New Books in Environmental Studies

Hiromi Ito, "Tree Spirits Grass Spirits" (Nightboat Books, 2023)


Listen Later

A collected series of intertwined poetic essays written by acclaimed Japanese poet Hiromi Ito--part nature writing, part travelogue, part existential philosophy. Written between April 2012 and November 2013, Tree Spirits Grass Spirits (Nightboat Books, 2023) adopts a non-linear narrative flow that mimics the growth of plants, and can be read as a companion piece to Ito's beloved poem "Wild Grass on the Riverbank". Rather than the vertiginously violent poetics of the latter, Tree Spirits Grass Spirits serves as what we might call a phyto-autobiography: a recounting of one's life through the logic of flora. Ito's graciously potent and philosophical prose examines immigration, language, gender, care work, and death, all through her close (indeed, at times obsessive) attention to plant life.

For a better understanding of this collection and the author, the following books are recommended by translator Dr. Jon Pitt:

  • Hiromi Ito - Wild Grass on the Riverbank
  • Hiromi Ito - The Thorn Puller
  • Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass
  • Hope Jahren - Lab Girl
  • Jeanie Shinozuka - Biotic Borders
  • Banu Subrahmaniam - Ghost Stories for Darwin
  • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    New Books in Environmental StudiesBy Marshall Poe

    • 4
    • 4
    • 4
    • 4
    • 4

    4

    23 ratings


    More shows like New Books in Environmental Studies

    View all
    The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

    The LRB Podcast

    295 Listeners

    New Books in Philosophy by New Books Network

    New Books in Philosophy

    112 Listeners

    Upstream by Upstream

    Upstream

    1,825 Listeners

    In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

    In Our Time

    5,471 Listeners

    New Books in History by Marshall Poe

    New Books in History

    210 Listeners

    New Books in Military History by Marshall Poe

    New Books in Military History

    161 Listeners

    New Books in Critical Theory by Marshall Poe

    New Books in Critical Theory

    147 Listeners

    New Books in Political Science by New Books Network

    New Books in Political Science

    63 Listeners

    New Books in Economics by Marshall Poe

    New Books in Economics

    27 Listeners

    Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

    Arts & Ideas

    292 Listeners

    New Books in Psychoanalysis by Marshall Poe

    New Books in Psychoanalysis

    185 Listeners

    Behind the News with Doug Henwood by Doug Henwood

    Behind the News with Doug Henwood

    511 Listeners

    New Books in African American Studies by New Books Network

    New Books in African American Studies

    164 Listeners

    New Books in Biography by Marshall Poe

    New Books in Biography

    79 Listeners

    New Books in Intellectual History by New Books Network

    New Books in Intellectual History

    61 Listeners

    Jacobin Radio by Jacobin

    Jacobin Radio

    1,449 Listeners

    London Review Bookshop Podcast by London Review Bookshop

    London Review Bookshop Podcast

    127 Listeners

    The Dig by Daniel Denvir

    The Dig

    1,571 Listeners

    Why Theory by Why Theory

    Why Theory

    587 Listeners

    Emergence Magazine Podcast by Emergence Magazine

    Emergence Magazine Podcast

    497 Listeners

    Future Ecologies by Future Ecologies

    Future Ecologies

    125 Listeners

    Acid Horizon by Acid Horizon

    Acid Horizon

    199 Listeners

    Ones and Tooze by Foreign  Policy

    Ones and Tooze

    344 Listeners

    Past Present Future by David Runciman

    Past Present Future

    320 Listeners