Author Description

The word 'perennial' has many meanings and uses. In this collection of essays and art, contributors explore recent work in agriculture, social and natural sciences, the humanities, and the arts around notions of perennial thought and action. In agriculture it is the use of perennial varieties of plants to replace annual varieties that make up most of the calories consumed on the planet, and that cause a host of social inequities and ecological problems. In cosmology and biology it speaks to recent discoveries about the emergence of the universe and the agency of non-human species, including plants. The humanities and the arts give voice to philosophical, theological, literary and aesthetic dimensions. And the social sciences work to apply these insights and examples to economic and education systems, health and medicine and more. Contributors speak from a variety of academic specialities and disciplines, but with a common interest and voice that speak to the need for new ways of understanding and action beyond 'environmental' and 'sustainable.' They write of the intellectual, pedagogical, policy, and care work needed to provision perennial and just communities, and with the need to respect the limits of ecosystems.The style throughout is jargon-free and accessible to all who like to think for themselves about how to respond to a world in crisis. The essays--which have an intentional order but can be read separately and out of sequence--invite conversation, debate, and digressions. Theoretical, historical, and practical, they speak with different resonances.