ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.– To be mindful of the planet we call home is to be aware that our natural world is suffering. Its oceans are rising up, as if in protest. Its populations of birds and fish, of mammals and reptiles, are, many of them, in steep and steady decline. Forests, coral reefs, habitats of every sort of life form, from tree frogs to butterfly fish, from elephants to bees, are profoundly afflicted. Conjunctions:73, Earth Elegies—the latest issue of the innovative literary magazine published by Bard College—gathers writings that examine and lament the plight of our planet, while also celebrating its grand sublimity, its peerless beauty, and its indispensability. Edited by novelist and Bard literature professor Bradford Morrow, Earth Elegies features an exclusive interview with Underland author Robert Macfarlane, conducted by Diane Ackerman; a new translation of Sabine Schiffner poems; as well as new work from Brian Evenson, James Morrow, Lance Olsen, Joyce Carol Oates, Rae Armantrout, Quincy Troupe, Eliot Weinberger, Nathaniel Mackey, Sabine Schiffner, Rob Nixon, Heather Altfeld, Arthur Sze, Francine Prose, Troy Jollimore, and Kristine Ong Muslim.

“It is inarguable that our planet and all of its denizens, both flora and fauna, humans among them, are imperiled,” writes Morrow. “Earth Elegies addresses this essential theme and celebrates our fragile, sublime, indispensable world. All of these writers have approached our theme from unexpectedly different angles, but no matter how diverse their narratives, the many voices and visions in this issue emanate from a single concern: the survival of our planet.”

Additional contributors to Earth Elegies include Matthew Cheney, Jessica Campbell, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Krista Eastman, Matthew Gavin Frank, Troy Jollimore, Karla Kelsey, Hilary Leichter, Rebecca Lilly, Sandra Meek, Kate Monaghan, Andrew Mossin, Yxta Maya Murray, Rob Nixon, Toby Olson, Jessica Reed, Donald Revell, Sofia Samatar, Jonathan Thirkield, Debbie Urbanski, Thomas Dai, and Wil Weitzel.
 

11/22/2019