Tell our stories, said the Tulip Poplar tree.
The request came to Amanda Nicole many years ago when

the relationship between she and Tulip Poplar was just beginning.

At the time, Amanda thought the stories to be told only belonged

to Tulip Poplar, but time taught her that the stories belonged

not only to the tree but also to her, and even to all of humanity.

  The stories were indeed Our Stories, the telling of a shared reality. 

 

This realization occasioned the collaborative writing of

I AM the Tree, a memoir of the life danced by and between

Amanda Nicole and the Tulip Poplar tree.  When the writing of 

I AM the Tree was complete, Amanda Nicole stood on her deck

one summer morning and considered publication possibilities.

Trees rose all around her. She I listened as their foliate voices

rustled in the breeze.

Tell our stories, Tulip Poplar said to her. 

Create a place where plants write books.  Make a way for

our voices to be heard. You have everything you need. 

Create a publishing press with me. 

Liriodendress Press has a nice ring, said the tree.