Poems in
Species of Concern
examine braided journeys of personal loss and environmental grief, of grasping and letting go. Each section opens with a poem set in a speculative future; subsequent poems return readers to the teeming planet we inhabit, where grounding practices of mindfulness allow us to manage many species of concern, humans among them, both vulnerable and culpable. Throughout the collection are persona poems in which strong female figures, many of them mythical-Anemone, the Sieve Angel, the spider, the red velvet ant, and others-take a stand. These guides dare to break the fourth wall and speak directly to the world; they defy their reputations and talk back. This collection commemorates and rejoices in Appalachian and Piedmont landscapes and species, with stories of resilience and hopes for the future.