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A few days ago, I read a piece in the New Yorker entitled "The End of the English Major." As a proud literature major (comparative literature, French and Italian), I was saddened to read the statistics of plummeting enrollment in the humanities and the wistful comments by students who were passionate about literature but terrified of limited job opportunities in our uncertain world.
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This trend bothers me because I feel like it represents one more swing toward quick solutions and limited attention. When you study literature, you learn to develop a deep focus. You learn to attend to the words of the writer. Attend derives from the Latin word attendere, "to stretch toward" and the Old French, "to wait." As we approach International Women's Day (March 8), I pay homage to my thesis advisors, Meera Viswanathan and Micheline Rice-Maximin, brilliant scholars and rigorous teachers who pushed me to stretch my thinking and to wait for meaning to emerge from a text.
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This skill translates across all disciplines and brings joy to revitalizing our habitat. When we take time to attend the land, we can appreciate the cycles of life existing all around us. Of course, you don't have to be an English major to do this, but it doesn't hurt if you are.
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And, more importantly, you don't have to be a certified landscape professional to add native plants to your yard. You can be a comparative literature major! Or a poet! Or a teacher! I am all three and started Journeywork to remove barriers for ordinary people to make positive changes to their land. Joyfully. Together.
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We have another Zoom Q&A session coming up on March 15 at 7:30. (literature provides added import to the date--pack of seeds to the first person who emails me with its significance). Please email me at paige@journeywork.org for the link.
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Please continue reading for upcoming events, steps for sheet mulching, and our wish list. Please pass this newsletter on to friends who might enjoy it, and let us know if you want Journeywork to visit your yard for a free consultation.
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“Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
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Join our team!
Journeywork will be sheet mulching this month in yards in Upper Gwynedd Township and Plymouth Meeting.
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Saturday, March 18 from 9:00-11:00 in Plymouth Meeting
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Saturday, March 25 from 9:00-11:00 in Upper Gwynedd Township
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Events coming up
Journeywork will have a table at the Upper Dublin EPAB Environmental Open House on Saturday, March 4 from 10:00-noon at the Upper Dublin Library. Come check out our interactive felt yard!
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Journeywork will also be in attendance at Ambler EAC's EarthFest on Saturday, April 29 from 10:00-4:00. It will be held in the Ambler Borough Hall parking lot, and here is the link for more information.
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Something you can do in March: sheet mulch!
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- Choose a section of your yard where you want to plant. Overlap sheets of cardboard so that the lawn is completely covered.
- Cover with soil, mulch, or a thick layer of leaves.
- Let it sit for a few weeks or months or plant right into it. You will kill the grass without disturbing the soil. Voilà a new planting bed!
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If Journeywork inspires you to sheet mulch, start seeds, or plant some native plants in your yard, please send us a picture! Let's celebrate and support each other!
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Our wish list
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Rubbermaid bins with lids for storing gloves and tools
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clean, gently used 5-gallon buckets
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Follow us on social...
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