Join urban farmer Karen Washington and filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia in conversation with The Very Reverend James A. Kowalski, Dean of the Cathedral, for a stirring discussion on dirt—that often overlooked, yet undeniably essential resource. Dirt: A Love Story, edited by Barbara Richardson, explores the nature and importance of life-giving soil, through the writings of 36 authors, gardeners, hikers, and environmentalists, and includes essays by Koons Garcia and Washington.

There will be a screening of an excerpt of Koons Garcia’s 2013 film Symphony of the Soil. Copies of Dirt: A Love Story will be available for purchase.

Deborah Koons Garcia is a filmmaker whose work includes Symphony of the Soil and The Future of Food. Symphony of the Soil premiered theatrically at IFC in New York City and was designated a New York Times Critic’s pick. The film has shown widely at theaters, festivals, conferences, museums and grass roots gatherings throughout the world. Deborah screened the film at the UN on World Soil Day which kicked off The UN International Year of the Soils of which the film is an official part. She has also shown Symphony at scientific conventions including the 2012 Tri-Society Conference here in the US and 20th World Congress of Soil Science, and many universities including Yale, Fresno State, Iowa State and UC Berkeley where it was the Hans Jenny Memorial Lecture. She also screened at the US Congress and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

This evening of conversation is part of The Value of Food: Sustaining a Green Planet.