Native Plant Trust, the nation’s first plant conservation organization and the only one solely focused on New England’s native plants, announces an open call for storytellers for its annual signature event, The Botany Story Slam, which will take place on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is currently planned as an in-person event at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA; however, storytellers from around the world are welcome to submit their tales for the chance to share their stories using video technology.
A story slam is a competition in which each storyteller has minutes to share an experience on a chosen theme, with the audience interacting and voting on their favorite tale. Winning stories may be aired on the radio. We are seeking exciting, well-presented stories 5-10 minutes in length about plant adventures. Storytellers may include botanists, horticulturists, farmers, land managers, plant researchers, environmental educators, rangers, or similar plant-related professionals. For submission instructions, please email education@NativePlantTrust.org by December 1, 2021, with the subject line “Story Slam Submission.” Storytellers will be selected and notified on a rolling basis and must be available to present at the event on February 26, 2022, either in person or virtually. In past years, storytellers have included:
Wambui Ippolito, horticulturist, landscape designer, international speaker, and founder of the BIPOC Hort Group, a multicultural professional horticulture community.
Ted Elliman, botanist and author of Wildflowers of New England and co-author of Grasses, Sedges, Rushes: An Identification Guide.
Kelly D. Norris, award-winning plantsman, author of New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden, and former Director of Horticulture and Education at Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.
C.L. Fornari, host of GardenLine on WXTK FM radio, co-host of the award-winning podcast Plantrama and author of eight books, including Sand & Soil: Creating Beautiful Gardens on Cape Cod and the Islands.
Dwayne Estes, Executive Director of Southern Grasslands Initiative, Professor of Biology and Director of the Herbarium at Austin Peay State University, Principal Investigator for the Center of Excellence for Field Biology, and author of Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee.
