Seeding Dialogue was the winter 2025 iteration of Borderless Seed Stories on campus. This initiative represents a creative pivot from some early setback Borderless Seed Stories experienced with respect to incorporating community stories and highlights about seed work going on in Southeast Michigan. The seeding dialogue project phase led to truly inspirational and integral results with respect to ethical navigation of institutional challenges, expansion of community engagement with creative and interdisciplinary processes of knowledge sharing, and intergenerational exploration of multi-modal sensory experience.
Each seeding dialogue session featured a basic design composed of a buffet style lunch for participants, 1 hour of reading circles and shared dialogue together, and one hour of skill shares involving crafts that complimented the nature of the reading or dialogue. Within each session, the facilitators developed a heightened awareness of the power dynamics inherent in various modalities of information sharing - ultimately settling on the distribution of zines as a condensed take-away for content rather than powerpoint or screen-based lecture.
Big Tech, Agriculture, Seedkeeping - Printmaking
Seeds as deep time technologies - Papermaking
Seeds to liberation - Natural dyes and watercolor
The bold injection of creative, hands-on arts projects and the digestion of delicious food heightened the memorable moments of connection, contemplation, and critical discussion each of the session's reading assignments offered. Several participants were recurrent visitors and made it a priority to engage in all three sessions - others stopped in for part or all of the experience. Some people came for the reading content while others were motivated by the opportunity to do their favorite craft — regardless of why participants showed up to the circles, each learned something new in an empowered and supportive way that came directly from being in community with one another.
Interested in facilitating your own curated, seed-based conversations? With just a little bit of preparation, you too can host 'seeding dialogue' reading circles in your community! We invite you to lean on the bountiful resources available through this BSS digital resource for content inspiration and guidance. You are always welcome to print off and incorporate any of the zines posted throughout Borderless Seed Stories for use in your circles - or better yet, make your own!