Emerson James

Emerson James (they/them) is imagining, articulating, and captivated by a world permeated with the possibilities of queerness. Nourished by contemplative practices, they find vocational calling in cultivating and offering skills in spiritual care and facilitation. After first being introduced as an undergraduate to the Church of the Brethren’s deep commitment to pacifism and social justice, they have been called to the particular role of spiritual practice and action in the transformation and expansion of cultures, systems and modes of awareness.

They took to heart young Wendell Berry’s statement that one’s relationship with place is like all relationships, including that of dharma practice: you first make a commitment and then the rewards come. They’ve spent a decade practicing homemaking in Cache Valley, Utah and the surrounding Bear River Mountains. They have a BS in Environmental Stewardship from McPherson College and an MS in English with an emphasis in Creative Nonfiction from Utah State University. Their queer, ecological, dharma, and writing interests are currently being expressed in an ongoing project exploring the liberation possible when an eco-queer lens is applied to the Jataka Tales.