Hark the Holobiont

David James Duncan is the author of the classic Pacific Northwest-based novels, The River Why and The Brothers K, the collection of stories and essays titled River Teeth, his non-fiction book, My Story as Told by Water which was nominated for the National Book Award, the bestselling book of what he calls "Churchless Sermons" titled God Laughs and Plays. And his most recent work, the novel Sun House, which we explore at length I this conversation.Sun House, like all of David's work, is laced with an audacious sense of compassion in ways desperately needed for this swirl of cynicism and fear a lot of us live in at present. It is a book about many different people finding convergence. Not through some form of groupthink but by the, to use a David phrase, unintentional menagerie they all form together.This podcast, Hark the Holobiont, is about paying attention to how collections of living relationships can come together to create larger wholes. Sun House showed this to me in ways teary and revolutionary. I am so, so grateful for it.Grab a copy of Sun House HEREDavid's website for retreats https://www.davidjamesduncan.comDavid's Substack https://davidjamesduncanauthor.substack.comHaleh Liza Gafori site - https://www.halehliza.comEmmanuel Vaughn Lee Emergence MagazineNicholas Triolo The Way AroundKrissy Kludt I Could Walk Forever and Know So LittleMusic in the episode was made via collecting electrical feedback from a chokecherry in my front yard and using Garageaband to translate that sound into synth effects. Get full access to Hark the Holobiont | Mike R. Christie at mikechristie.substack.com/subscribe

Hello! Podcast two! So excited to share this podcast with Krissy Kludt with you all.Krissy is the founder of Writing the Wild, an 8-month interactive writing journey she co-faciliates with the incredible writer J. Drew Lanham that blends virtual gatherings and tactile-sensory learning packages sent by mail. The program offers writers a multidimensional experience to deepen creative intimacy with their human and more-than-human communities in response to the urgencies of our time.Krissy is also a poet, her collection I Could Walk Forever and Know So Little releasing just days ago on March 5th from Greenwriters Press! I have enjoyed reading a poem each morning from the collection alongside my cup of coffee. Grab a copy HERE!Krissy is a convener, a sharer, a celebrator and currently makes her residence in the Driftless region of southwest Wisconsin. I am so excited for her voice to be the next contributor to the holobiont we are creating here at Hark the Holobiont.As a recording note, our interview picks up mid conversation where Krissy and I had been chatting about personhood and “brand-hood” and the complicated nature of the two as a human holding a point of view in a world so striving to commoditize such things. From there, we explore Writing the Wild, her new book of poetry that came out on Friday, I Could Walk Forever and Know So Little, as well as riffs on the poignant and potent nature of place as a springboard to meaning.Thank you so much for listening!- mikeLinksPurchase I Could Walk Forever and Know So Little HERELearn more about Writing the Wild HERECheck out Krissy Kludt’s site HEREFollow Krissy on Instagram HEREMike’s Instagram (and by proxy Hark the Holobiont’s) HEREHark the Holobiont on Apple PodcastsHark the Holobiont on SpotifyThe Mary Oliver article that Krissy references is from Ellen O’Connell Whittet From The Cuthttps://www.thecut.com/article/mary-oliver-estate-hats-tote-bags-merch-store.html Get full access to Hark the Holobiont | Mike R. Christie at mikechristie.substack.com/subscribe

I am so excited to share my first conversation with you all! Featured today is Amrita Bhohi, who writes on Substack via the publication The Mustard Seed. I came across her work about 6-months ago. If the work of Spiritual Ecology is work you are drawn to, give her a subscribe! She hosts a book club each month on a different book within the spiritual ecology vein and also regularly posts blogs that are striking in their potency and resonance on the topic. She also just launched her own podcast via Substack which is really well done! The first episode with author Rob Hopkins can be found HERE.Amrita is reverent toward the world. I am thankful for her work, wisdom, and voice.I have included a couple videos of our chat at the bottom of this post, but this will be primarily an audio-based show. You can listen here on Substack or follow on Apple Music or Spotify.Amrita Bhohi’s Bio:Find Amrita’s Substack HEREVisit her website HEREFollow her on Instagram HEREAmrita is a facilitator, educator, and public speaker, based in London. She creates workshops and programmes that explore spiritual ecology, offering experiences to reconnect people, the living earth, and the sacred.She has taught internationally, including in Europe, the United States and Australia. In 2015, she co-founded the Spiritual Ecology Programme at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation & Peace in London. Over the past ten years, her work has touched hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds, including artists, activists, teachers, therapists, farmers, and students from many spiritual and faith traditions.Raised in suburban London, her relationship with the natural world was sparked during a meditation retreat in her early twenties, awakening a sacred relationship with Earth that has defined her spirituality, as well as her activism since.She has studied and trained with spiritual ecology teachers, including Tiokasin Ghosthorse from the Sioux nation of South Dakota, Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, and Gandhian activist Sat-eesh Kumar. They have deeply influenced her own practice.She regularly teaches and give talks at conferences and events, including the Oxford Real Farming conference, Confer conference for psychotherapists, Quaker lectures, the Bristol Schumacher lectures, Schumacher College and more.She holds an MA in New Economics from Schumacher College, and is a trained facilitator in Joanna Macy’s Work that Reconnects. She has previously worked with organizations such as Emergence Magazine, Confer, Advaya Initiative, and Schumacher College, among others.I can’t wait for you to hear this lively and rich conversation Amrita and I had. Let’s dive in!Other NotesPortland Frog Crossing - HERESuzanne Simard Finding the Mother Tree HEREYuvan Aves HEREIs A River Alive by Robert MacFarlane HERETiokasin Ghosthorse HEREEmergence Magazine HEREMartin Shaw Courting the Wild Twin HERENew Economics Foundation HEREI am almost assuredly forgetting other books / themes discussed so please do reach out to me via Substack or Instagram HERE and I will be happy to provide the info!Music made by me and some of my favorite plants... more on that soon! Get full access to Hark the Holobiont | Mike R. Christie at mikechristie.substack.com/subscribe

Here we go! Introducing the Hark the Holobiont podcast, set to release the second Sunday of each month. Can't wait!Music created by me (Mike Christie) with help from my dracaena houseplant. References:Yuvan Aves as quoted in Is A River Alive by Robert MacFarlaneDr. Suzanne Simard - Finding the Mother TreeMerlin Sheldrake - Entangled LifeVanessa Swenson Nurse Log paintingLovelier Other song Wonderkind Get full access to Hark the Holobiont | Mike R. Christie at mikechristie.substack.com/subscribe