Episode Notes

In this conversation, Leah Penniman shares about her new book, Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists, the inspiration for writing it, and wisdom she learned in the process. We talk about the cultural and spiritual shift that is needed to address the ecological crisis of this moment, and the joy and liberation that come when engaging directly with nature in a culturally meaningful way.

About Leah Penniman (bio from www.soulfirefarm.org):
Leah Penniman (all pronouns) is a Black Kreyol farmer, mother, soil nerd, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY. She co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim our ancestral connection to land. As Co-ED and Farm Director, Leah is part of a team that facilitates powerful food sovereignty programs – including farmer training for Black & Brown people, a subsidized farm food distribution program for communities living under food apartheid, and domestic and international organizing toward equity in the food system. Leah has been farming since 1996, holds an MA in Science Education and a BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University, and is a member of clergy in West African Indigenous Orisa tradition. Leah trained at Many Hands Organic Farm, Farm School MA, and internationally with farmers in Ghana, Haiti, and Mexico. She also served as a high school biology and environmental science teacher for 17 years. The work of Leah and Soul Fire Farm has been recognized by the Soros Racial Justice Fellowship, Fulbright Program, Pritzker Environmental Genius Award, Grist 50, and James Beard Leadership Award, among others. Her books, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land (2018) and Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists (2023) are love songs for the land and her people. (CV)

Purchase Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists:
https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063160897
Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists official website:
https://blackearthwisdom.org/

Purchase Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land:
https://soul-fire-farm.myshopify.com/products/farming-while-black
Learn more about Soul Fire Farm:
Website: www.soulfirefarm.org
IG: @SoulFireFarm
Youtube: @SoulFireFarm
Twitter: @SoulFireFarm
Facebook: Soul Fire Farm
View all publications by Soul Fire Farm team members:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nr9YtporpnUxxfX0tpYRBpciKn3JLy2xkLIWm4G0JNA/edit

The music you heard in this episode:
“But I will play” by SHUNGU www.hotrecordsociete.bandcamp.com
“Safe and Somewhat Sound” by Golden Brown www.innerislands.bandcamp.com
And “All In Line” by H.R. Lexy www.hrlexy.bandcamp.com

Hosted by Natalie Ashker Seevers
Produced by Natalie Ashker Seevers and Benjamin Seevers
Mastered by Sean Conrad

Published on February 23, 2023