Dr. Jennifer Grenz - Medicine Wheel for the Planet

Thu May 02 2024 at 06:30 pm

Library and Archives Canada | Ottawa

Ottawa International Writers Festival
Publisher/HostOttawa International Writers Festival
Dr. Jennifer Grenz - Medicine Wheel for the Planet
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Opening the festival is Dr. Jennifer Grenz with her new book Medicine Wheel for the Planet.
Join Carleton University’s Kahente Horn-Miller for a conversation with ecologist and scholar, Dr. Jennifer Grenz, author of Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey toward Personal and Ecological Healing.
A farm kid at heart, and a Nlaka'pamux woman of mixed ancestry, Dr. Jennifer Grenz always felt a deep connection to the land. Which is why, after nearly two decades of working as a restoration ecologist in the Pacific Northwest, she became frustrated that she and her colleagues weren't making the meaningful change needed for plant, animal and human communities to adapt to a warming climate. She began to question the central conceit of restoration ecology: that somehow, we must return the natural world to an untouched, pristine state, placing humans in a godlike role—a notion at odds with Indigenous histories of purposeful, reciprocal interaction with the environment. This disconnect sent Dr. Grenz on a journey of joining her head (Western science) and her heart (Indigenous worldview) to find a truer path toward ecological healing.
In Medicine Wheel for the Planet, building on sacred stories, field observation and personal experience, Dr. Grenz invites readers to share in the teachings of the four directions of the medicine wheel: the North, which draws upon the knowledge and wisdom of elders; the East, where we let go of colonial narratives and see with fresh eyes; the South, where we apply new-old worldviews to envision a way forward; and the West, where a relational approach to land reconciliation is realized.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Library and Archives Canada, The European Film Festival, 395 Wellington St, Ottawa, ON K1A, Canada,Ottawa, Ontario

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