The WildStory: A Podcast of Poetry and Plants by The Native Plant Society of New Jersey

Episode 31: Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Margaret Renkl, Beronda L. Montgomery

We have a very special episode for you this month, featuring an inspiring lineup of guests who invite us to lean into curiosity and reflect on reciprocity, history, and t

Episode 30: Poet Rebecca Hart Olander, Author Elise Howard of Plant This, Not That and Dr. Linda Rohleder, Founder of Wild Woods Restoration Project

The WildStory: A Podcast of Poetry and Plants by the Native Plant Society of New Jersey Hosted by Ann E. Wallace, PhD Poet Laureate Emeritus of Jersey City Author o

Episode 29: Poet Dorsia Smith Silva, Tedor Whitman of Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Joe Lamp'l of The Joe Gardener Show

This month, our guest poet is Dorsia Smith Silva (0:02:51), whose collection In Inheritance of Drowning, published by CavanKerry Press, bears witness to the devastating i

Episode 28: Poet Ann E. Wallace, Choreographer Samuel Pott, Author N. West Moss and Landscape Architect Larry Weaner

Welcome to Season 4 of the WildStory! We have a wonderful, jam-packed season opener, and we hope you enjoy all that we have in store for you this episode!   To open, Aw

Episode 27: Poet Han VanderHart, Visual Artist Mare McClellan and Benjamin Vogt, Author of Prairie Up

In the season three finale of The WildStory, poet Han VanderHart (0:2:29) joins Ann to discuss their collection Larks, which was published in 2025 by Ohio University Pres

Episode 26: Julie Zickefoose, Poet and Birder, Dr. Lea Johnson, Director of Conservation at the Native Plant Trust

In this episode of The Wildstory, Ann Wallace and Kim Correro sit down with the incomparable Julie Zickefoose (0:2:39), beloved writer, birder, and wildlife rehabilitator

Episode 25: Poet Holli Carrell, NPSNJ President Kazys Varnelis and Mary Anne Borge, Editor of Butterfly Gardener Magazine

This month’s featured poet is Holli Carrell, whose debut collection Apostasies was recently published by Perugia Press. Holli speaks about her personal process of reflect

Episode 24: Poet Lynne Shapiro, Chris Martine, President-Elect Botanical Society of America and Jean Epiphan, Assoc. Professor of Ecology Rutgers University

This episode features poet Lynne Shapiro (0:2:29) of Hoboken, New Jersey, who speaks with Ann about her collection To Set Right, published in 2021 by WordTech Editions, a

Episode 23: Poet Charise Hoge, Urban Naturalist and Birder Ken Chaya and Children's Author Mélina Mangal⁠

Today’s featured poet is Charise Hoge (0:03:35) whose latest collection, Inheritance of Flowers, came out this spring from Kelsay Books. Reflecting on her grandmother’s l

Poet and Firefighter Ibe Liebenberg, William Cullina Executive Director of Morris Arboretum & Gardens, Kelly D. Norris, Award-Winning Author and Ecological Horticulturist

Today’s featured poet is Ibe Liebenberg (0:03:51) who joins Ann Wallace to talk about his new collection, Birds at Night, published in 2025 by Texas Tech University Press

Episode 21: Poet Theta Pavis, Pollinator Conservationist Heather Holm, Author Paula Whyman

In this episode, featured poet Theta Pavis (0:03:00) speaks with Ann Wallace about her new chapbook, The Red Strobe, which just came out from Finishing Line Press. Theta’

Episode 20: Shaun Spencer Hester of the Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum, Jerri Mitchell-Lee , grand niece of Effie Lee Newsome and Abra Lee of Oakland Cemetery

The WildStory: A Podcast of Poetry and Plants by the Native Plant Society of New Jersey Hosted byAnn E. Wallace, PhD Poet Laureate Emeritus of Jersey City Co-hostKim

Episode 19: Poet James Crews, Podcast Hosts Fran Chismar, Tom Knezick and Urban Naturalist Joanna Brichetto

Our featured poet is James Crews, (0:3:54) who speaks with Ann Wallace about his new book, Unlocking the Heart: Writing for Mindfulness, Courage, and Compassion from Mand

Episode 18: Poet Elizabeth Sylvia, Memoirist Elissa Altman and Podcast Host Margaret Roach

Today’s featured poet is Elizabeth Sylvia, (03:39) who speaks with Ann Wallace about her new manuscript Eating Cake in the Garden with Marie Antoinette, as well as her 20

Episode 17: Poet Nadia Colburn, Author Sarah F. Jayne & Doug Tallamy, Co-Founder of Homegrown National Park

Episode 17 features poet Nadia Colburn (03:47), who joins Ann Wallace from Massachusetts to speak about her new collection, I Say the Sky, published this year by Universi

Episode 16: Poet Penny Harter, Naturalist Mark Garland and Naturalist Pat Sutton

This episode of The WildStory is all about the southernmost point in New Jersey—beautiful Cape May, known to beachgoers as a summer destination. But for nature lovers, Se

Episode 15: Poet Barbara Kingsolver, Director of Horticulture Katie Bliss and Naturalist Nancy Lawson

This episode features an interview with best-selling author Barbara Kingsolver (0:04:34) from 2022. It was recorded for The WildStory’s predecessor, an Instagram series c

Episode 14: Poet Kai Coggin, Ecological Horticulturalist Rebecca McMackin and Botanist Jared Rosenbaum

In episode 14, Kai Coggin, Poet Laureate of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and host of Wednesday Night Poetry (0:02:56), talks with Ann Wallace about her new book Mother of Other

Episode 13: Poet Camille T. Dungy, Designer Claudia West and New Jersey Artist Susan Darwin

In episode 13, Camille T. Dungy (0:03:00), a renowned poet, essayist, and memoirist, joins Ann Wallace in conversation about her book Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s

Episode 12: Poet and Wildlife Ecologist J. Drew Lanham, Urban Ecologist Marielle Anzelone and Marni Fylling discusses the nature just outside your door.

In episode 12, we reflect on the nature that is close at hand, in our backyards, neighborhoods, and nearby wild places—as our featured guests invite us into the habitats