Emily Donaldson
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emilydonaldson.bsky.social
Emily Donaldson
@emilydonaldson.bsky.social
Anthropologist, Author, Island-lover, Mother, Chicken-herder
Were the Magi's three gifts really meant for both Mary and the baby Jesus? Check out my new Substack to learn more

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LinkedIn
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October 15, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Check out my new Rooted Resolve! On one woman's courageous adventures, art and medicinal insights in 17th century Suriname
@reproductivefreedomforall.org
The Secrets of Suriname
How one woman's pursuit of metamorphosis transformed science
open.substack.com
September 29, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Check out my latest Rooted Resolve on the fascinating chemistry of herbs! emilycdonaldson.substack.com/p/la-chimist...
#ReproductiveHealth #herbalmedicine #feministhistory
La Chimiste
(Story 8 of In Fertility, a Rooted Resolve Series)
emilycdonaldson.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 1:19 PM
In the Marquesas Islands, traditional values and beliefs persevere despite centuries of colonialism. Read more in my most recent Rooted Resolve!
open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
Rooster Signs
Cultural perseverance in the Marquesas Islands
open.substack.com
August 2, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Big news: BEACON PRESS will publish my book, Fertile Roots: Global Traditions of Herbalism and the Womb, in Fall 2026! Read more below. Thank you to my agent, DANIELLE SVETCOV, and editor HALEY LYNCH!
@reprorights.bsky.social @reproductivefreedomforall.org @scienceandartofherbalism.com
Fertile Roots — EMILY C. DONALDSON * Author
www.ecdonaldson.com
July 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
In Madagascar, where abortion is illegal, rural women turn to traditional healers for help. Read more in my latest Rooted Resolve, The Reninjaza! emilycdonaldson.substack.com/p/the-reninj...
@reprorights.bsky.social @reproductivefreedomforall.org
The Reninjaza
(Story 6 of In Fertility, a Rooted Resolve series)
emilycdonaldson.substack.com
July 21, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Discover the woman (and women!) hidden behind our discovery of the smallpox vaccine...in my latest Rooted Resolve!
Lady Montagu
One woman's resolve to turn the tide of smallpox
emilycdonaldson.substack.com
July 7, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Pretending is such a familiar part of our lives but few people have picked apart how it affects us in both negative and positive ways. This piece by Stanford Medicine's Priya Singh, which is the first in a series, starts to dig a little deeper!

www.linkedin.com/pulse/forget...
Forget Authenticity. Let’s Talk about Pretending
I wasn’t looking for a job when it happened. I saw an ad for an internship with the iconic American brand, Levi Strauss.
www.linkedin.com
June 25, 2025 at 6:28 PM
The pill is a modern wonder, no question. But did you know women have known how to keep their periods regular--and, in some cases, prevent pregnancy--for centuries? Check out my latest Rooted Resolve!
open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
#feminism #herbalism #medicalhistory
Hannah
(Story 5 of In Fertility, a Rooted Resolve series)
open.substack.com
June 9, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Friends: Check out my new Rooted Resolve, about former nurse and writer Kwaneta Harris and her incredible fight to support women's health in prison! open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
@womenshealthnl.bsky.social @kwanetaharris.bsky.social
Kwaneta
Seeking better women's health behind bars
open.substack.com
May 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
What happens when the influence of an ancient Babylonian queen surprises us?
Check out my latest Rooted Resolve, The Archaeology of Female Power!
open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
Queen Puabi
The archaeology of female power
open.substack.com
May 13, 2025 at 3:36 PM
The current reproductive health challenges of American women chillingly echoes what Colombian women faced just a few years ago...read more on Rooted Resolve!
#reproductivehealth #womenshealth @reproductivefreedomforall.org @reprocaucus.bsky.social @reprorights.bsky.social
Hospital Hunting Grounds
Lessons from Colombia
open.substack.com
April 26, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Feeling proud to be a Harvard alum lately, and deeply concerned about the attack on education and research. Not everyone has the power to stand up to these demands...but perhaps by anticipating them, other institutions can prepare their defenses? @wearehighered.bsky.social #researchmatters
www.harvard.edu
April 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Hey all! Check out my new Rooted Resolve on tribalism (photo from the Marquesan Arts Festival in 2013, featuring dancers from Ua Huka!):

open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...

#indigenous #colonialism @iwrising.bsky.social @indigenousja.bsky.social @indigeditors.bsky.social
Sick of Tribalism?
Let's stop saying it.
open.substack.com
April 11, 2025 at 6:46 PM
So excited to announce a new book chapter on sustainable heritage in the Marquesas that I co-authored with Marquesan scholar Edgar Tetahiotupa!

Check it out (and send me a note if you want a copy; happy to share):

academic.oup.com/edited-volum...

#heritage #indigenous #sustainability
Sustainable Heritage in the Marquesas Islands: An Archaeology of Dissonance at a World Heritage Site
AbstractIn this chapter, the authors excavate the long, sometimes troubled evolution of a UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) nomination in the Marquesas Isla
academic.oup.com
April 8, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Hey folks, check out my new post on Rooted Resolve, "Bird Woman"!
open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
#feminism #indigenous #herbalmedicine
Bird Woman
(Story 4 in a Rooted Resolve series)
open.substack.com
April 1, 2025 at 1:19 AM
My latest Rooted Resolve is about how to fight for the sacred in a material world. Check it out!
emilycdonaldson.substack.com/p/powerful-t...
Powerful Things
Fighting for the sacred in a material world
emilycdonaldson.substack.com
March 20, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Feeling like you're not quite where you want to be in life? Check out Your Hidden Genius, a book by Betsy Wills and Alex Ellison that I helped write last year and recently hit bookstores! (Cake not included, unfortunately...) 😆
www.instagram.com/reel/DHZp2q0...
cadescakes on Instagram: "Let’s make a Your Hidden Genius Book Cake ⚡️🧠📖 soo excited to be included in the book 🙃 #cadescakes #YourHiddenGeniusView all 1…"
Let’s make a Your Hidden Genius Book Cake ⚡️🧠📖 soo excited to be included in the book 🙃 #cadescakes #YourHiddenGenius
www.instagram.com
March 20, 2025 at 1:13 PM
In the Marquesas Islands, women take extra care navigating the forest when they are pregnant. You never know what the spirits might do! Check out my latest post on Rooted Resolve for the story of Leonie.
Leonie
(Story 3 in a Rooted Resolve series)
emilycdonaldson.substack.com
March 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Friends: As a developmental copy editor, I enjoy helping other authors get over the finish line. I am particularly excited to announce Jennifer Kahn's new book on the archaeology of Tahiti, Fenua and Fare, Marae and Mana! Check it out!
@archaeologyeaa.bsky.social
Fenua and Fare, Marae and Mana: The Archaeology of Ancient Tahiti and the Society Islands
In 1767 the shores of Tahiti first appeared in the sights of Captain Samuel Wallis, and ever since, this tropical locale has captured the imagination of explorers, merchants, missionaries, historia…
uhpress.hawaii.edu
March 5, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Hello friends, check out my new story on Rooted Resolve! It helped keep me going this week...
open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
Paanza
A Legend of Rice and Resilience
open.substack.com
February 21, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Feeling discouraged about the current state of things? The Op-Ed Project can help you get your voice out there! I recently took one of their workshops and loved it--both informative and inspirational.
www.theopedproject.org
The OpEd Project
The OpEd Project's mission is to increase the range of voices and quality of ideas we hear in the world. We provide trainings, fellowships, and resources to amplify underrepresented voices, and change...
www.theopedproject.org
February 18, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Check out my latest newsletter to learn about one Catholic saint's surprising take on women's reproductive health!
open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
Sibyl
(Story 2 in a Rooted Resolve Series)
open.substack.com
February 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Time to stay strong and DEFEND scientific research! From Harvard President Alan Garber: the 15 percent cap on indirect support for NIH research "would slash funding and cut research activity" throughout America. We should not relinquish our "lead position on the endless frontier" of science!
February 11, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Announcing my new newsletter, Rooted Resolve! Your bi-monthly source for stories of resilience rooted in culture, exploring how people pursue their diverse needs, from Indigenous rights to reproductive health and sustainability. Check it out!
open.substack.com/pub/emilycdo...
This is Rooted Resolve
Your bi-monthly source for stories of resilience rooted in culture
open.substack.com
February 10, 2025 at 1:52 PM