Eric Garza lives on the richly storied lands of Vermont’s Champlain Valley, in the United States of America. He ponders the historical roots of the many predicaments we face today, and how we might navigate these predicaments with dignity and compassion.
Eric has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at various colleges and universities, and currently teaches part time at the University of Vermont. His academic background spans the natural and social sciences, policy, philosophy, and systems analysis. Beyond academia Eric practices various martial, contemplative, relational, and subsistence skills.
For those curious about Eric’s heritage, his father, from whom he inherits his surname, immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the late 1940s. His paternal grandfather was Basque, and his paternal grandmother had mixed Spanish and Indigenous heritage. Eric inherits his skin tone from his mother, who is of primarily Scottish and Irish descent.
Eric sometimes makes himself available for interviews and public talks. Contact him using the connect page to inquire. A selection of Eric’s past interviews are listed below.
How Are We To Live In The… Traumacene?, on The Poetry of Predicament with Dean Walker
Traumacene, With Eric Garza, on The Stoa
Eric Garza On Death, on Eugene Kim’s On Death podcast
Running the Numbers on Local Vs. Long Distance Food, on Vermont Public
A great many people—including other-than-human people—have shaped Eric Garza into the person he is today. He wishes to acknowledge some of these people, knowing that this list is sorely incomplete.
Eric owes his foremost acknowledgement to land, including the land he lives on today as well as the land he grew up on in the midwest United States. Land has taught him that all learning ultimately starts with dirt time. While land remains Eric’s primary teacher, a number of people bear mentioning too. Debts of gratitude are owed to Zen Master Barbara Rhodes, Leah Manaema Avene, Francis Weller, Resmaa Menakem, Shihan Robert Johnson, Karl Haloj, Lyla June Johnston, Sherri Mitchell, and various members of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Collective. The teachings and writings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Gilbert Walking Bull, Jake Swamp, Howard Odum, and Herman Daley have also been inspiring.
A final note: Someone has partially recreated one of Eric’s old websites using a domain he no longer owns or controls (ericgarza.info). Do not rely on any biographical information you find on that website, and do not use it to contact him. This (storywise.life) is Eric Garza’s only legitimate webs presence.