Tree Speech

This podcast is outstanding. Dori is thoughtful, caring and articulate; the array of guests is amazing and the topics range in diversity while honoring the primary theme: Trees! I always leave each episode feeling informed & enriched, with a smidge of entertained! Well worth subscribing.

Excellent podcast with beautiful storytelling. I’ve loved each episode and get excited every time a new one drops!

I love this podcast! Once I began listening, I couldn’t stop — binged on the whole season in one afternoon. I enjoyed hearing each guest’s story and appreciated Dori Robinson’s skill as an interviewer. I can’t wait for the next season!!

While listening to Dori Robinson’s interview of Karen Hampton, I learned of a journey that originated from a large black walnut tree that was cut down and buried, yielding nourishing compost for the foliage above. Her story continues as one of cycles of loss and renewal. At each turn her suffering transforms her as she heals through learnings from the earth, its spirit, and her artistic expression. She maintains and cultivates these things, holding them near to her heart. Karen shares the enthusiasm for weaving she developed as a young person, and the disillusionment she felt when confronted with racism within the art. As a white woman, I was also astonished to learn this, and crushed by the image of a talented young artist running into this harsh wall. During this current period of renewed focus on racism, Karen’s story is another reminder that race is a consistent undercurrent in any American context. Her enduring resilience prevailed; this obstacle did not stop her quest for self-actualization as an artist. To the contrary, she has used this experience as fodder for her art. Specifically, she discusses her exploration of her family’s history, tracing the steps of her ancestors of many cultures and colors. Her art is inspired by their varied and nuanced stories. Karen’s explication of her life experience reminds us that we all products of the intermingling of many people from many places who nonetheless have shared common human experiences. As such, we are all members of the same complex human village.