NOURISHMENT: 2021

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Books:

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

I heard Ross Gay interviewed on On Being and afterward had to go seek out his book, The Book of Delights (it was him reading his essay "Loitering" aloud that hooked me).  A few pages in, I realized what a nourishing gift it would be to read this book in the tumultuous spring of 2020.  Gay sets out to write an "essayette" every day for a year, each one an exploration of a particular delight from that day.  His poignant, sometimes- humorous-often piercing ruminations have shifted my own perspective day-to-day, and through the practice of noticing delight more, I have found joy more easily accessible.

The Overstory by Richard Powers

An epic, profound novel intertwining the lives of humans and trees that has left me unfolding and unspiraling its many layers days after I finished reading it.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

I haven’t read anything by Kingsolver in years (since devouring The Poisonwood Bible as a teen!) and it was such a pleasant surprise to “rediscover” her voice in this book - elegantly weaving the stories of three characters with threads of botany, entomology, animal behavior set in the Appalachian landscape -- I learned a lot of science from this piece of fiction! 

Buzz, Sting, Bite by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

Dig into the vast universe of bugs and learn why we should cherish it.  This book is a fun and illuminating read.  

Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown

Follow along on farmer Gabe Brown’s journey as he discovers the crucial recipe for healthy, alive soil and a more balanced ecosystem through intensive cover cropping, no-till, animal rotation, hedgerows.  Many lessons in this book about resilience for farmers and non-farmers alike.

Stories of the Night by Kitty Crowther (for kiddos, buuuuut, so good for all!)

This beautiful little bedtime book simply glows -- the illustrations are fantastic, the stories are warm and ingenious -- reading it, even for the hundredth time, it is still magical.

Currently reading: Gardens in the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko

I just started this one, but it is a totally enchanting tale so far, here’s a little taste!  “Sand Lizard warned her people to share: Don’t be greedy.  The first ripe fruit of each harvest belongs to the spirits of our beloved ancestors, who come to us as rain; the second ripe fruit should go to the birds and wild animals, in gratitude for their restraint in sparing the seeds and sprouts earlier in the season.  Give the third ripe fruit to the bees, ants, mantises and others who cared for the plants.  A few choice pumpkins, squash and bean plants were simply left on the sand beneath the mother plants to shrivel dry and return to the earth.  Next season, after the arrival of the rain, beans, squash and pumpkins sprouted up between the dry stalks and leaves of the previous year.  Old Sand Lizard insisted her gardens be reseeded in that way because human beings are undependable; they might forget to plant at the right time or they might not be alive next year.”

Also reading: Perfect Little World, by Kevin Wilson - an engrossing novel that thoughtfully expands our typical notions of what a family looks like.

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Other:

Charles Eisenstein’s online course: Political Hope — “A 10-day, in-depth social impact course that merges the spiritual and political, the personal and communal. This course examines how our daily actions intertwine with the fate of our civilization:  Let’s talk about what neither side will say. Let's unearth the questions no one is asking. Let's reveal the assumptions both sides take for granted. The change we want so desperately to see in the world is a lot bigger than what can be achieved through existing political institutions. Our politicians play tug-of-war over incremental policies while a sea of possibility surrounds them. How do we move beyond the stuck, repetitive, polarized conversations?  Real change is possible, but only through a new story.” (course description from Commune)

For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet, poem by Joy Harjo

This video/poem from Marie Howe

Ross Gay reading his essay “Loitering” https://onbeing.org/blog/loitering/

https://lithub.com/richard-powers-talks-kinship-community-and-consciousness/

Let's become imaginal cells for collective transformation:

http://mossdreams.blogspot.com/2020/03/lets-become-imaginal-cells-for.html

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Music:

Fleet Foxes - new album “Shore”

Daniel Nogren

Nana Adjoa - Big Dreaming Ants

Heather Summers - Covers From A Cabin (Heather and friends in Louisville recorded a cover song a day throughout the early days of the 2020 covid-quarantine)