Dr. Ruth Ann Smalley and
Sarah Pottle

a conversation co-created by

Ruth Ann Smalley, Ph.D, is a children’s book author and energy practitioner living in upstate New York. Her work focuses on earth stewardship, healing, and sustainability; she loves using poetry, narrative, and humor to deal with the big, scary issues. Also a wellness and creativity coach, Ruth Ann helps people of all ages access their unique voices and healing powers. Her picture book, Sheila Says We’re Weird helps families discuss the simple values of green living, and is available online and through your local bookstore. She is currently at work on a middle grades eco-adventure trilogy, and has offered free video-recordings of the first two volumes, Defender of Dirt and Running with the Sun on her YouTube channel. She welcomes collaborative projects with like-minded educators! You can find out more at ruthannsmalley.com or at her vibrant-energies.com website.

Ruth Ann mentioned several references in the interview that made an impact on her life. Here's a short list of high impact books on the environment, education, transformation for all of you out there who love a good resources list (me!):

Alfie Kohn, Punished by Rewards

Sandra Steingraber, Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis

Rob Hopkins, From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want (We talk about this book A LOT in We Are Verbs)

Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures (This is one of my personal favorites, and might be a contender for a book club book).