My name is Nicola Rose Walters. I am a faculty member in Political Science at Cal Poly Humboldt and a doctoral student at Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My work bridges scholarship and creative practice, grounded in a commitment to relational, place-based inquiry.

My research is guided by what I call a ter(re)matrix approach:

• Terrapsychology (Ter) – psychological relationship to place (Chalquist, 2023)
• Re-story-ation (re) – ecological and narrative repair (Nabhan, 1997; Kimmerer, 2013)
• Matrixial theory (matrix) – relational feminist philosophy emphasizing co-emergence and connection (Ettinger, 2006)

Together, this paradigm invites ways of knowing that are embodied, artistic, and accountable to both human and more-than-human worlds.

Methodologically, I identify as a h/e/a/r/tographer—engaging healing, ecology, art, research, and teaching as interconnected practices. This approach weaves together my relationships with each of these domains, drawing inspiration from the work of Rita L. Irwin and others in a/r/tographic inquiry.

Beyond academia, I am a community organizer, partner, sister, daughter, and friend, committed to building spaces of connection, critical reflection, and transformative possibility. My work is deeply shaped by the places I have lived—Northern California, Portland, Oregon, and Northern New Mexico—and by the communities I am in relationship with. I currently live in Portland Oregon with my partner and our two beloved cats, Yana and Yumi.

Resources to explore:

Chalquist, C. (2023). Terrapsychological inquiry: Restorying our relationship with nature, place, and planet. Routledge.

Ettinger, B. L. (2006). The matrixial borderspace. University of Minnesota Press.

Irwin, R. L., Lasczik, A., Sinner, A., & Triggs, V. (2024). A/r/tography : Essential readings and conversations. Intellect Books.

Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions.

Nabhan, G. P. (1997). Cultures of habitat: On nature, culture, and story. Counterpoint.