What roles can literature, philosophy, history, and the arts play in creating more positive ecological futures? Thinking in the context of Caroline Levine’s contemplation of how (and if) the humanities can effect change, I propose a potentially awkward interface of literary and material experiences – one that can be seen as complementing contemporary science, but one that also problematizes some versions of modern scientific practice. Inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s focus on interspecies community and her optimism that people can play a positive role in their ecosystems if they learn to cooperate with plants and animals, this project encourages a symbiotic relationship between physical, material encounters and poetic imagination.