Speaking to, Speaking As with Kathleen Jamie

‘The great burden that now rests upon writers, artists, filmmakers … is of imaginatively restoring voice and agency to non-humans … a task that is at once aesthetic and political … and which is now freighted with the most pressing moral urgency.’ (Amitav Ghosh, The Nutmeg’s Curse)

Of course poets have always been ‘imaginatively restoring voice’, but what can we do now, in the present crisis?  In this session Kathleen will discuss some poems that offer three alternatives: poems that devote attention to non-humans, poems that address them directly, and poems that lend a voice to some of our fellow species. What would they say, if they could speak? Can poetry advocate for the non-human? Can ‘paying heed’ be deemed ‘political’? This will be a reading session, which will help generate ideas for your own eco-conscious work.

This workshop is for you if:

·      you're already writing poetry, but need…