In thinking about the Presidential election of a lifetime that’s before us, I was reminded of two poems I wrote four years ago, one about waiting in line to vote early in the 2020 election and one written during the violent insurrection of January 6, 2021.

Looking back on this article written several years ago during the pandemic, https://lithub.com/on-earth-day-turning-to-poetry-for-hope/ I am reminded how much has changed in some ways, and yet so little in others, and how  poetry and other arts can touch our hearts and open us up to facing and addressing climate change with courage. This was my thesis for Here: Poems for the Planet (Copper Canyon Press, Earth Day, 2019), and it is my thesis to this day.

This moment of unexpected hope for our country and the world is a wonderful time to revisit the possibility of an empowered future for those of us wishing to protect our planet and all its sentient beings.

I was honored to see my poem “I pledge allegiance” featured in Third Act Upstate New York’s “Poets Corner” in June. I’m grateful to David Grubin for choosing it.

Many thanks to poet Jane Hirshfield & @DAVIDWICKPOETRY for the gorgeous showcase & many poetry treasures https://poetsforscience.org

@ucsusa @coppercanyonprs

Ann Fisher-Wirth, Laura-Gray Street, Ruth Nolan, Craig Santos Perez, and I came away energized by the response to our panel at #AWP22 on The Value and Use of Eco Poetry Anthologies in a Time of Environmental Crisis. For a compilation in process of Eco Poetry Anthologies and Eco Literature see the bibliography below. 

It was thrilling to meet Nancy Lynee Woo at AWP 2022 at the panel I moderated entitled, “The Value and Use of Eco Poetry Anthologies in a Time of Environmental Crisis” and to read her MFA thesis for Antioch/LA, “The Emergence of Hopepunk in Poetry, ” Winter/Spring, 2021.

This is a wonderful poetry newsletter by Eunice "Nicie" Johnson Panetta which I recommend, called the Frugal Chariot: Your weekly guide to exceptional books about nature, climate, and place.

At a time when protecting trees is crucial to protecting life on our planet, this is a rich and varied forest of words by 130 terrific poets speaking about and to the trees they have known.

“Just in time for Earth Day and Arbor Day, Grayson Books has published Tree Lines: 21st Century American Poems, an anthology that includes work from 130 contemporary poets, including U.S. Poet Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and other outstanding writers.

The bookʻs editor Elizabeth J. Coleman will also be present to share about the inspiration behind the book. Each poet will read a few selected poems and will participate in a Q&A with the online audience.

Ann Fisher-Wirth, Laura-Gray Street, Ruth Nolan, Craig Santos Perez, and I came away energized by the response to our panel at #AWP22 on The Value and Use of Eco Poetry Anthologies in a Time of Environmental Crisis. For a compilation in process of Eco Poetry Anthologies and Eco Literature see the bibliography below. 

Our planet is in crisis. As readers, publishers, and writers, we ask ourselves: In this pivotal moment, what is our role?

Here: Poems for the Planet answers this question through poetry and a practical guide to activism, inviting readers to become inspired—take in a new breath, and a new perspective—and then take action.

Here begins with a foreword from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and contains poems from more than 125 voices, including U.S. Poet Laureates, Pulitzer Prize-winners, and youth poets, and HERE culminates in a 37-page guide from the Union of Concerned Scientists. The publication date is Earth Day, 2019

Here will be distributed to every member of Congress, and copies donated copies to programs in need. As editor, I am donating all royalties to the Union of Concerned Scientists.