Down to Earth Speaker Series: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden

Poet and scholar Camille Dungy presents her book, Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden. She recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominantly white community of Fort Collins, Colorado. When she moved there in 2013 with her husband and daughter, the community held restrictions about what residents could and could not plant in their gardens. 

In resistance to the homogenous policies that limited the possibility and wonder that grows from the earth, Dungy employs the various plants, herbs, vegetables, and flowers she grows in her garden as metaphor and treatise for how homogeneity threatens the future of our planet, and why cultivating diverse and intersectional language in our national discourse about the environment is the best means of protecting it.

Thursday, September 11 | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $60 General | $54 Members, includes a complimentary glass of wine, beer, or non-alcoholic beverage, hors d'oeuvres
Location: Center for Creativity | 200 Mathews St., Fort Collins

Presenter:  Camille Dungy

This engaging new 6-session series invites thought leaders from across the state to uncover the intricate connections between soil, plants, and people. From native plant landscaping design to understanding how our relationship with nature can affect our mental health, each session examines these connections through diverse lenses and perspectives, offering a rich exploration of the ground that sustains us. Join us on this enlightening journey of discovery, growth, and connection to the Earth.

"Down to Earth" is hosted by The Gardens on Spring Creek in collaboration with Larimer County Colorado State University Extension and City of Fort Collins Utilities.