Our thanks to Samaqani Cocahq-(Natalie Sappier)for sharing her artwork with us for our 2023 Conference, “Waters of Life – Mythos, Divinity, Beings and Ecology.” Our focus is on connections and relationships among people, animals, and the powerful elements necessary for life. Natalie’s painting “Salmon River” (2022) beautifully captures the vitality of living waters and the intention and spirit of our program.
Natalie is a Wolastoqey Indigenous multidisciplinary storyteller from Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick, Canada. For her, creating visual art awakened her connection with land and her Wolastoqey knowing and being.
Her community and Ancestral landscapes (New Brunswick) are her teachers and are home to where she navigates stories and creativity. She realized early in her painting career that she was not painting just for herself-she was also painting for her people.
Natalie dedicates much of her time creating stories in her Fredericton Studio and carries a passion in the advocacy of Arts, Culture, Two Spirited Sacredness and Indigenous Youth Mentorship. She believes Wellness and Art strand together and Indigenous stories carry the medicine of spirit and voice that protects our Mother Earth.
See the multi-talented artist’s website here as it develops. In addition to her paintings and murals, Natalie has a passion for sharing stories and engaging with people through sharing of public works and workshops; read more about her work here and learn about her play “Finding Wolastok Voice.”
Information and member registration form for 2023 conference "Waters of Life--Exploring Mythos, Divinity, Beings and Ecology," May 5-6, 2023, in Syracuse NY at Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Hi! Looks like you first must log in below to view this Members Only content.
If you are not yet a member, and you would like to view this content, please click Join & Renew to pay for an annual membership.
If you Forgot Password - Reset here to receive an email with a reset link. Or, when you are logged in, click on Account from the menu above, then the Change Password link on that page.
“The Waters of Life: – Exploring Water Mythos, Divinity, Beings & Ecology”
May 5th and 6th, 2023 at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Syracuse NY
“Salmon River” by Natalie Sappier
Non-Member Registration Form Your registration includes live panels, presentations and workshops, lunch and snack breaks for both days of the conference, as well as access to recordings of the conference for six months.
NOTE: If you were a member your registration rates would be
Early Bird Rate–before February 5: $290 (savings of $65)
Regular Rate–February 6 to April 28: $350 (savings of $45)
Live streaming rate $95 (savings of $55)
Annual dues for membership start at $30. Join now to take advantage of all benefits including discount rates for this conference. (Complete your membership sign-up here first, to be given access to the member registration page.)
The day before the conference, we will have a bus tour to sites important in women’s history. We plan to include the Harriet Tubman Home and the National Women’s History Museum. The tour rate of $90 includes a box lunch, admissions, and transportation fee. You may register for the tour on the event registration form.
Lodging at Crowne Plaza Hotel
Use this link (also on your registration form) or call 315 479 7000 to reserve your room. Conference rates are $129/night plus tax and fees. If you call be sure to mention our conference in order to get the special rate.
The hotel has a complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport but you must arrange for your ride at the time you reserve your room. Parking in the hotel garage is discounted to $5 per day for conference attendees; you can ignore the $15 amount given on the registration form.
“Crane Maiden” illustration by Ed Young, words by Brenda Peterson
The beauty, power, and spectacular mating dances of cranes have made them highly symbolic birds in many cultures. With records dating back to ancient times, crane mythology and legends can be found on all continents; they are variously associated with prosperity, protection, longevity and peace.
Crane Maiden, Brenda Peterson’s new book, offers a new myth, Crane Maiden came from a dream: “It is a love story of people and birds; a dance, a transformative call to conserve these ancient and endangered cranes.” This stunning book is illustrated with the hauntingly beautiful shadow play of light and feathers by master Chinese artist, Ed Young.
Brenda says, “Fairy tales, both old and those that we create during this time of climate change and animal extinctions, can weave imagination and art to conserve our natural world. Science is not enough; we need stories, myths, and folklore that connect us with our ancestral gnosis and our future fates. Myth and science can be woven together through storytelling. My work for the oceans over the decades is devoted to fieldwork with marine mammals, as well as stories that call us into a sustainable and more spiritual bond with these sentient beings who share our shores, connecting us through legend, song, story, and science.”
Brenda Peterson
Through her work as a novelist and nature writer, Brenda Peterson’s curiosity about and respect for nature radiates through her 23 books, which range from her first memoir Build Me an Ark: A Life with Animals, chosen as a “Best Spiritual Book of 2001,” to three novels, one of which, Duck and Cover, was chosen by New York Times as Notable Book of the Year. Her new memoir, I Want to be left Behind, was selected by The Christian Science Monitor as among the “Top Ten Best Non-Fiction Books of the Year.” Her children’s book Leopard and Silkie was a winner of the National Science Teachers 2013 Award for “Outstanding Science Books for K-12.” Wolf Nation was chosen by Forbes as a Best Book of he Year and is out in audiobook from Audible.com. Brenda lives in Seattle on the Salish Sea. She is the founder of the Seattle-based grassroots conservation group Seal Sitters, which focuses on safety for seal pups on the beach. Since 1993 she has contributed environmental commentary to NPR and is a frequent commentator to The Huffington Post.
Brenda Peterson is a fellow of Black Earth Institute (BEI). Founded by ASWM co-creator, the late Patricia Monaghan, with Michael McDermott, BEI is a community of artist-fellows and scholar-advisers creating a more ethical world. BEI seeks to help create a more just and deeply interconnected world and promote the health of the planet. To do so, artists are appointed as Fellows for a term and Scholars join as advisors. BEI then encourages and supports its present and past Fellows and Scholars to address social justice, environmental issues and the spiritual dimensions of the human condition in their art and work. Their beautiful About Place Journal has featured the work of hundreds of artists and writers. Michael is a longtime member of ASWM’s Advisory Board, as BEI cooperates with ASWM to expand our reach to scholars and to develop special programs.
Save these dates for the next ASWM Salons:
November 17, 2022, 12 NOON Eastern Standard Time
“Matriarchal Landscape Mythology” Andrea Fleckinger and Heide Goettner-Abendroth
January 13, 2023, 3 PM Eastern Standard Time
“Eruptions of Inanna: Justice, Gender, and Erotic Power” Judy Grahn
The Salon recording will also be available to members after the event.
You must be logged in to post a comment.