My Book Comes out in October 2025

My Book Comes out in October 2025

Author: Christy Hyman, PhD April 6, 2025 Duration: 12:24

 In this episode I discuss updates about birds and travel as well as provide details on my upcoming book, The Cultural Heritage Resilience of the Great Dismal Swamp:

Exploring the Cultural Heritage Resilience of the Great Dismal Swamp** In this episode, we delve into the cultural resilience of the Great Dismal Swamp, highlighting the powerful stories of local residents who have preserved their traditions despite historical silences. We discuss the intersection of cultural values, heritage tourism, and the enduring legacy of freedom, all while emphasizing the importance of landscape stewardship informed by Indigenous practices. Join us as we uncover how marginalized communities establish empowering spaces to honor their heritage, even in the absence of external support. We’ll explore the rich history of the Great Dismal Swamp Region, focusing on settlements such as Mattoanoak, Bowers Hill, and Skeetertown, where ancestral lifeways continue to thrive. Through the resilient cultural narratives shared by community members, we spotlight their deep connections to the land and tradition, and the call to return to their roots. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about resilience, community, and heritage!


Christy Hyman is a geographer with a deep affection for birds and the wild spaces just outside our doors. In Random Nature, she sits down with fellow academics, not for stiff lectures, but for genuine conversations that explore the surprising and personal relationships we have with the natural world. You’ll hear how a sociologist might find order in a tangled forest, or how a historian sees the landscape as a living archive. These discussions get at the heart of how people who think for a living actually *experience* nature-whether they seek it out daily on long walks or observe it more quietly from a kitchen window garden. This podcast lives in the intersection of science, culture, and everyday life, revealing that our connection to the environment is rarely straightforward. It’s often messy, overlooked, and wonderfully random. Each episode is an invitation to reconsider your own surroundings, to notice the details in your own home, garden, or local park through a slightly different lens. Tune in for thoughtful, meandering talks that bridge the gap between scholarly insight and simple, personal appreciation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 40

Random Nature
Podcast Episodes
Dr. Randal Jelks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:49
I talk with Dr. Randal Jelks, PhD and he gives us a glimpse of many travels he has had from Louisiana to the Dakotas and beyond.Letters to Martin, Dr. Jelks latest book! Get it here:https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/let…
Ed Baptist, PhD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:57
I talk to Ed Baptist, PhD. We speak on Durham, NC, small scale farming, and hawks! I also discuss some challenges with grief. To that end consider this a content warning on profound sadness.
Madeleine Fritz Hooper, PhD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:19
Madeleine gives us a glimpse of her interactions with Nature through recalling her time as a child loving horses, taking adventures as a college student, and reflecting on the gifts of her father from that she treasures.…
Ignacio Carvajal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:48
Costa Rica, Kansas, RACCOONS!
Minisode: Prelude to the Next! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:37
In this minisode I introduce the upcoming podcast guest, José Ignacio Carvajal Regidor, PhD. I also share two Random Nature moments of my very own!
Random Nature Launch Party! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:16
Christy gathers:Elizabeth Sobel, PhdDorothy Kim, PhDJohn Handel, PhDKarin Dalziel, M.A., and artistRaquel Bryant, PhdMary Shelly, attorney and law librarianSteven Nelson, attorneyHannieh Molana, PhDLearotha Williams,, Ph…
Ravynn Stringfield [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:30
Episode 2 debuts today and we are in the studio with writer, artist, and university professor, Ravynn Stringfield! Get into it. Learn about her time growing up in Wakefield, VA spending time with family, becoming a commu…
Noreen Masud [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:27
Random Nature checks in with writer and university professor Noreen Masud who shares how the outdoors and wildlife inform her day to day. From the city of Lahore and the pines of northern Pakistan to the moors of Newcast…