Volume 3 of the Kinship series revolves around the question ofinterspecies relations:How do
relations between and among different species foster a sense of responsibility and belonging in
us? We live in an astounding world of relations. We share these ties that bind with our fellow
humansand we share these relations with nonhuman beings as well. From the bacterium swimming in
your belly to the trees exhaling the breath you breathe this community of life is our kinand
for many cultures around the world being human is based upon this extended sense of
kinship.Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a lively series that explores our deep
interconnections with the living world. The five Kinship volumesPlanet Place Partners
Persons Practiceoffer essays interviews poetry and stories of solidarity highlighting the
interdependence that exists between humans and nonhuman beings. More than 70
contributorsincluding Robin Wall Kimmerer Richard Powers David Abram J. Drew Lanham and
Sharon Blackieinvite readers into cosmologies narratives and everyday interactions that
embrace a more-than-human world as worthy of our response and responsibility.How do cultural
traditions narratives and mythologies shape the ways we relate or not to other beings as
kin? Partners Volume 3 of the Kinship series looks to the intimate relationships of respect
and reverence we share with nonhuman species. The essayists and poets in this volume explore
the stunning diversity of our relations to nonhuman personsfrom biologist Merlin Sheldrakes
reflections on microscopic fungal networks to writer Julian Hoffmans moving stories about
elephant emotions and communication to Indigenous seed activist Rowen Whites deep care for
plant relatives and ancestors. Our relationships to other creatures are not merely important
they make us possible. As poet Brenda Cárdenas inspired by her cultural connections to the
monarch butterfly notes in this volume: We are one life passing through the prism of all
others gathering color and song.
