Have you ever wondered what Water would say if they could speak with human words? Have rivers ever communicated with you? Have you ever talked to lakes and trees? During Adirondack Water Week, organizers and storytellers from Talking Rivers will host a workshop/circular conversation, in which they will invite participants to explore how human beings can speak with and alongside Water and all their relatives. By centering the voice of ecosystems in human stories, Talking Rivers will provide hands on tools for participants of all ages to create stories that celebrate and speak alongside the voices of the more-than-human world.  In order to fulfill our roles and responsibilities to our waterways and the ecosystems they sustain, the workshop will use storytelling as the bridge to imagine a new reality; a reality in which humans can act reciprocally with the beings and environments that bring life to all. The workshop will also delve into the process of creating an ecocentric governance structure that protects and respects the voice of waterways and ecosystems. It will also give an overview of the cultural and legal underpinnings of the Rights of Nature movement and explore how it can be applied to an Adirondack’s context.

This event will take place at the Adirondack Center for Writing in Saranac Lake, NY. This event is included in the 5th annual celebration of Adirondack Water Week, this year highlighting the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere region. Registration is strongly encouraged for this event. Please register for the event by clicking the icon below.

Presenter Bio

Blake Lavia and Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo (both they/them) are two storytellers and movement weavers currently living in the Kaniatarowanénhne/ Upper St. Lawrence River Valley, at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Haudenosaunee Territory. Through their work with the environmental storytelling group Talking Wings, they have organized numerous conferences, curated in person and virtual art exhibitions, and produced visual storytelling pieces that share the voices of Land and Water. The story-making duo also helped found the nonprofit Talking Rivers, Inc., an organization that educates human communities about the Rights and Rites of rivers and their ecosystems. In collaboration with Talking Rivers, they are currently working with humans across the Adirondack Watersheds to create ecocentric governance systems that meet Nature's needs.