We are so excited to announce that THE NATURE OF OUR TIMES anthology will be launched at Kent State University and Cleveland Public Library on September 18th & 19th! All three editors will be present to celebrate the release along with Dr. Phillip Levin, Director of United By Nature (originally, the U.S. National Nature Assessment).
Edited by Luisa A. Igloria, Aileen Cassinetto, and David Hassler, with a foreword by Phil Levin, The Nature of Our Times: Poems on America’s Lands, Waters, Wildlife, and Other Natural Wonders gathers 210 voices from the arts, ecology, academia, and Indigenous communities from North America giving witness to how nature shapes our lives and how we can shape the future.
The Nature of Our Times is a shared initiative, bringing together the joint efforts of Paloma Press, Poets for Science, United By Nature, and Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University, and is made possible with grant support from the Ohio Arts Council, the County of San Mateo Office of Arts and Culture, and the Woodward Foundation. This anthology serves as a companion to the first national assessment of U.S. lands, waters, and wildlife.
Advance words from Dr. Jane Lubchenco, co-founder of the United By Nature Initiative: “In a time of profound ecological change, The Nature of Our Times offers a lyrical companion to the United By Nature Initiative—an independent, science-led assessment of nature’s status, benefits, and future in the United States. The poems in this volume channel the wonder, urgency, and responsibility of living in relationship with the natural world. Grounded in both science and soul, this anthology amplifies the human dimension of ecosystems and reminds us that knowledge alone is not enough—we need empathy and imagination to fuel a path forward. This is a book to stir the heart, expand the mind, and inspire action.”
Aileen Cassinetto 