An Evening with Sophie Strand
May 16, 2025 - 6-8 PM
Blue Heron Books
High Falls, New York
Ecological Storytelling
In an age of ecological crisis, it is important that we decenter human narratives, by pouring ourselves into more-than-human morphologies and minds. What does a romance look like when it takes lichen as its inspiration? How can pitcher plants teach us to create ecosystems rather than monologuing a hero’s journey? How can we look at underworld initiations not as a human archetype but as a deep time story of fungi teaching plants how to develop roots? What do hermit crabs have to teach us about rejecting linearity and narrative propulsion? What does it mean to look at your wounding – physical, spiritual, emotional – not as an imperative towards self-healing, but a compass directing you towards the wounding of another species or landscape?
Sophie Strand is a poet and writer with a focus on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. Her poems and essays have appeared in numerous projects and publications, including Spirituality & Health, Atmos, Braided Way, and Art PAPERS. She is the author of The Body Is a Doorway, The Flowering Wand and The Madonna Secret, and the creator of the popular Substack “Make Me Good Soil.” She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.
Special Guest - Harrison Basch
Harrison is a multi-disciplinary artist, builder, ecologist, and musician from Accord, New York. He was born and raised in the Hudson Valley, where his connection with the Earth, the arts, and community was fostered. Harrison’s work is grounded in reflecting nature through land stewardship and creating connections between disciplines. Harrison’s main artistic pursuit is songwriting. He has self-released three albums and several singles, as well as performed in numerous bands, both in lead and supporting roles. His music and songs embody a rich overstory of deeply personal lessons, each unfurling and falling as leaves from the canopy of the heart. Each of Harrison's songs is both rudimentary and complex in form and meaning. They are brutally honest yet approachable, and are textured with melodies which maintain a musicality as much as a personal message.