GROWING FOOD AND FLOWERS IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY & BEYOND

Sienna Mae Heath

My growing experience has been evolving for the past 10+ years. It began with a hyacinth. Then, a basil sprout. And finally, a rogue pumpkin vine out of my compost coaxed me to grow my own vegetables. Seven years later, I’ve re-rooted in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where I have planted five gardens over the past five years. 

Growing food and flowers, I planted an urban garden at a coworking office and developed four areas at a community garden where I paired companions such as potatoes and alyssum in a container garden alongside the shed of the Center for Clay and Fire. In the ground, I established several plots: 

1) a raised bed of dahlias, sage and mint at times companioned with brassica

2) adjacent to that bed, The Three Sisters of Indian corn, squash, and string beans set apart from cantaloupe, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and nasturtium 

3) also adjacent, sunflowers and zinnias landscaped with stones from the ceramics kiln

4) nearby, a pollinator patch of Queen Anne’s lace, yarrow, rudbeckia, echinacea, salvia, and chamomile to attract the bees from the hive on site

Yearly, I start seedlings under a grow light and harden them off in the courtyard of my Southside apartment building. TrueLeaf Market has invited me to join their affiliate program and share my experience using their products in my window garden on social media (@thesovereigngardener). 

In 2023, I’m creating tea gardens of Holy/Tulsi basil, chamomile, cornflower, lavender, sage, chrysanthemum, yarrow, calendula, rose hips, morning glory, strawberry leaves, blueberry leaves, and raspberry leaves with lemon mint and peppermint – pairing the teas with ceramic mugs made by my father Walter Heath and my mother Bahereh Khodadoost at their home. I will plant fruits and vegetables as well, while I’ll continue to tend to the cowork garden, grow with friends in the Lehigh Valley, and begin volunteering at a local farm.

POETRY, PODCASTS, and MUSINGS ON THE WORLD

“Above all the displays of bravery and declarations of independence, there is something that much more precious — hope.”

– Sienna Mae Heath

Cursive writing by Sienna Mae Heath

The Hero’s Journey

My poetry and podcasts for Free the People explore embodying art as a way of being, posing the question: What motivates someone to step out as an individual?

Sienna Mae Heath on the BlazeTV's Kibbe on Liberty and her show Leaving the Left for Liberty (Free the People)
Interview Series with Dissidents and Whistleblowers

Host Sienna Mae Heath continues the conversation started in Kibbe on Liberty | Ep 207 to explore Matt’s origin story: the song lyrics and hero’s journey novel that inspired him to start Free the People. Matt and Sienna discuss how artists can lead by inspiration, not force. They reflect on Sienna’s upbringing with a family of artists and examples of art vs. authoritarianism around the world, including in Sienna’s mother’s native country of Iran where poets & musicians are targeted by the Islamic regime. 

The Trampled Woman, Freedom Convoy inspired poem by Sienna Mae Heath (Free the People)
Film/Poem: The Trampled Woman

This poem is dedicated to Candice Sero who was trampled by police on horses in Ottawa on the evening of February 18, 2022 at the Freedom Convoy, which sought to defeat the vaccine mandates across Canada and inspired unifying protests around the world. Candace “Candy” Sero is reportedly a Mohawk elder who has lived in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Hastings County, Ontario. She survived the incident while suffering from a broken clavicle. It has been brought to attention that she was holding a white shawl, resembling a white flag on her walking assist device—a symbol of peace.

Poetry and Music

For the New World

The Time Before, a poem by Sienna Mae Heath. Pictured: The sun in the center of several trees on a brisk spring day.
The Time Before

A poem on choosing to be wronged when righteous – remembering a time before birthing into this shift of ages.

Sienna Mae Heath headshot by E Morrow Productions
Nothing But Light

Nothing but Light: Honoring the Storied Shadows of Recovery, my spoken word show live from IceHouse Tonight with Gary Lader on accordian and piano.