The “Borderless Seed Stories” (BSS) project was the outcome of several months of work, deliberations, and reflections during the Michigan Library Scholars program, Summer 2024. BSS sprouted from the Seed Library Initiatives at UM to create an exhibit that would not only talk about some of the seeds housed in the collection, but also stories associated with these seeds. It eventually transformed into a living repository of educational content that consisted of academic research, oral history collection features, newly conducted interviews, and poetry loosely grouped into several themes.
This project was scheduled to debut on November 11, 2024 but has since been postponed to March, 2025. This was an active decision to step back and hold ourselves accountable to the standards of practices and relationships we are building with community members. Some questions that emerged in this time included: Who do these stories belong to? How can they be accessible to the public long-term, rather than stored behind restrictive intellectual property clauses? With this decision came conversations on copyright law, the ethics of archival storytelling, institutional power dynamics surrounding knowledge privatization, among other things. Like the seeds themselves, it seems the stories that connect seed to human communities are subject to monumental institutional pressures and restrictions. These are tensions that I'm only now truly grappling with, and I write this with great gratitude to have the space to have these conversations, to consult with people, to imagine an academic space in which this project can live and breathe while still maintaining respectful relation to community partners and the legacy of scholars, activists, and cultural workers that have made this exploratory process possible.
As of today, in lieu of an exhibit or showcase, I offer you a question: where do your stories come from? How do you honor them? How do you negotiate the structural, organizational pressures for output, for productivity, for performance — while still carving out space for learning, tenderness, and care? How can seeds become a vessel through which we navigate these themes?
If you find yourselves compelled to answer these questions, please join us in session and community together on campus for upcoming workshops: Seeding Dialogue. In Spring 2025, I'll be leading a joint discussion and creative activity with support from campus partners.
March 21: Big Tech,.Agriculture, and Seedkeeping
April 4: Seeds as Deep Time Technologies
April 18: Seeds to Liberation
We’ll have activities like stamp making, paper-making, seed journaling, and natural-dye watercoloring. In partnership with the Seed Library, we'd love to have you out to volunteer with us to help make these events a success! Please sign up to share your interests in seeds and community justice via the seed library's newly created volunteer sign up sheet:
If you’d like to RSVP for the event, fill out this form: