Daphne Singingtree is an educator in plant medicine, midwifery, and emergency preparedness, with a career spanning decades. While she is best known for her works in midwifery, such as the Birthsong Midwifery Workbook, the Emergency Guide to Obstetric Complications, and Training Midwives: A Guide for Preceptors, her latest venture, Circle of the Earth, marks her debut in fiction.
Daphne Singingtree's journey started as a street kid at age twelve, she connected with the seventies counterculture movement of the 1970s, where she started learning about herbs and holistic healing. That changed the direction of her life. She later became an herbalist, a midwife, an educator, and an author. She started midwifery in 1974, leading to an active practice in home and birth center settings until her retirement in 2002. Her influence extends beyond her practice, as she played a pivotal role in shaping midwifery education and accreditation. As a founding member of the Midwifery Educators Coalition, she laid the groundwork for the Midwifery Education and Accreditation Council (MEAC) and served on the MEAC Board of Directors from 1997 to 2001. Daphne also contributed significantly to the field through her role as Vice Chair of the Oregon State Board of Direct Entry Midwifery from 1999 to 2001 and as Education Committee Chair for the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA). She was the founder and director of the Birthsong School of Midwifery from 1979 to 1989 and the Oregon School of Midwifery from 1993 to 2002. In addition to her hands-on work and leadership, Daphne holds a Masters in Education with a concentration on learning with technology.
Daphne is also an urban homesteader, promoting permaculture, emergency preparation, and food resilience. She emphasizes the importance of emergency preparedness, not just for personal survival but also for the ability to aid others.
She has remained dedicated to learning and teaching about plant medicine throughout her life, a passion she continues to pursue. Her upcoming book, the Eagletree Guide to Herbal Medicine Making' scheduled for release in summer 2024, promises to share the knowledge and recipes she developed over forty years of running her herbal business.
Her heritage includes Lakota from the Standing Rock Tribe, Spanish, and Scottish. She is the mother of four grown children and the grandmother of eight. She calls Eugene, Oregon, home, where she grows herbs, makes medicine, and is an activist for protecting the earth and water.
If you want to go back and view some history, here is an old blog.
