previously worked as a journalist and book editor.

More From the Author

Styrofoam, a Practical and Problematic Creation

Distillations Article

The good and bad of an everlasting invention.

From Ancient to Art Nouveau

Distillations Article

Decay makes beauty in an ancient bottle.

Conversation Piece

Distillations Article

It’s not often that art literally highlights pollution.

Graphic History

Distillations Article

Comic-book characters have been wrestling with the consequences of the atomic age for nearly as long as we three-dimensional characters.

Making Sense of Making Meth

Distillations Article

Anthropologist Jason Pine offers an up-close view of methamphetamine culture in small-town America.

The Petroleum World

Distillations Article

A government oilman maps a hidden world.

The DDT Collector

Distillations Article

In the 1980s Phil Allegretti found an unusual hobby. His collection of old DDT cans, sprayers, and diffusers tells the story of our contradictory approach to pesticides.

Where’s the Beef?

Distillations Article

Mix a 19th-century chemist with a road builder in South America. Add cows and boil. (Bring a strong stomach to this story.)