About
Raised in the woods and waters of Minnesota and now residing in New England, Tyler Mark Nelson is an educator, community builder, and imaginative instigator. With an interdisciplinary approach he traces the contours of cultural, scientific, political, economic, and religious landscapes, then maps out ways for communities to address the local challenges caused by planetary polycrisis. Woven throughout his collaborative work are themes of wonder, lamentation, resistance, and transformation.
Tyler is grateful for many things in life: his loving wife, family, and friends; endless genres of music to explore; healthy ecosystems; thirdspaces with good coffee; ancient and new ways to exist in beloved multi-species community. He holds an MDiv in Religion and Ecology from Yale Divinity School and a BA in Theology from Whitworth University.
Current Roles & Instigations
Director of the Living Earth Community program, an evolving knowledge commons he co-developed and launched through the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, which envisions the Earth as a communion of subjects to protect rather than a collection of inert objects to exploit.
Underwriting & Strategic Partnerships at WPKN 89.5FM, cultivating relationships to fund a non-commercial freeform radio station that strengthens local community through music, public affairs, and events.
Radio Host of Earth Mixtape at WPKN 89.5FM, a monthly music program that offers a soundtrack for grooving through the ecological and political challenges of our time.
Public Ritual Design Team with The BTS Center – an innovative collaborator with Tyler over the years – now exploring the creative power of public rituals to facilitate meaning-making and resilience-building in the face of the climate emergency.
Independent Artist-Scholar experimenting with curated artistic & musical spaces to evoke fresh encounters with ecological realities and expand the imaginative capacity to create new worlds for the flourishing of all human and nonhuman lives.