Writer and poet Scott Chaskey reflects upon his exploration of poetry, land cultivation, and life in his collection of essays, "Soil and Spirit." Here at The Church Chaskey discussed his new book. Attendees learned why food sovereignty and humble attention to the Earth and its diversity of species can provide invaluable keys to building healthy human communities.

While shaping the Earth for decades, working in fields, and becoming a leader in the international Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, Scott Chaskey was influenced by the diversity surrounding him. Whether it is a surprise encounter with Irish poet Seamus Heaney while traveling Ireland, farming in Cornwall, attending a CSA conference in China, joining a group of Indigenous women in their harvest of amaranth seeds in New Mexico, or cultivating over sixty crops for our local Peconic Land Trust at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, Chaskey came to The Church with a wealth of experience and insight.

Following Chaskey’s reading there was a Q&A along with a book signing with copies of Soil and Spirit, provided by Canio’s Books.