Forthcoming from Paloma Press in the Fall:
Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States
Co-Editors:
Luisa A. Igloria
20th Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia 2020-22, Emerita
Aileen Cassinetto
Poet Laureate 2019-2022, Emerita, County of San Mateo, California
Dr. Jeremy Hoffman
David and Jane Cohn Scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia; 2021 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Chapter Lead for the Southeast, Fifth National Climate Assessment, NCA5
The inequitable distribution of the impacts of climate change has never been more tangible and pressing than now. People feel as though we’re running out of time. Cities, counties, states, and public policy makers at all levels need to work together to avoid the worst effects of global warming and environmental degradation.
The human fingerprint on climate extremes is visible across nearly every domain of the natural environment, and these in turn impact human social and biological ecosystems. UN Secretary-General António Guterres says: “Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune.”
In the U.S., the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) report is underway, and groups of scientists from all over the country and Caribbean are overseeing the synthesis of published research for regional and topic-specific chapters. The NCA5 process is rooted in transparency and inclusivity by “offer[ing] multiple opportunities for public participation.”
As an additional opportunity to participate in the NCA5, we feel that we must tell our stories and our communities’ stories of climate change alongside this scientific information. We offer these poems to amplify our lived experiences of climate impacts in the Southeast and other regions, and contribute to the urgent conversations on environmental justice.
This anthology, which grew out of the Academy of American Poets Laureate civic projects, was made possible with support from the Science Museum of Virginia.
PALOMA PRESS 