In 2016 I’m doing a 365 Nature project. Learn more about the project and see all the 365 Nature posts.
A neighbor and friend had a grand opening for her new poetry book shop here in Seattle and I went to see what nature books I could find. I had already inquired about the new Faber Nature Poets series I’d been ogling for awhile and she had ordered them. I picked up the John Keats book, but unfortunately, the other one I really wanted, John Clare, was not available. With Keats in hand, I browsed for awhile to see what other nature poets I could find. I happened across a number of Wendell Berry books and picked up an illustrated Terrapin. I also found another series, Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets which had themed books and I grabbed Animal Poems and The Echoing Green; Poems of Fields, Meadows, and Grasses. The final book was recommended by the new shop owner as she’d heard good things about it and it was Black Nature; Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry.
The weather today is perfect for a book store grand opening and bringing books home. It’s cloudy, it rained overnight, and very windy today, the absolute perfect book weather. I’m looking forward to diving into these books.
I was trying to think of other poets who focused on nature poetry. Please let me know if you have a favorite in the comments.