Thoughts on The Nature of Our Times from poetslaureate.us:
Ever since I first encountered their previous collaboration, Dear Human at the Edge of Time, I’ve been eagerly awaiting [Luisa A.] Igloria and [Aileen] Cassinetto’s follow-up. Long story short, this anthology has far surpassed my expectations!
Poetry always carries the power to spark reflection and connection, but The Nature of Our Times harnesses that power in a way few anthologies do. In his foreword, Phillip Levin reminds us that “protecting nature is not just about preservation, it is about relationship.” The union of science and poetry is not only fascinating, it feels vital. There is an urgency here, a necessity to explore the issues at hand and to connect with our natural world before it’s too late.
This anthology was first envisioned as a companion to the federal U.S. National Nature Assessment. After that program was cancelled, the United By Nature Initiative (weareunitedbynature.org) carried the work forward. The book extends beyond the page through an interactive website where readers can contribute to a community poem and explore more poetry, along with an exhibition at the Cleveland Public Library (@clevelandpubliclibrary) that brings the project into public space.
Back to the book: it is larger than I expected, and wonderfully so! Over 200 poets are involved, and Paloma Press has excelled in this book’s design and production. The last section of the collection is titled ‘Bright Spots.’ I find myself leaning into that optimism. As Noa Kizhnerman (@lightssspeeed) writes in the poem, “whatever happens at the end of the world,”
yet peace is not found / but created. remember that / in these hands I hold not solutions but seeds.
Perhaps these poems are seeds too, and when planted inside the reader, encourage us to remember, connect, feel, and find ways to restore the natural balance of our planet.
Among its more than 200 voices, this anthology highlights many current and former poets laureate, including:
Kimberly M. Blaeser (Wisconsin) @kblaeser8
Yvonne Blomer (Victoria, BC) @yvonneblomer
Traci Brimhall (Kansas) @poetlaureateofkansas_ @our_lady_of_nod
Lauren Camp (New Mexico) @laurencamp
Ching-In Chen (Redmond, WA) @chinginchen
Caroline Goodwin (San Mateo Co., CA) @c_goodw
Kari Gunter-Seymour (Ohio) @karigunterseymour
Elizabeth Jacobson (Santa Fe, NM) @elizabethjacobson822
Naomi Shihab Nye (Young People’s Poet Laureate) @nshihab2018
Catherine Pierce (Mississippi) @catherinepiercepoet
Derek Sheffield (Washington State) @derek_sheffield
Kim Shuck (San Francisco, CA) @kim.shuck
Bruce Spang (Portland, ME) @bspang4
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer (Evermore) @rosemerry.trommer
Ann E. Wallace (Jersey City, NJ) @annwallace409
Maw Shein Win (El Cerrito, CA) @mawsheinwin
It also includes contributions from Madeleine Bohn (YPL of Madison, WI), Perie Longo (Santa Barbara, CA), Ray McNiece (Cleveland Heights, OH), Lisa Rosenberg (San Mateo Co., CA), the newly-appointed U.S. Poet Laureate, Arthur Sze, and of course the esteemed editors, Luisa A. Igloria (Virginia) and Aileen Cassinetto (San Mateo Co., CA).
Alongside the laureates, readers can explore works by other notable poets such as Catherine Puma (@thecatandtheleaf), Camille Dungy (@camilledungy), Heidi Seaborn (@heidiseaborn ), Paula J. Lambert (@pjlpoet), Suzanne Frischkorn (@suzfrischkorn), Brad Vogel (@bowerybird), Cathlin Noonan (@good_afternoonan), Emma Goldman-Sherman (@emmaintheatre), Chad Knuth (@knuth.cd), and many, many more!
