Document Type

Lesson Plan

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Abstract

Anyone who has studied poetry has experienced its elusiveness as well as the profound impact that it brings upon its readers. Although poetry comes in many shapes and forms, the universal theme among impactful poetry is its ability to both evoke powerful emotions and inspire readers to action. In the somewhat bleak time of the present, individuals can easily feel insignificant among the masses; however, poetry can inspire wonder and break readers away from the screens and fickle distractions ever present in the modern world. In this anthology, we focus on the multifaceted genre of ecopoetry, a genre of poetry that includes poems with an emphasis on the environment, empathy towards all living creatures, and providing a voice to nature and its natural processes. This broad definition encompasses many poems that delve into themes ranging from the appreciation of nature and ecological awareness to sustainability and the current Anthropocene crisis. In this anthology, we will explore the extensive nature of ecopoetry through carefully curated selections. In this manner, we seek to showcase the breadth and depth of this genre and highlight the myriad of ways in which poets engage with ecological themes. We hope that in following this anthology, you as a reader will come to understand the hopeful and vast genre of ecopoetry and leave with a freshly-evoked passion and connection to our ecological environment.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Comments

Developed by Swarthmore College students, Ian Chen, Winston Zhang, and Riya Rao, with feedback from Professor Peter Schmidt, as a final assignment in English 71E/Environmental Studies 041, "Ecopoetry and the Climate Crisis," spring 2024.

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