Abstract
The Arctic and Antarctic are magnets for real and imagined discovery, death, redemption, and metaphor. Despite extensive scientific research and human habitation, the poles remain potent symbols of wildness. These “uttermost ends” are crucibles for analyzing relationships between humans and their environment. In poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, using science, experience, hearsay, and archival research, these women writers explore the creative and practical possibilities of high latitudes.