Reading Group: Allies In The Landscape
Writer Jessica J Lee (Two Trees Make A Forest, Turning) has started an online reading group created to combat anti-Black racism in nature & the outdoors, taking place in June, July and August. Free and no need to register, the group meets on Twitter at a designated time each month, prompted by discussion topics from @jessicajlee.
July’s theme was Reflecting, reading The Grassling by Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, as well as Jennifer Neal’s online article Notes on White Guilt.
June’s theme was Listening, reading Trace by Lauret Savoy with questions centred on dismantling assumptions in how we think about experiencing nature, and generating tangible actions in our fields to make space for & amplify Black voices.
As well as Trace, June’s reading material included this extract from Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race.
Excerpt: The Grassling, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett
You can read an excerpt from Elizabeth-Jane Burnett’s geological memoir The Grassling on The Nature Library’s Page A Day series.
Essay: At the Water’s Edge, Louisa Adjoa Parker
An extract from Louisa Adjoa Parker’s coastal memoir coastal memoir due to be published by Little Toller Books in 2020/21.
Online Journal: The Willowherb Review
The Willowherb Review is an online journal of aims to provide a digital platform to celebrate and bolster nature writing by emerging and established writers of colour.
They are currently accepting submissions until 30 June, 2020 at 21:59 (GMT)
Fiction: And Peace Shall Return, Ben Okri
20,000 years into the future, an exploration of the Earth uncovers the final notes and unfinished stories left behind by the last human beings in the twilight of their history.
Article: I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Marine biologist, policy advisor, and Brooklyn native Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on how racism makes the challenge of stopping climate change even more challenging.
Interview: Sheridan Alford and Black Birders Week, Kara J Norton
Sheridan Alford is one of the organisers behind the online movement Black Birders Week. In this interview she speaks about her passion for wildlife and the great outdoors, the formation of Black AF in STEM, and the increased diversity she would like to see within environmental and outdoor spaces.
Essay: Going It Alone, Rahawa Haile
What happens when an African American woman decides to solo-hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine during a summer of bitter political upheaval? Everything you can imagine, from scary moments of racism to new friendships to soaring epiphanies about the timeless value of America’s most storied trekking route.
Essay: From Dirt, Camille T Dungy
As she prepares to plant Cherokee pole beans—descendants from beans carried on the Trail of Tears—Camille T. Dungy reflects on the legacy and journey, triumph and trauma, of seeds for Emergence Magazine.
Podcast: The White Man Stole the Weather, Mothers of Invention
Interview: Jackie Kay and Tracy K Smith: what did one poet laureate say to the other?
US poet laureate Tracy K Smith speaks with Jackie Kay, Scotland’s makar, to talk about everything from being a public figure to poetry in the age of Trump, prejudice and gatekeeping in the literary sector, and poetry’s role in bringing comfort to both the audience and the poet.
Article: Being black while in nature: 'You’re an endangered species'
Poppy Noor writes of the inequalities that Black people face when attempting to connect with the natural world, as well as the history of public lands intentionally excluding Black people.
Article: Omission of air pollution from report on Covid-19 and race ‘astonishing’
Damian Carrington looks at the failure to consider air pollution as a factor in higher COVID-19 death toll among ethnic minorities.
Interview: Roger Robinson: 'Poets can translate trauma'
Antia Sethi speaks to writer and musician Roger Robinson about his prize-winning poetry collection, his Caribbean education and why the death of George Floyd has been felt so strongly in the UK
Study: Rethinking ‘Diversity’ in Publishing
Rethinking ‘Diversity’ in Publishing is the first academic study in the UK which looks at how cultural production itself might disadvantage writers of colour. The Report is published by Goldsmiths Press.
You can read the study here
Organisation: Black AF In Stem
Celebrating Black experiences in Science, Technology, Economics, Engineering, and Mathematics. This month Black AF In Stem presented Black Birders Week showcasing black naturalists with online events such as live streams, Q&As and discussion.
Organisation: Scottish BAME Writers Network
The Scottish BAME Writers Network was co-founded by Alycia Pirmohamed and Jay G Ying in 2018 to provide advocacy, literary events and professional development opportunities for BAME writers based in or from Scotland.
Call To Action: Scottish Literary Sector
If you identify as BAME and have ties to Scotland you’re encouraged to join their Facebook Group, and Scottish literary organisations that want to connect with them are asked to email ScotBAMEWriters@gmail.com
Poem: Ross Gay — Tomato On Board from The Book Of Delights
Talk: Greening The Ghetto, Majora Carter
Interview: The Cooking Gene, Michael Twitty
Books
A Scots Dictionary of Nature, Amanda Thomson
African American Environmental Thought, Kimberly Smith
Black Faces, White Spaces, Carolyn Finney
Black On Earth, Kimberly Ruffin
The Black Shoals: Offshore Formations of Black and Native Studies, Tiffany Lethabo King
Blessing The Boats, Lucille Clifton
The Book of Delights, Ross Gay
The Challenge For Africa, Wangari Maathai
The Environmental Justice Reader, Joni Adamson
Farming While Black, Leah Penniman
Freedom Farmers, Monica White
Frontline, Nick Meynen
The Grassling, Elizabeth Jane-Burnett
Pan-African Social Ecology, Modibo Kadalie
Trophic Cascade, Camille T Dungy
Support
Black Minds Matter
Black Lives Matter
Wild In The City
Inclusive Indies*
*We’re delighted to learn that Inclusive Indies reached their fundraising goal, but you can follow the campaign to keep up to date with news and releases.
Other useful resource lists:
Earth By Helena
InkCap — Black in Nature
Finding My Climate-Conscious Tribe: Black Nature Lovers and Writers
It goes without saying that this list is non-exhaustive, and aims to act as a starting point for your own path towards a greater understanding of Black experiences in nature, elevating their voices and actively combatting anti-Black racism. If you have anything to add to this page, please email thenaturelib@gmail.com.