Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 106 research publications and has taught insect-related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home was published by Timber Press in 2007, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014; Nature’s Best Hope, a New York Times bestseller, was released in February 2020, and his latest book, The Nature of Oaks, was released in March 2021. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Western Carolina University, The Garden Club of America, and The American Horticultural Association. Doug lives with his wife, Cindy, on their restored property in Oxford, PA.

Maurice Manning has published eight collections of poetry, the most recent being Snakedoctor (2023). His first book, Lawrence Booth’s Book of Visions (2001), was selected by W.S. Merwin for the Yale Series of Younger Poets. His fourth book, The Common Man (2010), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His poems have been published in various journals and magazines, including Southern Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, New Yorker, and Time. He and producer Steve Cody have also published ten episodes of The Grinnin’ Possum Podcast, featuring original poetry, old-time music, and history. Manning teaches at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and for the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers in Swannanoa, North Carolina.

Mimi Prunella Hernandez is an herbalist and author of the National Geographic Herbal. For over a decade, Mimi served as the executive director of the American Herbalists Guild, where she has worked tirelessly to ensure that herbalists have a strong professional community to support their work. In 2023, Mimi received a Botanical Excellence Award from the American Botanical Council, a prestigious honor that recognizes her as a Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder.

Mimi Prunella Hernandez, M.S., R.H. (AHG), is a clinical herbalist with a master’s degree in herbal medicine. As a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild, she has mentored students in clinical and community herbalism through various educational platforms. Mimi is known for her ability to explain complex information in a relatable way, which has gained her a dedicated following. Her warm and approachable nature has made her a sought-after speaker at conferences and events.

Mimi’s volunteer work inspires plant sanctuary dreamers. She not only strives to ensure the continued availability of native and medicinal plants but also educates others about their importance and traditional uses. With her husband Terry she stewards The PonderLand Native Plant Sanctuary and inspires others to consider establishing plant sanctuaries in their communities.

Mimi’s herbal roots are inspired by her Colombian and Mexican Grandmothers via a Latin American Folk Herbalism and Curanderismo lineage. While Mimi finds immense joy in practicing kitchen herbalism, she finds tremendous fulfillment in delivering herbal house calls. She loves delivering baskets filled with homemade nourishing goodies, using the herbs she grows in her garden to provide natural remedies to those in need.

Her greatest joy is tending to her 3 children, AnaÏs, Evan, and Talan, and several pets, alongside her husband Terry.

Wes is a pastor, theologian, writer, educator, nonprofit leader, and arts advocate with a passion for beauty, slowness, cultivation, kinship, and theodramatics.

Wes currently works as the Acting Director of the Leighton Ford Center for Theology, the Arts, and Gospel Witness and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. He is also the Co-Founder of Kinship Plot, a community of learning and practice imagining and embodying resonant relationships of every kind. Previous to these roles, Wes served with a variety of ministry teams in Saint Louis, Mexico City, St Andrews, and Charlotte, including eight years as lead pastor of Warehouse 242.

Wes holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination, and the Arts from the University of St Andrews and enjoys writing and speaking on a variety of topics including beauty, spiritual formation and the arts, discipleship in the theodrama, slow faith, pastoral ministry, kinship, and creativity. His publications include Living Theodrama: Reimagining Theological Ethics (Routledge, 2014), Theatrical Theology: Explorations in Performing the Faith (Cascade, 2014), and Beauty is Oxygen: Finding a Faith that Breathes (Eerdmans, 2024).