Teaching Environmental Writing: Ecocritical Pedagogy and Poetics

Description

Environmental writing is an increasingly popular literary genre, and a multifaceted genre at that. Recently dominated by works of 'new nature writing', environmental writing includes works of poetry and fiction about the world around us. In the last two decades, universities have begun to offer environmental writing modules and courses with the intention of teaching students skills in the field of writing inspired by the natural world. This book asks how students are being guided into writing about environments. Informed by independently conducted interviews with educators, and a review of existing pedagogical guides, it explores recurring instructions given to students for writing about the environment and compares these pedagogical approaches to the current theory and practice of ecocriticism by scholars such as Ursula Heise and Timothy Morton. Proposing a set of original pedagogical exercises influenced by ecocriticism, the book draws on a number of self-reflexive, environmentally-conscious poets, including Juliana Spahr, Jorie Graham and Les Murray, as creative and stimulating models for teachers and students.

Isabel Galleymore is Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham, UK. She publishes on contemporary ecopoetry. Her first collection of poems is Significant Other (2019).

Environmental writing is flourishing, in poetry and prose. Teaching Environmental Writing offers exciting new possibilities for writers, students and their instructors to expand their environmental writing practice. Underpinned by rigorous insights into ecocriticism and ecopoetry, this book will help budding writers to explore global environmental connections, imagine nonhuman perspectives, and consider literary representation. This is an engaging and timely book, by a highly regarded scholar and ecopoet. * Yvonne Reddick, Research Fellow, Modern English and World Literatures, University of Central Lancashire, UK * Bringing a poet's perspective to the teaching of environmental literature, Isabel Galleymore sets out a compelling and original methodology, exploring the synergy between contemporary ecocritical thought and creative practice. An essential book for any lecturer, student or writer working in this field today. * Ben Smith, Lecturer in Creative Writing, Plymouth University, UK *