In those long, slow summers of my 1950s Baltimore childhood, we called them lightning bugs....

The evocative sound of “summer” means different things to different people, from sticky county fairs to lazy afternoons by a lake to fog-filled coastal mornings. In our annual summer essay issue, seven East Bay writers offer work inspired by our “31 Flavors” prompt. Pour yourself a glass of lemonade, curl up in an easy chair, and let yourself relax into the sensual details of the season—not just the flavors, but the sights, sounds, and smells…and the way it gets under your skin.