Just One Thing with Tyler Dunning

We're still celebrating our unofficial wrestling issue, thanks to Tyler Dunning's excellent memoir, "Learning How to Fall." Tyler shared with us a drawing of skullcap by artist Alyssa Dennis and just one thing about the inspiration behind "Learning to Fall" -- and it's probably not what you were thinking:

Skullcap drawing by Alyssa Dennis

 "Two years ago a fellow writer and I resolved to select herbaceous plants each week to act as inspiration for micro-essays. What bloomed was an exquisite corpse of bizarre storytelling that led us from reflections on nightmares (inspired by mugwort) to daydreaming of death in India (inspired by holy basil). When we arrived at the plant skullcap, the first thing that came to mind was the memory of a kid, attending the same professional wrestling school as me, having his head vivisected after repeated low-level impact. What ensued was my essay 'Learning How to Fall.'"