EP. 38: Vivien Sansour on Palestinian Seeds, Longing, and Love

Vivien Sansour is an artist, storyteller, researcher and conservationist.

She uses image, sketch, film, soil, seeds, and plants to enliven old cultural tales in contemporary presentations and to advocate for the protection of biodiversity as a cultural and political act. Vivien works with a global network of farmers and seed advocates to promote seed conservation and agrobiodiversity. As part of this effort, she founded the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, with the goals of finding and reintroducing threatened crop varieties and to collect stories to assert the ownership of seeds by communities.

This episode features a conversation between Vivien and Owen in East Rock Park in New Haven, Connecticut from dusk to darkness amongst deer and woodpeckers, with mariyamiya tea and einkorn cake, and about grief and doing good things in the world with seeds. 

SEED STORIES: 

• Qarn al-Ghazal

• Khobaizeh fruits / Mary's Cake

• Bamyeh (Palestinian Okra)

• Filfil Gazawi (Gazan Peppers)

• Olives

• Jarjir (Arugula)

• Molokhia

• Wild Asparagus

• Figs

• Loquat

• Jazar Ahmar (Palestinian Purple Carrot)

• Mariyamiya (Sage)

LINKS:

• Palestine Heirloom Seed Library homepage

• Palestine Heirloom Seed Library newsletter 12/2/2025

• Instagram: PHSL and Vivien Sansour

• Donate to PHSL's The Apple Path: planting another 2,000 heirloom fruit trees in Palestine

THIS EPISODE SUPPORTED BY:

• • YOU! Please become a Patron for $1 or more a month at Patreon.com/trueloveseeds
  • Scribe Video Center and WPEB, West Philly Community Radio

ABOUT:

Seeds And Their People is a radio show where we feature seed stories told by the people who truly love them. Hosted by Owen Taylor of Truelove Seeds and Chris Bolden-Newsome of Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden.

trueloveseeds.com/blogs/satpradio

FIND OWEN HERE:

Truelove Seeds

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FIND CHRIS HERE:

Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden