By Shelby Clark Petkus
Left: Robert Hass. Photo: Shoey Sindel. Right: Brenda Hillmann. Photo: Brett Hall Jones
Robert Hass. Photo: Shoey Sindel
Brenda Hillmann. Photo: Brett Hall Jones
Ann Arbor is about to get a lesson in "ecopoetry."
One Pause Poetry and White Lotus Farms present "Art in the Garden: Ecopoetics," which will feature the talents of Robert Hass and Brenda Hillman.
For those scratching their heads at the term "ecopoetry": The ecopoetry movement searches for ways to use language to better appreciate and understand the interconnectedness of human, animal, mind, matter and nature–language not as an object, but as a motion.
Robert Hass has worked in the movement with his books of poetry including "The Apple Trees at Olema: New and Selected Poems," "Time and Materials," "Sun Under Wood: New Poems," "Human Wishes," "Praise" and "Field Guide." He's also co-translated volumes of poetry with Czeslaw Milosz. Hass' illustrious trophy shelf includes winning a Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and serving as US Poet Laureate and MacArthur Fellow in the past.
Brenda Hillman, another poet active in the movement, holds many awards for her work as well, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation and the Poetry Society of America in addition to a Pushcart Prize and the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award. She holds the Olivia Filippi Chair in Poetry at St. Mary's College, in Moraga, Calif. She's also written nine books of poetry, including "Practical Water," "Bright Existence," "Cascadia" and "Loose Sugar."
White Lotus Farms brings farm-fresh produce to the Ann Arbor community "in an environment of beauty and mindfulness." They use all organic methods and strive to move beyond organic by incorporating sustainable farming practices that respect the natural ecology, their customers and the community.
One Pause Poetry and its programs are sponsored by the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ann Arbor Area Arts Alliance.
Another One Pause Poetry event will occur tomorrow at 7 p.m., featuring poetry readings from C.D. Wright and Forrest Gander.
Both events at White Lotus Farms are free and open to the public, with receptions and book-signings following the readings.
The One Pause Poetry event will run from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 26 in the gardens of White Lotus Farms. The farms are located at 7217 W. Liberty Road, Ann Arbor. For more information, call 734-707-1284 or visit www.onepausepoetry.org.
