This essay was presented at the Toward a New Way of Being with Plants conference on June 18, 2021. See the presentation here. Trees and plants are receiving renewed attention in both the sciences and humanities, pointing towards recognition of their intelligence, agency, and relationality. Trees have a dramatically different…

The following reflections appear in my forthcoming dissertation, Arboreality: Revisioning Trees in the Western Paradigm. How do you approach a tree? Walking up to the redwood, as unassuming as a redwood can be behind some brambles in a local forest parkland, I attempt to clear my mind of my preconceptions…

Written as part of my proposal for my forthcoming dissertation, Arboreality: Revisioning Trees in the Western Paradigm. As a study of trees in the Western paradigm, this dissertation enters into the conversation with thinkers in plant studies or critical plant studies. Plant studies draws comparison to animal and multispecies studies…

Below is the abstract for my forthcoming doctoral dissertation, expected graduation spring 2019. The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the Eyes of others only a Green thing which stands in the way… As a man [sic] is, so he sees. -William Blake Trees are pervasive…

Introductory Thoughts Trees are pervasive phenomena. They exist in our imaginations, grace long tracts of the forested landscape worldwide, and emerge as obvious and surreptitious partners throughout our lives. In the United States alone, the ratio of trees to people is above 200 trees per person.[1] Trees are beings which…

[This writing is a selection from my comprehensive exam in anticipation of my doctoral dissertation.] Introductory Thoughts Consciousness was thrust upon the Western psyche with its first use in the late 17th century. Since that time, the word has continued to circulate among philosophical and lay writings, yet often with…

Dangerous Women: Hypatia and Future Philosophy It’s dangerous to be a woman with ideas. Women have never been seriously considered as part of the Western philosophical lineage, which is wrapped up with suppression of feminine power, and have too often been forcibly removed from intellectual circles. To provide context, I…

I love the covers of books. The feel of their softness, or smoothness, or rough paper under my fingertips. The way the cover promises all that’s within. The cover of the book I’m holding is a shiny plastic veneer over the proclaimed title, the letters subtly raised, catching my hand…

I enjoy being the type of almost-30- year old woman who climbs trees. On a gently sunny Sunday, I stopped by a beautiful little park overlooking the bay. I sat for a time on the verdant grass where I could best see the buildings and structures that make up the…