Each year Madison Public Library hosts a Naturalist-in-Residence program in partnership with Madison Parks. Programs are designed to encourage the community to reflect upon our natural world and their place in it through the guiding vision of an experienced or emerging local naturalist. This year's residency is titled Find Your Way Back to Nature and will be led by Madison native, Alex Booker, from July 15 - August 23, 2024. Check out 10 programs planned by Alex below that will take place in libraries and green spaces throughout Madison this summer!
Please note: Registration is required for many programs and capacity is limited. Please sign up to participate.
The Naturalist-in-Residence program is made possible thanks to a generous donation from Nancy Leff and Kenneth Lerner.
Meet Alex Booker
Alex Booker in the greenhouse at Firm Footing Farms in Black Earth, WI
Booker is a Madison native who has always loved the outdoors. His passion for nature started from a young age when he joined a gardening program at the East Madison Community Center. Gardens and farms have been at the center of many of his experiences since then, either as hobbies or through work. The theme of his residency, Find Your Way Back to Nature, will focus on ways to reconnect with the ecosystems that surround us. Naturalist programs will include nature walks, tea blending, flower arranging, sound baths, and more.
“My goal is to help people hear the messages nature is trying to give them by exploring traditional ways of connecting to the land,” said Booker. “The lessons we learn by observing the natural ecosystem can help people take steps to become the person they want to be in our community ecosystem.”
Over the past four years, Booker has been working in the nonprofit world, focusing on food insecurity and urban agriculture. Currently, he works as the Manager of the Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, where he started out as an Assistant Farm Education Manager growing his skills as a program facilitator for all ages. Alex also spends time cultivating his own agricultural efforts thanks to a collective called Firm Footing Farms located in Black Earth, WI that he's been a member of for the past three years. The couple that owns the farm provide free space to Queer BIPOC farmers so that they can start or learn different agriculture practices. Booker makes the 45 minute drive out to the farm on a weekly basis to take care of 18 chickens, beekeep, and tend his garden plot that includes fruits, wheat, collard greens, herbs, and more. He plans to use some of the items he grows on the farm during programs for the library.
“Growing up in Madison, I’ve been going to the library for as long as I can remember. I have utilized workshops on cooking, arts and crafts activities, etc. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen how our libraries have put an emphasis on natural learning through things like the Seed Library, gardening programs, foraging classes, and more, so I’m excited to add to that knowledge and be a part of the library family,” said Booker. “I have also used books from the library to read and develop on subjects like herbalism, and I’m excited to share some of those titles as part of the Naturalist-in-Residence book list that will be released as part of the residency."
Find Your Way Back to Nature Flyers
Flyer designed by Lashay the Artist!
We're excited to announce that the 2024 theme posters are available now in all nine of our library locations and on the Dream Bus! This year's theme is Find Your Way Back to Nature, and the limited edition posters were designed by Lashay the Artist! in English, Spanish, and Hmong. Lashay the Artist!, is also currently serving as the WE READ Bubbler Artist-in-Residence at Meadowridge Library this summer, and worked with Alex to capture a visual that feels familiar and representative of the Midwest. Pick yours up today!
About the Artist
Lashay The Artist! is a resilient mother of four who embodies the spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship. She truly enjoys working with youth and encouraging positive change. Despite the challenges she faces, Lashay's passion for art and entrepreneurial drive propel her forward in life. As an artist with many facets of lived experience, she channels her emotions and experiences into her work, creating pieces that resonate with others on a profound level. Lashay the Artist! expresses herself through poetry, motivational speaking, and hair styling. Her entrepreneurial spirit and drive to inspire others shines through in her ability to turn her passion into a thriving business, managing both the demands of motherhood and the responsibilities of running her own enterprise. Lashay is not just a mother; she is a beacon of strength, an active community liaison, who consistently displays creativity, and determination, while inspiring those around her to pursue their dreams against all odds.
Look Back at Last Year's Naturalist Program
Madison Public Library’s popular Naturalist-in-Residence program returned for its second year in September 2023! In partnership with Madison Parks, nature-based programs for all ages took place in libraries, parks and natural areas across the city of Madison from September 1-30, 2023.
Although the Naturalist-in-Residence program wrapped up at the end of September, really amazing things sometimes live on! We wanted to thank Qwantese for her fantastic leadership during this residency, and for sharing her skills, talents, charm, wit, grace and deep knowledge with us.
Over the course of more than a dozen events, nearly 200 people got to meet and learn from Qwantese. Two of these events were Nature Writing and Meditative Walks to Edna Taylor Conservation Park and Heritage Prairie, where Qwantese encouraged participants to study and write about nature. The results? A stunning painting created by Alina Puente called Fears Buried at Sunset, and a collection of short poems that Qwantese combined to create two collaborative poems - one for each walk location. Click the link to read the poems and view the painting.
You can learn even more about last year's residency on the 2023 Residency: Rooted in Nature page.
Past Years
Qwantese Dourese Winters
