Soil, Stars, and Sexuality: Belonging Across Body, Land, Spirit, and Community
Publication information:
Abstract
Soil, Stars, and Sexuality is a self-healing, self-growth, and spiritual inquiry text that weaves land-based wisdom, embodied sexuality, ancestral memory, cosmology, and social critique. Rooted in urban homesteading, ecological intimacy, Black feminist spirituality, and lived experience, the book positions belonging not as a static membership category, but as a relational practice across soil (land
and body), stars (cosmology, destiny, meaning), and sexuality (desire, identity, generativity, creativity). This workshop invites participants to examine how belonging is cultivated, withheld, regulated, and reclaimed within spiritual communities and academic spaces. Drawing from personal narrative, ecological metaphor, and critical reflection, the session bridges lived spirituality and scholarly inquiry, honoring both without collapsing one into the other. The proposal directly addresses questions of inclusion, exclusion, academic boundaries, alternative spiritualities, and ethical belonging through an interdisciplinary, accessible, and embodied framework.
Presenter Biography
Toya L. Walker is an educator, gardener, and founder of Organically Grown Queen, where she combines gardening, storytelling, and creative expression to help people reconnect with nature and their own cultural roots. She has presented at conferences including Herbstalk and NOFA, and her work focuses on native plants, urban gardening, and using sensory observation to inspire writing and art. Through her workshops, Toya shows how even the smallest garden space can become a place for imagination, learning, and community connection.