Plants & Poetry visits with “We Are Carbon” Podcast
This month, Jamie Nix, co-founder at Plants & Poetry, was featured on the We Are Carbon podcast, a powerful platform weaving together the voices of art, science, and community to foster a regenerative future. Hosted by Helen Fisher, the episode gave us time to visit and explore how poetry and storytelling can plant real seeds of change.
What is “We Are Carbon”?
Created by artist and media producer Helen Fisher, We Are Carbon is more than a podcast, but a movement Helen started back in 2022. Whether you're a farmer, teacher, artist, or activist, We Are Carbon invites everyone to explore how we can regenerate our local landscapes, economies, and cultures, together. You can learn more about her platform here >>
The systems around us are outdated and unsupportive of a regenerative, fair and healthy vision for people and planet. They leave most of us short on time and energy so that seeking to make change can just feel exhausting or impossible. But the desire for a better world is certainly strong, and the solutions are many.
- Helen Fisher, We Are Carbon
Our Interview: Poetry and Storytelling as a Regenerative Force
When Jamie Nix co-founded Plants & Poetry, it began as a collaboration between a poet and a plant lover (two roommates & best friends). What started with poems inspired by houseplants grew into a global project: publishing anthologies, building a food forest and planting in and around their neighborhoods, and inspiring environmental action through storytelling.
In a recent episode of We Are Carbon, Jamie shared how poetry helped her process emotions and find belonging in unfamiliar (& familiar) landscapes. Writing from the perspective of plants, she connected to her surroundings, and her ancestors. A special tree planted in the cemetery by her great-grandmother, stories of a sustenance farm along the creek line in Oklahoma, and the oral storytelling of her aunt all wove together to influence her relationship with land, memory, and writing.
Plants & Poetry isn't just about writing poems. Through themed anthologies like Gravity’s Grave, My Core Rises, and Plant People, among other collections, contributors explore ecological relationships, place-based learning, seasonal cycles, remedies, and much more. For every submission received, a seed is planted in and around their neighborhoods.
The team conducted a survey back in 2022. Results showed that 40% of the contributors in the Plants & Poetry Journals and Anthologies take environmental action after reading, and 80% share their writing and art with others. This ripple effect has led to collaborations with artists, scientists, filmmakers, and writers, including new co-created anthologies and even an upcoming poetry and art-infused cookbook. One collection called When Pens Bloom was co-created with the independent film, POETS ARE THE DESTROYERS directed by Nancy Pop. You can read the full collection here.
Now, as Jamie and her team deepen their art and agroforestry education efforts, create garden and writing guides, and support new authors, Plants & Poetry continues to grow, rooted in community, storytelling, and love for the land.
“Poetry is a form of prayer,” Jamie reflects. “It’s how I connect to those around me, and to the land.”
To learn more, explore past anthologies, or contribute your own writing, visit plantsandpoetry.org or join the community on Substack.