Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, the writer, educator, performer, and activist, talks this week about nurturing plants at home during the pandemic, and shares her poem “Huedom,” about seeking connection with nature despite the danger it poses. As a former poet laureate of Houston who held the post in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Mouton has written about hope and resilience in the face of racialized violence and tragedy—themes she explores here too on State of Mind.

This story was first published in March 2020. Next week on State of Mind, Texas Monthly contributor Katie Nodjimbadem tells the story of her parents’ unlikely decision to make a home in El Paso, and how she’s been shaped by the hometown she left behind.

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