A Spell to Keep Us Human: In conversation with Enid Baxter Ryce -

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A Spell to Keep Us Human: In conversation with Enid Baxter Ryce

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Artist, author, educator—Enid Baxter Ryce is on a roll. She’s changed her careers on both sides: In her creative work, she is now publishing books rather than working with museums. As an educator, she is using her experience teaching students of all ages to train teachers on how to get students off their screens and back into the natural world.

These changes have been heralded by a sudden-seeming blossoming of publishing activity on her part, beautifully illustrated books that explore the natural and spiritual worlds. But in this conversation, Enid explains how this work—four publications in a span of two years—is the culmination of years of experience and research. From the child who grew up “feral” in the woods to the woman who considers librarians co-conspirators in her research adventures, Enid pours her whole self into her work. She’s no luddite—she’s a practical user of technology and AI who wants to convince you not to leave nature behind.

Roll up your sleeves, put down your screen, and accept Enid’s challenge. She’ll lead you to look closely at the lives we are living and how we can make meaning and beauty amidst the chaos of our digital lives.

“I wanted to give people a sense of connection across time. That when you’re feeling lonely, you are not alone—that is a human feeling. And when you’re feeling angry, you’re also part of a grand tradition of anger… Poetry is magical because it juxtaposes words that we see regularly and makes them magical again.”

More information:

Books by Enid Baxter Ryce:

Ancient Spells and Incantations: Echoes of Magic Through the Ages and Across Cultures (Amazon | Bookshop)
Plant Magic at Home: A Complete Guide to Harnessing the Power of Nature from Rituals to DIYs (Amazon | Bookshop)
The Borderlands Tarot/ El Tarot de Tierras Fronterizas (Amazon | Bookshop)
Field Guide to Fort Ord (Amazon | Bookshop)
Grace Flows Through You: 101 Spiritual Verses from Around the World (Amazon | Bookshop)

Publications & Organizations Mentioned

List 3: Topics Discussed

Enid Baxter Ryce is an award-winning author, artist, and professor. Enid has exhibited internationally at museums and festivals, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, the Arnolfini, the Getty, and the Harvard Film Archive. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, People en Español, The Los Angeles Times, on CBS Radio News, NPR, and numerous other publications. She was co-PI on a five-year, $1.25 million National Institutes of Health grant and a researcher on a Getty Foundation PST Project in collaboration with the Huntington Botanical Gardens. Enid is a former guest curator for the MexiCali Biennial and the Philip Glass Center for Art, Science, and the Environment, where she created her film War and the Weather, featuring the music of Philip Glass. Enid has held fellowships from the National Academy of Sciences, the Getty Foundation, Western Growers and Shippers, and Yale University. Most recently, she was a fellow of the Sephardic Stories Initiative at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which awarded her novel manuscript, Beware the Azulay: A Pirate’s Tale, a Jewish Stories Award. She has an MFA in Visual Arts, having studied at The Cooper Union and Claremont Graduate University. Enid is Professor of Cinematic Arts, focusing on Scientific and Historical Storytelling at CSU Monterey Bay.

Music:

“Beauty” by Karyn Ellis, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org
“Magic Flute” by Suki Wessling