Writer and Agroecologist.
I write about food and farming and teach in the Environmental Studies program at UC Santa Barbara
I am an agroecologist, which means I study the vast web of relationships on farms, and how they can benefit people and nature. I have the privilege of writing about fascinating and brilliant farmers, while teaching the next generation of environmental leaders. But I didn't start out doing this. My first career was in country music, opening for artists like LeAnn Rimes, Travis Tritt, and Sugarland.
Books
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Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods
“Rooted in Indigenous stewardship and alive to the urgencies of climate, justice, and survival, Living Roots is both witness and invitation: to live, at last, as if our future depends on the lives around us.“ - Raj Patel, Author of Stuffed and Starved, Research Professor at University of Texas, Austin
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Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming
“A refreshingly truthful account of real roots of climate chaos and the authentic path to healing." - Leah Penniman, Author of Farming While Black and Co-Founder, Soul Fire Farm
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Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food
“Demonstrates how a green economy rooted in regenerative organic agriculture and renewable energy can help rebuild struggling communities in rural America.” - Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia
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Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America
“In an increasingly polarized era when differences and disagreements dominate the headlines, Carlisle’s narrative provides an optimistic case for a renewed commitment to the little things that bring us together.” - Berkeley Science Review