Category: Publications / Talks

Exhibit Review: Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine

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Produced by The Ukrainian Museum by Peter Doroshenko (review)

Published in the Journal of American Folklore

Earlier this year, I published a review in the Journal of American Folklore of a wonderful exhibit which passed through New York City at the Ukrainian Museum. Please Enjoy this review available on Muse here: https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/25/article/963974

Kennedy, Maria. Review of Exhibit Review: Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine. Produced by The Ukrainian Museum, by Peter Doroshenko. Journal of American Folklore 138, no. 548 (2025): 245-246. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/963974

Publication: Plant Perspectives

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“Exploring Un-cultivation in America: Discourses of Wild and Foraged Apples“

I’m excited to share a new publication in the journal Plant Perspectives! This publication is a special issue: “Tree cultures and the arboreal humanities” edited by Caroline Cornish and Christina Hourigan. It was the end-result of a convening of panels at the Royal Geographical Society in 2022 and at the Linnean Society in 2023. It was such a pleasure to be a part of these panels and learn from my fellow panelists and writers about their research into tree cultures. This article is part of the Foraged Fruit Project with Dr. Gregory Peck and his team at Cornell. The journal articles are available here: https://www.whp-journals.co.uk/PP/issue/view/166

Foraged Fruit Talk for the Arboricultural Association

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I was invited to give a webinar talk on the Foraged Fruit Project for the Arboricultural Association this week! You can find the talk here on their website: https://www.trees.org.uk/Training-Events/Webinars/Wild-orchards-in-the-American-Northeast-and-Urban-orchards-and-nature-based-solutions-in-Zagreb,-Cro

The first talk by Iva Bedenko highlights urban orchard projects in the city of Zagreb, Croatia. My talk starts around the 28 minute mark.

Enjoy!

“The Architecture of Orchards” in Malus

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I’m very excited to have my article, “The Architecture of Orchards” in Issue 14 of Malus, a mighty little publication spreading ideas within the cider industry. You can read my article here. It is available on my publications page as well.

I’m especially delighted to see my article in print right next to one by James Crowden. I discovered James Crowden’s book Cider the Forgotten Miracle while I was working at Goren Farm in Devon in 2004 as a volunteer through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. I remember sitting in the barn near an ancient screw press and a barrel of cider while reading Crowden’s book. I was forever transformed. So I feel very honored to be included in a publication alongside him. Crowden opened my eyes to orchards as places of deep living, of stories, of tradition, and poetry.

Though I’ve thought about the material structure of orchards often, especially as regards the specific environmental benefits attributed to old standard orchard trees in Britain, I think there is much more to explore in thinking about them as architecture. The fields of vernacular architecture, landscape architecture, and cultural geography have tools for thinking about the intersection of natural and social worlds and how we construct the spaces we inhabit. I’m just at the beginning of this avenue of thought, and this article is an experiment. Tell me what you think!

If you haven’t read Malus, order yourself a copy or get a subscription right now! One of the wonderful things about this zine is its paper format, grounding us back in the world of material reading.

PhD in Cider

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When introducing me to new colleagues, friends, or relative strangers at dinner parties and conferences, some people like to joke, “Meet Maria, she has a PhD in Cider.”  And now, friends, it is true.  I got this banal, bureaucratic, and yet strangely emotional email in my inbox this week:

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Anyone who has done a PhD, or who has nursed a significant other or friend through a PhD, knows that this day is a long time coming.  There are so many people to thank (and I spend several pages on that in my acknowledgements), but here, I’d like to thank you fine folks who have occasionally strayed by my blog to read my musings on cider.  Writing is a difficult, disciplined, hair-tearing, and sometimes euphoric task.  It has been a delight to write here to an audience directly interested in the subject matter that I am also in love with.  I hope to publish my dissertation as a book at some stage (another long process), but in the meantime, if any of you have an interest in reading the dissertation, I am happy to share it – please contact me with your email address, and I will send you a PDF.  Many cider friends have contributed directly to the research, and I value any opinions you have to offer! I am also providing a PDF of the dissertation here: Maria Kennedy Dissertation. Maria Kennedy Full Dissertation Final 11-02-2017

I have some fine bottles that I have been keeping for this day of celebration: Kevin Minchew’s perry, Tom Oliver’s Perry, and Broome Farm Cider.  Thanks and Wassail!