GARDENING FOR THE PEOPLE
As communicators , it is in our power to act with intention in the choices we make about people to interview , photograph and feature in our content . Ultimately , as Leslie pointed out in her remarks at the Summit , “ I ’ m 100 percent clear that gardening belongs to all people on this planet and that we all garden , but I just don ’ t understand why we only see images of white people gardening , or why it feels like it ’ s a practice that belongs to white people in this country . Gardening belongs to everybody . Flowers belong to everybody . We know this to be true . I don ’ t think the fix is easy , but let ’ s name it . We know there ’ s something missing . Let ’ s brainstorm about moving in the right direction .”
By not including the universe of all gardeners , nature lovers or floral arrangers , the profession will only continue to be insular and exclusive — and ultimately less relevant to the real , diverse world we live in . And we know that ’ s not what most of us want . Acting with intent and awareness is only going to get easier when it becomes part of the natural journalistic process of storytelling .
INCORPORATING DIVERSITY IN WRITING
After the Summit , speaker Amy Stewart , author of multiple New York Times best-selling titles , including Wicked Plants and The Drunken Botanist , shared with us her story of guest-editing the anthology called 2016 Best American Science and Nature Writing .
Amy was aware of the VIDA Count , which tallies gender disparity in major literary publications and book reviews . In recent years , the VIDA Count expanded its annual review to look at other categories of representation such as race and ethnicity , gender , sexual identity and ability .
Amy told the science and nature anthology ’ s publisher , Houghton Mifflin , that she intended to look at diversity among the pool of articles sent to her . And she soon realized that passively reviewing the contents of a box filled with nearly 100 articles was not enough .
“ Here I was , put in the position of being a gatekeeper for once in my life , which I never am , and I decided I wasn ’ t going to pass the buck ,” she said . “ The title of the anthology is Best American Science and Nature Writing . One of those words is American , so I wanted this anthology to look like America . If it ’ s a bunch of white men , then it ’ s not America .”
With her husband Scott Brown ’ s help , the two went through every single author of the pool of submissions to see if they could determine the writer ’ s gender , race or ethnicity . For example , they checked Linked In bios and other social media platforms . They expanded the pool of submissions , researching newspaper science articles published in media markets with majority non-white populations , tracking a year ’ s worth of Twitter feeds of people who advocate for more writers of color on science and nature topics and asking for suggestions from agents , editors and other writers .
“ I was looking for diversity of authors , but also diversity of subject matter . I wanted to know were there science and nature articles that address immigrants , working or poor people — underrepresented populations ,” Amy said .
AT LEAST IT ’ S TOP OF MIND
She has mixed feelings about the success of her efforts . “ The end result was that for the first time ever , the anthology had a majority of women writers . There was the work of a few people of color included , but you know , I would say that I failed in that I did not put together an anthology that demographically represented what American looks like .”
Amy compiled a list of the steps she and Scott took , sharing her conclusions with the series editor and the publisher ’ s in-house editor . She ’ s hopeful that the next person who edits the anthology will use some of her ideas for adding more voices to the genre of science and nature writing .
“ As a white person , I was terrified of doing this wrong ,” she said . “ But that ’ s the risk we have to take and we have to be willing to just stand up there and say what our truth was about this and accept that we may catch a little flak for it .”
We all agreed that a one-hour panel at the Slow Flowers Summit barely scratched the surface of what calls for a deeper , ongoing dialogue . So it is our goal to continue this conversation with you , our GWA peers , and with others in our creative professions .
“ As business people , as artists ,” Chantal concluded , “ it ’ s our job to interrogate that thing we ’ re working on , whether it ’ s a story or it ’ s a design . Even if it ’ s just you interrogating it , your imagination becomes more fertile when you ’ ve encountered more people and more perspectives and more backgrounds and histories .”
REGIONAL EVENTS
REGION I
The Garden Conservancy will hold “ Digging Deeper : Spectacular Late-Season Garden Interest — A Workshop with Lynden Miller ” on Sunday , October 1 at 10:30 AM at Lynden Miller ’ s garden in Sharon , Connecticut . ( Address will be sent to ticket holders .) The country garden of Lynden Miller , an acclaimed public garden designer and a serious plant lover , has been her laboratory for design ideas and plant combinations since 1980 . She feels the display is particularly strong in the fall , and will welcome a small group to her garden to really look at what makes that work . In 1982 , Lynden Miller rescued and restored The Conservatory Garden in Central Park . Based on her belief that good public open spaces can change city life , she has since designed more than 40 other gardens and parks , including Bryant Park , The New York Botanical Garden and Wagner Park in Battery Park City . Lynden wrote Parks , Plants and People : Beautifying the Urban Landscape , which won the American Horticultural Society 2010 National Book Award .
For more information , call the Garden Conservancy ’ s Open Days , call 888-842-2442 , or email opendays @ gardenconservancy . org .
The Great Plants Symposium will be Friday , October 6 at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center in Sturbridge , Massachusetts . Five dynamic lectures include “ Combat Cabin Fever with Your Garden !” by Kathy Purdy and “ A Thrifty Gardener ’ s Guide to Luxurious Gardens ” based on Kerry Ann Mendez ’ s next book , The Budget-Wise Gardener . For the complete agenda and registration details visit http :// pyours . com / great-plants-symposium .
SAVE THE DATE New England Grows , November 29 to December 1 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston , Massachusetts .
REGION III
“ The Art of Bonsai ” at Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton , Michigan , September 17 , will include a bonsai show , art inspired by bonsai exhibit , learning sessions and the Hidden Lake Gardens Bonsai Collection . See hiddenlakegardens . msu . edu .
The “ Plants We Love ” educational conference of the Genesee County Master Gardener Association takes place September 30 , from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM . at Mott Community College Event Center , 1401 E . Court St ., Flint , Michigan . See fallintospring . weebly . com .
— Continued on page 15
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