Soil and Spirit: Cultivation and Kinship in the Web of Life

Scott Chaskey is a farmer and leader in the CSA movement who believes that humble attention to microbial life and diversity of species provides lessons for building healthy human communities. He has written a collection of essays that explore the evolution of his perspective as a farmer and poet, tracing the first stage in his development back to a homestead in Maine. He also travels to China, New Mexico, and the Southfork of Long Island, planting redwood saplings and writing verse under the canopy of an American beech.

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 02 November 2023
Publisher: Milkweed Editions

Scott Chaskey, a farmer with a wealth of experience working in fields, has been deeply influenced by his daily connection to the earth. As a prominent figure in the global Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, he has seamlessly merged a longstanding dedication to food sovereignty and organic farming with a profound belief in the significance of paying humble attention to microbial life and the remarkable diversity of species.

Throughout his journey, even as he meticulously planned field rotations, ordered seeds, tended to crops, and fostered their ecosystems, Chaskey found solace in writing. In this captivating collection of essays, he delves into the evolution of his perspective, both as a farmer and as a poet. Tracing the early stages of his development back to a homestead in Maine, on the ancestral lands of the Abenaki, he reminisces about his early experiences in cultivating plants and nurturing reciprocal relationships among species. Simultaneously, he was immersing himself in the works of Yeats and embarking on his poetic journey.

Chaskey vividly describes his travels across Ireland, where he encountered a serendipitous meeting with the renowned poet Seamus Heaney. He then ventures to the ancient landscape of Cornwalls, characterized by granite, bramble, and windswept trees, where he engages in farming. His journey takes him to China, where he attends an international conference on CSA, reading ancient wilderness poetry along the way. Finally, he arrives in the pueblo of Santa Clara in New Mexico, where he joins a group of Indigenous women in harvesting amaranth seeds.

Closer to his home on the Southfork of Long Island, Chaskey shares the story of planting redwood saplings and engaging in verse writing beneath the majestic canopy of an American beech. His prose, characterized by the evocative words "enlivened by decades of work in open fields washed by the salt spray of the Atlantic," reflects both his writing style and his vision of interconnectedness.

In his book, Scott Chaskey has presented us with a timely and invaluable contribution. It serves as a seed of hope and regeneration, offering insights and lessons that resonate with our contemporary world. Through his experiences and observations, Chaskey reminds the reader of the profound connection between human communities and the natural world, emphasizing the importance of nurturing both in order to create a more sustainable and harmonious future.

Dimension: 215 x 139 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781639550890