towards perennial learning

What is education for? What are the possibilities for healing and regeneration when we reconsider the aims and pedagogies of education in the face of ecological tipping points and injustice across the planet? Fortunately, students at Middlebury College have been considering these questions and exploring the possibilities. Towards Perennial Learning gathers the insights and wisdom of a new generation that educators—and learners—everywhere can benefit from. —Emily Hoyer

GROWING WITH THE KNOLL

Growing the Knoll is a celebration of the commitments of creative and tireless students, staff, faculty, and experienced community volunteers who saw the value and potential in creating a garden that would become much, much more than a garden. It is a story that can serve as a resource—and inspiration—for any group interested in creating a similar community space.

life itself: educational
roots amid global uncertainty

As the Covid pandemic spread across the country and schools closed in response, an unconventional school for young children was quickly conceived and launched. Its campus was in the woods of Vermont. The teachers had no materials, no curriculum, and about three weeks to prepare. The result was a triumph of ingenuity, imagination, and determination.

From the Ground Up:
Conversations with Wes Jackson

As human societies hurtle toward collapse, we’re going to need good science, appropriate teaching, and the best of our neighborly traditions to get through. In From the Ground Up, Wes Jackson discusses the challenges and opportunities. He’s a scientist with a sharp analytical mind to evaluate the data, and a lively storyteller who can reach back into the past for lessons that will be essential in a down-powering world.

Jackson supplemented the education he got growing up on a Kansas truck farm with a Ph.D. in genetics, leading to a university career. But he gave that up to start an alternative school and a research center that is now at the heart of work in sustainable agriculture. Along the way, he sharpened his storytelling skills, which are on display in this edited version of podcasts recorded in 2020 with his friend and collaborator Robert Jensen.

Perennial Earth: Poetry by Wallace Stevens and Paintings by Alexis Serio

Begun as a monthlong pandemic-reprieve project in the spring of 2020, Perennial Earth is a conversation between a painter and a poet that speaks to the ways in which artists contribute to their communities in challenging times as muses, expressive healers, and care providers, serving up aesthetic respite with more than a hint of joy.

PDF Note: This book is designed to be viewed as two-page spreads, which provides the reader the specific pairing of poems and paintings as intended. However, for those who wish to view this book on smaller devices or to view the text larger, the single-page PDF has been provided. Please note each two-page spread begins with an even page number on the left page. This ensures that you’re viewing the correct pairing.

Living Perenniality

Living Perenniality covers a lot of ground—from the many lives of plants to the origins of agriculture to the creative power of biological consciousness to think anew. Craig Holdrege’s eloquent prose reflects his gifts as an educator, naturalist, and philosopher of science. Co-founder of the Nature Institute, an organization dedicated to the development of whole-organism studies, Holdrege embraces what Goethe called “delicate empiricism.” Recommended for K-12 and undergraduate educators and students, the backyard gardener, and all who are involved in regenerative practices in agriculture.

The Perennial Turn:
Contemporary Essays from the Field

This anthology is the first project in the New Perennials Publishing venture. Our goal is to provide thoughtful analyses on crucial social/ecological questions, all at no cost to readers. Our hope is that students and teachers—both in high schools and universities—will find these essays challenging and useful in their work. Beyond the classroom, we believe readers who are concerned about the state of the world will find the anthology compelling.