Oral Presentations
Affection; A literary Field Guide for the Moon-Randolph Homestead
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Caroline Stephens
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Environmental Studies
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Affection
A Literary Field Guide for the Moon-Randolph Homestead
With this literary field guide I explore the land and its relationship to people and plants through the perspectives of those who have lived on the Moon-Randolph Homestead. The Homestead is a historic ranch which rests in one of the gulleys of Missoula's north hills. It is situated in Missoula's Open space land and is accessible to the public. It’s located in the ancestral land of the Séliš-Ql̓ispé people giving it a complicated, and valuable history. Due to colonization some indigenous histories have been written out, or covered up, the Homestead aims to tell both the history of white settlement and indigenous connection to the land. To initiate this project I conducted research in the fields of Botany, Literature, and Anthropology as well as the history of the Homestead itself and the knowledge and lived experience of the current caretakers. Within the past year I have spent time walking the site, observing, and generating a species list of plants that have been identified at the Homestead. Over the Course of the 2023 fall semester I spent time with these plants trying to understand the story they tell. As my connection grew with the species, the plants gave me an opportunity to tell my story as well, and the ways in which our stories intertwine. The book is a 20 species collection of poems, illustrations, and botanical descriptions as well as a brief historical analysis of the property. This LIterary Field Guide has been Modeled off other Field Guides, including the Sonoran desert Literary Field Guide by Eric Magrane and Christopher Cokinos, and Califlora by Terry Beers. In western science a division exists between the emotional and the objective realm of information. It has been the goal of some scholarship to patch this divide, hopefully this book will be a resource for people to explore the varied perspectives of relationships that exist between our non-human relatives.
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (including Creative Writing)
Affection; A literary Field Guide for the Moon-Randolph Homestead
UC 330
Affection
A Literary Field Guide for the Moon-Randolph Homestead
With this literary field guide I explore the land and its relationship to people and plants through the perspectives of those who have lived on the Moon-Randolph Homestead. The Homestead is a historic ranch which rests in one of the gulleys of Missoula's north hills. It is situated in Missoula's Open space land and is accessible to the public. It’s located in the ancestral land of the Séliš-Ql̓ispé people giving it a complicated, and valuable history. Due to colonization some indigenous histories have been written out, or covered up, the Homestead aims to tell both the history of white settlement and indigenous connection to the land. To initiate this project I conducted research in the fields of Botany, Literature, and Anthropology as well as the history of the Homestead itself and the knowledge and lived experience of the current caretakers. Within the past year I have spent time walking the site, observing, and generating a species list of plants that have been identified at the Homestead. Over the Course of the 2023 fall semester I spent time with these plants trying to understand the story they tell. As my connection grew with the species, the plants gave me an opportunity to tell my story as well, and the ways in which our stories intertwine. The book is a 20 species collection of poems, illustrations, and botanical descriptions as well as a brief historical analysis of the property. This LIterary Field Guide has been Modeled off other Field Guides, including the Sonoran desert Literary Field Guide by Eric Magrane and Christopher Cokinos, and Califlora by Terry Beers. In western science a division exists between the emotional and the objective realm of information. It has been the goal of some scholarship to patch this divide, hopefully this book will be a resource for people to explore the varied perspectives of relationships that exist between our non-human relatives.