Master Class—“No Unsacred Places”: Earthly Pleasures in Environmental Poetry
Ned Balbo and Jane Satterfield
As poet, essayist, activist, and farmer Wendell Berry has observed, “There are no unsacred places;/ there are only sacred places/ and desecrated places” (“How to Be a Poet”). In our gathering, we’ll consider the many options for poets responding to the environment—lyric celebration, the exploration of non-human perspectives, lamentation over land or species lost, awe before nature’s powers of regeneration. With attention to both metrical and non-metrical work, we’ll discuss the role of close description in nature poetry as well as how so-called “eco-poetry” provides an alternative for those seeking to reinvent their understanding of the poet’s relationship to nature. The Frost Farm, itself formerly a site of environmental desecration, now restored and rich in history, will provide the perfect backdrop for discussion of your own poems.
