The Poison Garden
a collaborative periodical exploring the presence & myth of powerful plants
This periodical is a place for sharing experiences that spring forth from powerful plants labeled as poison. Personal journeys are incredible, but there is magic that happens when we allow these plants to build community through different voices. Collaborating is where myths are born, where we can overlap our stories to deepen our own relationships with the plants and each other.
These are the plants once held as sacred by humans and immortalized in art and story, but now the attention given to them is negative or fearful. It is time to remediate their reputation and strengthen the community of people who appreciate the depth that poison plants offer. And we need your help to do it.
Since this project is entirely about communal world-building through poison plants, the logistical model is as well. It operates as a co-op, meaning all profits (after print costs) are equally divided and paid to contributors. The first stipend will be distributed a month after the issue is released, and then future stipends will be distributed on a quarterly basis until the issue sells out.
It is our hope to expand on the payment model next year by acquiring grants that will be used to give additional money to future contributors.
Available in 2025
Upcoming issues
An introduction to the concept of poison in every capacity - ecologically, botanically, metaphorically. This issue is not limited to plants! It can speak the theme in any form. Feel free to weave historical myths into present day practices, to illuminate the poisons we deal with culturally, to give insight through astrological concepts. We want to explore all facets of poison to create a solid foundation for the future issues to grow from.
Meet the Editors
Charlie & Ryn
Charlie FLATT is a writer and editor living his dream on a small farm in Southwest France.
Ryn is a bog creature who sometimes shapeshifts as a creative, in service of our collective remembering and rerooting. When they're not tending their own poison garden, you can sometimes find them on IG (@ryn.fink).
Belladonna has such a rich history and presence. It has been used as medicine, in cosmetics, for death, it has appeared in mythology and folklore with associations to several deities and archetypes. It is the perfect example of how complex the relationship between humans and powerful plants has been - and the soil is still fertile for new stories to grow.
Meet the Editors
Mila & Nikki
Mila is an artist and animist with a passion for traversing the unknown. Devoted to the Appalachian Mountains, they work closely with plants that are classified as poisonous, invasive, or have a misguided reputation. They also write and teach about developing relationships with an animate world, especially within the intersection of plants and death.
Nikki Martin is a certified Deep Listening™ facilitator and received her death educator certification through IDLM. She completed bioregional herbalism programs with the Elderberry School of Botanical Medicine in Portland, OR and plant journey work with Kathryn Solie of Persephone's Path. She continues her ethnobotanical folklore studies with Occvlta, spiritual mentors and is a regular attendee of the Viridis Genii Symposium. With a background in immersive environmental sound, advocacy, production and printing work, she seeks to weave her varied experiences into infrastructures that support fully-embodied practices and ways of relating with our kin in the natural world.
As one of the first poison plants that outdoor enthusiasts learn, poison ivy is another introductory ally. There are many facets to speak about with this unique plant: its boundary holding, its vining, its topical nature. It also brings up questions of perspective with who is centered in its story, since it both harms people and helps the ecosystem with the same poison.
Meet the Editors
Hazel & Maria
M. Hazel Andrews Holmes, PhD is a botanist, forest ecologist, adjunct professor, and occasional folk artist currently living in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA. She is especially interested in the ways plant communities develop in response to past land use, parasitic plants, and post-industrial ecology. Her research and needlework can be found here and here.
Maria Seda-Reeder is a writer and curator who has been supporting the work of contemporary visual artists for over two decades. She believes in the power of words to re-imagine collective possibilities for the future, and that art has the capacity to reflect the current moment—which is always in the process of being co-created.
Frequently asked questions
You can submit nearly anything that speaks to your relationship with the particular plant or theme that an issue is focused on. Some ideas are: original art, writing, dream documentation, personal research projects, photographs of your garden. Get as creative or weird as you want! You do not need any formal training or background to share your work.
There is no limit to what you can submit. This is a self-published zine, so we have flexibility. We print in full color.
Pieces must be suitable for print format and must not violate any copyrights. We are not interested in pieces that promote discrimination.
For legal reasons, we cannot publish anything that encourages ingesting these plants. If you submit a piece about working with a plant hands-on, please include a thorough safety disclaimer.
There are no submission fees or costs to apply or be in The Poison Garden.
We are open to accepting work previously posted on social media or personal newsletters, but we have to decline if it is already in another publication - that makes copyrights complicated.
You will be notified if your submission has been accepted by September 15th, 2024. You will also be notified if your submission has not been accepted for the particular issue you submitted for, but we may request to hold onto it for a future issue.
We aim to include all voices and it is painful to turn away a piece of work. With your permission, we will always try to find a way to share it in some capacity to our community, even if it takes some time.
You will have 4 weeks to finalize your piece and send it back to us after you have been notified of acceptance. If you would like help with editing or formatting, you can request it when you receive your acceptance letter.
After all complete submissions are received at the end of the 4 weeks, the design and print process of the periodical will begin. This can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months, so please hold tight! Once we have the periodicals in hand, you will be notified and sent a free copy.
We'll be choosing the next set of issues and developing a timeline in 2025. More details will be shared then!
The first three issues (Purpose of Poison, Belladonna, and Poison Ivy) are still in development. You will be able to purchase them through this website when they are available.
We will also be doing wholesale orders for brick and mortar stores or for people who would like to bring them to a convention. More details coming soon.