ecopoets

Ecopoets are poets whose work engages ecological concerns and the wider relationship between humans and the more-than-human world. In literary discourse, ecopoetics examines how poetry can reveal interdependence, vulnerability, and ethical commitments to ecosystems. Ecopoets may write traditional nature lyrics, but their aims often extend to the political, social, and material forces that shape environments and how we represent them.

Thematic scope includes climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, land use, and environmental justice. Ecopoets emphasize place-based writing, ecological processes, and the agency of nonhuman beings. They frequently experiment with form and language to heighten attentiveness to the environment, incorporate scientific discourse, or give voice to animals, rivers, or landscapes. The movement intersects with ecocriticism and the “nonhuman turn,” and it often challenges romantic, pastoral, or anthropocentric myths about nature.

Historically, ecopoetry develops in the late 20th century alongside rising environmental concerns and ecocritical theory. It embraces diverse perspectives, including Indigenous knowledge, postcolonial critiques of land use, and transnational environmental dialogue, reflecting the cross-cultural and political dimensions of ecological crisis.

Prominent ecopoets include Gary Snyder, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver, W. S. Merwin, Kathleen Jamie, and Alice Oswald. While styles and emphases vary, ecopoets commonly seek to expand the ethical field of poetry to include places, species, and ecosystems, encouraging readers to reconsider their relationship with the more-than-human world.