I recently had the pleasure of joining the Wizards & Spaceships podcast for an episode titled "Indigenous Survivance for the Zombie Apocalypse." While the title may sound playful, the conversation explored some very serious questions: How do communities survive difficult times? What knowledge is worth preserving? And how do we build a future worth inheriting?
During the interview, we discussed many of the themes that connect my work as an author, educator, herbalist, and founder of the Zaniyan Center. We talked about food sovereignty, herbal medicine, preparedness, mutual aid, and the importance of maintaining cultural knowledge through times of change.
The conversation also touched on my speculative fiction series, Circle for the Earth. Although the books are works of fiction, they explore real-world questions about resilience, sustainability, community, and what it means to protect the Earth for future generations. Science fiction gives us a space to imagine alternatives to the systems we live within and to ask what might be possible if we chose a different path.
One of the concepts we discussed was survivance, a term used by many Indigenous scholars and writers to describe something more than survival. Survivance is about presence, adaptation, creativity, and continuing to thrive despite adversity. It is a powerful idea that resonates deeply with the work we do at Zaniyan Center, whether we are giving away seeds, teaching about herbs, supporting food sovereignty efforts, or creating spaces for community connection.
I am grateful to the hosts of Wizards & Spaceships for the opportunity to share these ideas and for creating a space where conversations about Indigenous futures, resilience, and storytelling can flourish.
If you'd like to listen to the episode, you can find it here:
🎙️ Indigenous Survivance for the Zombie Apocalypse featuring Daphne Singingtree
Thank you for reading, listening, and being part of the conversation.