Wednesday, January 24th, 2024, 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Meeting will take place in the Poetry Center's Alumni Room, Room 205; limit 12 students.  SOLD OUT.

Ecopoetics, a rather new term, includes poetry that addresses environmental concerns and present crises—those created by humans. It could be called “worried nature poetry,” yet it is continuous with concepts of Romantic nature tradition. In this course, we will read a few eco-poems, take notes in our journals, encounter some Arizona flora and fauna if the weather is nice. How have poets addressed ecological issues in their local and international bioregions, especially considering intersectional ideas of class, race and gender?  Current ecopoetry also unsettles comfort zones of language in phrases like “stem the crisis.” We will offer knowledge across disciplines in a place where science, history, and spirituality connect human and non-human experience. We will discuss some instances whereby writers participate in environmental change by means of activism. Since we are in Tucson, special attention will be paid to work we can do in desert environments. If we have time, we will go outside and begin a weed opera.