Jessica J. Lee’s reading from her pre-print was an exploration of the intersection between personal experience and the natural world of flora and fauna. As a published author with a rich background in both literary and scientific studies, Lee introduced her views of centering the “more-than-human” in narratives, using her upcoming book for 2024 Dispersals as a framework.
The excerpt she shared offered a poetic glimpse into the lives of moss and their entanglement with our human worlds. The narrative explores the concept of plants – such as moss – being “out of place”, whether as weeds, imperial science samples, or crops transformed by human intervention.
Her talk found an engaging audience and offered fascinating insights, inviting us to reflect on the intertwined futures of both plants and people as they navigate borders and belonging.