Literature and Environment: A Reading and Creative Writing Colloquium
William Gleason, Kate Thorpe, English
December 7, 2019 · 2:00 pm—5:00 pm · D&R Greenway Land Trust at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place
Humanities Council; D&R Greenway Land Trust
Why read literature to study the environment? How do stories, poems, or essays about nature—and its many ties to humans—illuminate the challenges of global climate change? This colloquium will creatively examine the role of literature in tackling the environmental crisis.
Professor William Gleason and PhD candidate Kate Thorpe, both from the Department of English, will lead the event with insights from their undergraduate seminar “Literature and Environment.” Convening at the D&R Greenway Land Trust headquarters, participants will first closely read a poem, analyzing not only how the writer imagines relationships between humans and the natural world, but also the formal strategies used by the poet. Next, participants will walk along the Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail, where they will learn to craft their own poems. After writing, participants will reflect on their compositional experiences, discussing how literature can nourish healthier relationships with the natural world.
Open to the public.
This event is part of the Being Human Festival 2019 of the Humanities Council.
