Kaitlin Vitt is a reporter with the Selkirk Record. In 2017, she published the book Planted: Stories From Manitoba’s Natural World, which she rereleased in 2022 to raise money for aid in Ukraine. Below, she shares the inspiration behind the book and how you can support her fundraising efforts.
There’s a network of threads beneath the earth connecting plants to one another, allowing the transfer of nutrients. This web, the mycelium, is the root-like structure of fungi and, if stretched out, can cover thousands of kilometres.
Throughout life, I’ve often felt the connectedness of everything, my interests weaving together, the people I meet one day showing up years later, the experiences I have today shaping my tomorrow — much like the mycelium joining together the natural world.
My Ukrainian ancestors had a deep love and appreciation of nature, with the natural world appearing in songs, traditions and folk beliefs. This love was passed on to me and bloomed while growing up in St. Andrews, playing outside in the forest beside my parents’ house and going critter dipping in the ditches in the front yard.
My interest in science and writing led me to publish my book Planted: Stories From Manitoba’s Natural World in 2017. In the style of narrative non-fiction, I share the experiences of eight people who are inspired by nature and have stories to tell because of it.
There’s the survival story of Nadia, my godmother’s aunt, who got lost in the forest while searching for mushrooms near Stead. There’s the story of Les, someone I met at the opening of a new walkway when I worked for a rural newspaper, and his story of coming across a hard-to-find orchid. There’s the story of Dave, a Wisdom Keeper I met through someone else I interviewed, who invited me on a medicine walk.
I made revisions to Planted, including updates to some chapters and new illustrations by my sister, Rayna Meakin, and rereleased the book in 2022 to raise money for aid in Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia.
My family has always celebrated our Ukrainian roots, through Ukrainian dance, holiday customs and traditional dishes. In 2017 to 2018, I had the opportunity to live in Ukraine to study dance, language and culture. I visited with family, met many friends and got to know the country of my ancestors in a deeper way.
When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022, I think like many people, I experienced lots of emotions, like anger, heartbreak and helplessness but also so much hope for Ukraine.
In addition to raising awareness about the war, making donations can have a major impact on helping Ukrainians defend themselves and rebuild their country, which is what inspired me to republish Planted to raise money for Ukraine.
The book costs $25, with free shipping or delivery, and $12.50 from each book sold goes toward aid in Ukraine. Each time I sell 60 books, I donate to a different organization providing aid in Ukraine.
So far, I’ve donated $775 to Lifeline Ukraine, $770 to Cobblestone Freeway Foundation, $770 to Ukrainian Patriot, $997 to Come Back Alive and $860 to the Educational Cultural and Art Center Aelita. (Whenever people give me more than $25 for the book, I donate the extra money to whatever organization I’m raising for at the time.)
I’m currently raising money for the Second Front Ukraine Foundation, a volunteer-run organization that works with various partners to deliver aid where it’s needed most in Ukraine. One of the foundation’s projects is Save the Brave, which supplies Ukrainian combat medics with high-quality tactical kits. Another project, Iron Birds for Ukraine, raises money to purchase drones for Ukrainian defenders. Drones can provide real-time information without putting the defenders at risk. These are just a couple of examples of Second Front’s work.
You can purchase Planted by visiting kaitlinvitt.com/purchase-planted or by sending me a message on Instagram (@kaitlinvitt). The book makes a great gift — and that’s not to say anything about my writing, I just mean the book features really powerful stories from amazing people.
Giving Planted as a present is also a great option for a gift that keeps on giving — my parents’ neighbour recently purchased copies that she said she’s giving as a gift of charity this holiday season, and I thought that was a beautiful idea. For people who purchase the book over the next few weeks, I’ll include a bookmark that explains my fundraising efforts and how the purchase of Planted gives back.
I hope that reading Planted inspires, or re-inspires, you to spend time connecting with nature, whether that’s by heading outside for a walk and admiring the sights, smells and sounds of the outdoors or looking at nature photography while having a cozy winter evening in.
When I think of what’s formed my life so far, of what’s led to my book, my mind flashes with memories: putting my hands on my poyas (waist) at my first Ukrainian dance class; sitting on my parents’ deck with my grandparents as we clean the pidpenky (honey mushrooms) we just picked; picking up a pair of dance boots from someone in Kyiv, Ukraine, who five years later would start a Ukrainian charity that my book would fundraise for.
Like the mycelium underground, sometimes things in life are connected in ways we can’t always see. But one small thread can lead to something bigger —a mushroom, a book, a life’s journey.
To learn more about Planted and the organizations that book proceeds are supporting, visit kaitlinvitt.com.
