AT THE INTERSECTION OF POETRY AND NATURE

In PST’s May 10 meeting, join acclaimed author Janisse Ray for an engaging 1-hour workshop in which you explore the intersection of poetry and nature. Janisse will guide you through creative exercises using the natural world as inspiration. By sharing techniques for vivid imagery, sensory language, and metaphor, she will empower you to bring a passion for nature into poetic form. Whether you are a seasoned poet or new to writing, you will leave this workshop with 1) copies of nature poems to inspire you; 2) drafts for a few of your own nature poems; and 3) a better awareness of your voice as an eco-poet.

About the Presenter

Janisse Ray is an award-winning American author who explores the borderland of nature and culture. Her first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, told the story of growing up in the disappearing longleaf pine flatwoods. It was a New York Times Notable, won an American Book Award, and was widely read. It is credited with bringing attention to a critically endangered ecosystem and starting a movement to restore the landscape.
That was followed by eleven other books, including two collections of poetry—A House of Branches and Red Lanterns. Her latest book is a writing manual, Craft and Current, out in 2024.

She has won a Pushcart Prize, Southern Booksellers Award, Southern Environmental Law Center Writing Award, Nautilus Award, and Eisenberg Award, among many others. Her collection of essays, Wild Spectacle, received the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence, which carries a $10,000 prize. Her books have been translated into Turkish, French, and Italian.

Ray serves on the editorial board of terrain.org and is a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. She lives on a farm inland from Savannah, Georgia. She loves dark chocolate, the blues, and wildflowers. Find out more at her website, janisseray.com or subscribe to her free Substack newsletter, “Trackless Wild.”

MEETING INFORMATION

This program will be presented during our upcoming PST member meeting, to be held May 10, 2025, from 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern / 1:00-3:00 pm Central via Zoom. Members will be provided a link a few days prior. If you are interested in learning more about PST, check out our website. If you’d like to attend our meeting as a guest, contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com.