“The Georgia Review’s” 2016 Earth Day Program

The Georgia Review's 2016 Earth Day program will include a guided tour of the State Botanical Garden and a Robinson Jeffers–inspired poetry workshop, followed by a keynote address "Coming Home to Earth" by internationally regarded environmental writer Alison Hawthorne Deming. A reception will follow with music from Hawk Proof Rooster and home.made. 

Following a tour of the garden led by education coordinator Cora Keber, UGA professor and poet Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor will offer writing exercises designed to spark deep thinking about nature and poetry. Writers of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to participate in this workshop inspired by one of America’s first eco-poets, Robinson Jeffers.

Deming’s numerous books focus heavily on environmental subjects and concerns. Her latest work is "Zoologies: On Animals and the Human Spirit" (2014). Earlier books include "The Edges of the Civilized World," "Writing the Sacred into the Real," "Temporary Homelands" and "The Colors of Nature: Essays on Culture, Identity, and the Natural World."

The former director of the University of Arizona Poetry Center, Deming currently holds that university’s Agnese Nelms Haury Chair of Environment and Social Justice. She is also a professor of creative writing.

Additional support for this program comes from the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, UGA’s Environmental Ethics Certificate Program, the UGA Office of Sustainability and The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.