What can seaweed teach us about the histories, ecologies, and cultures of the coast?
Through shared reading and discussion, we will explore the often-overlooked world of marine plants and consider how practices of close attention can reshape our relationship to the sea.
Join us for the seventh edition of The Perennial Reading Group, a collective reading session hosted by artistic researcher and gardener Anne Diestelkamp!
We gather for a collective, multi-sensory reading of Dutch poet and artist Miek Zwamborn’sSeaweed Collector’s Handbook,a blend of memoir, coastal observation and recipe collection. Zwamborn walked the shorelines of the Scottish coast where she encountered various weeds of the sea: pepper dulse, sea lettuce, bladderwrack. Her handbook is a poetic reflection about the history of botanical collection, marine ecologies and the cultural histories of seaweed across the globe.
During the session, we will read excerpts from the book, taste a selection of seaweed dishes, and consider how attention to these often-overlooked marine plants might transform our relationship to the sea and the coastal environments around us.
Texts will be provided on site. No preparation necessary.
Anne Diestelkamp is a cultural programmer, artistic researcher, and gardener. The programs she develops emerge from collaboration with neighborhoods, communities, and artists and makers from different disciplines. Her research revolves around gardening, feminist ecologies, trans-corporeality, herbalism, and the history of witchcraft, much of which is grounded in her own work with plants at the community garden I Can Change the World With My Two Hands in Amsterdam. In September 2025, Anne founded The Perennial Reading Group, a nomadic, ongoing gathering for those drawn to sharing plant wisdom - eco-feminists, gardeners, cross-pollinators, and all who feel kinship with the more-than-human world.
