Talks and interviews based in Sarah’s research involving the sentient relations of trees, sentient ecologies, nonhuman knowing, eco-empathy, public/multispecies ethnography, Indigenous perspectives, plant science, interspecies communication, the climate crisis, and screenings of Sarah’s films.
2024
Presentation: Tree Talk, Secret Gardens Tour, New Dance Horizons, Regina, Saskatchewan, July 21.
Presenter: “Tree perspectives: Approaches and voices for biodiversity stewardship,” Tapping into alternative knowledge systems to transform biodiversity and conservation management session, World Biodiversity Forum 2024: From Science to Action, Davos, Switzerland, June 16-20 (in-person).
Panelist: “A Kaleidoscopic Interdisciplinary Introduction to the Methodological Landscape,” Arts-Based Research Scholar Panel, Michigan State University. March 20, 2024 (online registration).
2023
Presenter: “Listening film: A methodology for eco-inclusion and collaboration,” Fabriques de l’écocinéma: Politiques et processus écologiques du cinéma expérimental (Making Eco-cinema: Politics and ecological processes of experimental cinema), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France, November 16-17 (in-person + online live stream).
Lead guest discussant with Dr. Jim Conroy and Basia Alexander for “Talking with Trees: the study of plant sentience,” Blue Sky with Garth Materie, CBC Radio, July 26, 2023.
Presentation: Tree Talks + film screening: gestures toward Plant Vision, Secret Gardens Tour, New Dance Horizons, Regina, Saskatchewan; tree talks July 22 11:00 am + 2:00 pm & film screenings July 21 pm and July 22-23 ongoing during the day (in-person).
Interview: “Tree Talk: University of Regina professor gets to the root of tree communication in upcoming talk” with Stefani Langenegger, The Morning Edition, CBC Radio, July 19, 2023.
Film screening: gestures toward Plant Vision in « Nature Élargie » – Sentir Comme Une Plante (Extended Nature: To Feel like a Plant) curated film programme by Elio Della Noce, Emmanuel Lefrant and Benoît Hické, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Museum of Natural History), Paris, January 14, 2022 [in-person].
2022
Guest Speaker: “Perspectives on Earth Care and Interconnection,” Campion College, University of Regina, November 24, 2022 [in-person + online]
Keynote: “Somatic Awareness for Interspecies Communication, Collaboration, and Equitable Relations with the Vegetal World,” Sentient Performativities: thinking alongside the human conference, art.earth, Dartington Trust (Dartington Arts School & Schumacher College) and Bath Spa University, Totnes, England, June 27 [online presentation].
Paper presented: “Intuitive Interspecies Communication with Plants and Animals: Connections, Diversity, Community,” International Multispecies Methods Research Symposium: Shifting Paradigms in Human-Animal Relations, University of Saskatchewan, May 24-26 [online].
Co-presenter: “Exploring the Connection between Intuitive Interspecies Communication with Animals and IIC with Plants, Stones, and Other Beings” breakout session with Sue Frager and Paul Moss, International Multispecies Methods Research Symposium: Shifting Paradigms in Human-Animal Relations, University of Saskatchewan, May 25. [online]
2021
Interview: “Episode #36 with Dr. Sarah Abbott” Sustainable Stories Podcast, Sage Sustainable Solutions Consulting, September 7.
Interview: “‘The Giving Tree’: How a children’s book became a parable for the climate crisis,” written by Kate Yoder, Grist, August 26, 2021.
Presentation: “(Re)planting Tree-Human Relations: Respect, Reciprocity, Communication, Collaboration,” Uprooting the Anthropocene: (re-)centring trees in tree- human relationships conference, The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, University of Oxford, July 22 [online].
Presentation: “Conversations toward More-Than-Intellectual Modes of Knowing with Vegetal Beings,” co-presentation with Alice McSherry, Towards a New Way of Being with Plants conference, University of Minnesota, June 17 [online]. View Recording.
Interview: “Approaching Nonhuman Ontologies with Dr. Sarah Abbott,” with byron murray for to know the land podcast/radio CFRU 93.3fm, University of Guelph, June 14. Listen to the interview.
Presentation: “The Giving Tree as Misguided Heartswelling: Critical considerations of Shel Silverstein’s children’s book and relations beyond the human,” Living Heritage in Saskatchewan: A Sharing Series, University of Regina, April 21 [online]. View recording.
Presentation: “A Change of Focus: What Happens When Trees Speak,” MAP Presentation Series, Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance, University of Regina, March 26 [online].
2020
Panelist, “An Appreciation of Trees” Discussion Panel, along with John Innes and Frances Litman, in celebration of Municipal Tree Appreciation Day, Royal Commonwealth Society – Vancouver Island Branch, November 1 [online]. View Recording.
Guest speaker along with Monica Gagliano, “Plant intelligence and plant communication” conversation series in association with Say my name and I will tell you my story, a commissioned work by artist Evgenia Emets, curated by Inês Valle, for The CERA PROEJCT, Lisbon, Portugal, October 29. A special edition of Eternal Forest Conversations [online]. View recording.
Presentation (postponed): “Trees and Humans: Vulnerabilities in Equitable Relations and Interspecies Communication,” Clashing Vulnerabilities conference, hosted by Engaging Vulnerability, Uppsala University, Sweden, May 13-14 – not given due pandemic restrictions.
Presentation: “Tree Talking and Collaboration: Toward Restoring Equitable Relations and Earth’s Natural Systems” in the session “Can the more-than-human speak? Other ways of knowing in interspecies communication,” American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Denver, April 6 [online]. View recording.
Interview along with Dr. Britt Hall, Academics for Climate Community Lecture Series, with Stefani Langenegger, The Morning Edition, CBC Radio.
2019
Response to keynote address by Sandra Semchuk, Telling Difficult Stories: Local / National / Global, Graduate Mini Symposium, Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance, University of Regina, October 7
Presentation: “Indigenous Methodologies for an Ethnography of Trees,” Indigenous Research Showcase 2019, University of Regina and its three federated colleges, First Nations University of Canada, Campion College, and Luther College, September 26.
Presentation: “Tree Talking: Vulnerability in Nonhuman Inquiry and Representation,” Keeping it Honest: Vulnerable Writing conference, hosted by Engaging Vulnerability, co-organised with the Nordic Wittgenstein Society, Uppsala University, Sweden, August 23.
Presentation: Tree Talk, Secret Gardens Tour, New Dance Horizons, Regina, Saskatchewan, July 14
Presentation: “Rethinking the Forest: Tree Sentience, Relationality, and Environmental Empathy,” Evolving the Forest conference, Art.Earth, Royal Forestry Society and Timber Strategies, Totnes, Devon, England, June 21.
Presentation, “Provoking (re)newed ways of knowing trees and nonhumans” Provoking Curriculum conference, Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, University of Regina Centre for Teaching and Learning & Faculty of Education, March 16.
2018
Tree Knowing Workshop: Mitchif Medicines Retreat for Dancers, The Crossing, near Batoche, Saskatchewan, September
Tree Talk, Secret Gardens Tour, New Dance Horizons, Regina, Saskatchewan, July
Tree talk class Presentation: ART 290AJ: Plants in Contemporary Art; Uses, Reflection and Interpretation, Department of Visual Art, University of Regina, June
Link for more on Sarah’s doctoral research.
