Course Details

Ecopoetics Along Shorelines is an interdisciplinary field course, seminar, and writing lab. We draw together theories and practices from ecological science, Indigenous studies, environmental humanities, geophysics, cultural studies, science and technology studies, critical theory, and poetry.

We begin with a 5-day intensive field writing trip to the Olympic Peninsula. In the field portion, we visit tribal projects, reflect on ecocultural politics of fishing, shellfishing, health, restoration, and resource management. We spend hours each day observing, writing, and sketching outside. We practice close observation of tidal rhythms, and explore shoreline biotic communities and how the Elwha River has changed since dam removal in 2014. Each evening we gather for discussion and share writing.

Back in Seattle, we explore shadow histories of Puget Sound waterways and contemplate post-sea-level-rise futures. We examine historic maps, oral histories, engineering drawings, and on-the-ground legacies of drainage projects. We trace buried creeks, gutters, and storm drains of Seattle, examine Salish inhabitation through place names, and address human health impacts of urban runoff.