ATTACHED TO THE LIVING WORLD reading w/ contributors

Arlene Plevin, Ever Jones, Janée J. Baugher, and Subhaga Crystal Bacon, contributors of the anthology Attached to the Living World: A New Ecopoetry Anthology, read their selected work. This book includes more than 150 contemporary poems exploring the intersections of ecological awareness, social justice, and challenges in the world today.

The Ecopoetry Anthology is the authoritative book of contemporary American poetry about nature and the environment. Ann Fisher-Wirth and Laura-Gray Street, the editors of the daring first volume, have reunited to create Attached to the Living World. The second anthology explores the issues and conversations in ecopoetry over the past decade and features more than 150 established and emerging poets, including Mildred Barya, Nickole Brown, Simmons Buntin, Lauren Camp, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Vievee Francis, CMarie Fuhrman, Ross Gay, Erin Hollowell, Marie Howe, Petra Kuppers, J. Drew Lanham, Ada Limόn, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, January Gill O’Neil, Catherine Pierce, Tracy K. Smith, Brian Teare, and Natasha Tretheway. With a foreword by Camille Dungy and an introduction by Margaret Ronda, the poems gathered here provide vital visions to nurture our imaginations and spur us to act.

The anthology delves into the multifaceted ecological crises of our time, highlighting the toxic aftermath of industrial progress and the inequities of environmental racism. It underscores the stark realities faced by communities at the frontline of climate change, emphasizing the overlaps of land degradation and social injustice. Despite themes of loss and devastation, the work is imbued with a current of hope, showcasing poetry’s ability to inspire a reconnection with the natural world. It also amplifies the voices of indigenous poets, offering invaluable perspectives on land stewardship and cultural resilience in the face of ongoing colonial impacts. These contributions speak to the essential role of native knowledge and practices in habitat preservation and cultural survival.

Taken as a whole, the anthology emerges as a powerful call to action, urging collective reflection on our carbon footprint and a shared commitment to sustainable futures. It stands as a profound exploration of the intersections of ecological awareness, social justice, and poetic expression, inviting readers to contemplate their place in the broader web of life.

Arlene Plevin is an Emerita Professor at Olympic College where she taught creative writing and technical writing. She received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington and her MFA in Poetry from the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa. Plevin was awarded two Fulbrights (Taiwan and India), where she taught ecocriticism and the literature of immigration and diaspora. Nominated for Washington State Environmental Educator of the Year, she has presented at national and international conferences on sustainability and written about modern slavery. Her poetry, creative nonfiction, and academic work has appeared in journals, anthologies, and academic collections. Recently, one of her poems circled the city of Seattle as part of their Poetry on the Buses program. A former travel writer, Plevin’s work includes a column on bicycling and two very-out-of print books on bicycling. She is an open water swimmer and has swum in Alaska, Mexico, Italy, Finland, and India.

Ever Jones (they, them) is a trans/non-binary writer, artist & educator based in Tacoma, WA. Ever is author of the acclaimed collection of essays TRANSANYTHING, as well as two poetry collections, nightsong and Wilderness Lessons. They have been a professor of creative writing at UW Tacoma for 15 years. everjones.com

Janée J. Baugher is the author of the only craft book of its kind, The Ekphrastic Writer: Creating Art-Influenced Poetry, Fiction and Nonfiction (McFarland, 2020) and an assistant editor at Boulevard magazine. She won Tupelo Press’s Dorset Prize for her third poetry collection, The Andrew Wyeth Chronicles (February 2026).

Subhaga Crystal Bacon (they/them), is the author of five collections of poetry including, A Brief History of My Sex Life, from Lily Poetry Review Books; the Lambda Literary finalist, Transitory, 2023, winner of the BOA Editions, Ltd. Isabella Gardner Award for Poetry; Surrender of Water in Hidden Places, winner of the Red Flag Poetry Chapbook Prize, 2023, released in an expanded second edition in the summer of 2024. A Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, Subhaga is an AWP Writer to Writer mentor and teaching artist working in schools and libraries with youth and adults, as well as private students. Their work appears or is forthcoming in a variety of print and online journals including Terrain, West Trestle, The Bellevue Literary Review, Ciderpress Review, Smartish Pace, and others. A Queer elder, they live in rural northcentral Washington on unceded Methow land.

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