If trees could speak, what might they say?
If trees could speak to us, what might they say? In The Overstory, 2019’s Pulitzer Prize winner by Richard Powers, a tree tells a woman, “Your kind never sees us whole.” Powers says that’s true in more than a literal sense. It’s not just that the part of a tree that’s above ground is only half of the creature; it’s that we see trees only as extensions of our own needs and aspirations. Powers joins us to talk about his novel and how to see trees as more than “amputations.”
Here’s what RadioWest producer has to say about the episode:
For me, trees have always had a kind of magic to them. So, a novel in which trees are characters was always going to draw me in. Plus, Richard Powers still sticks out as one of the warmest guests we’ve had in my memory of the show.
