Thursday evening saw students and faculty gather in the Roux Center for the Environment for Key-Stitches Symbiographies for a Stressed Earth, Benjamin Felsers 22 presentation.
Felser, a biology major concentrating on ecology and evolutionary Biology, who has a passion in literary arts, read four original poems about nature’s complex symbiotic systems, their origins, as well as their vulnerability in a changing landscape. The English and Biology departments cosponsored the event, with Hilary Thompson, Associate Professor of English, and David Carlon (Director of the Schiller Coastal Studies Centre) serving as faculty advisors for Felsers.
The four poems by Felser, Twinkles at Dawn and Ententacled, Blossoming, Blossoming, and Refugia are all about ancient ecosystems. They urge listeners to save them from imminent destruction.
These key-stitches are the foundations of our world. We neglect them at our peril, Felser stated of these ecological networks. The brown needles of decaying trees, the ivory bones of bleached corals and the brown veins of dying forests are all indicators of what is to come if we don’t listen to the intimate relationships of all life, even our own.
When asked why poetry was chosen as the medium to communicate their message, Felser replied that they wanted to be different from other forms of scientific literature and present important information in an emotional way.
Felser said that some of these stories are too dramatic for scientific papers. I wanted to be able to combine these key ideas and communicate them in a way that encourages emotional connection.
Many of Felsers’s work taps into the deep anxieties associated with an uncertain future. They emphasize that anxiety should be balanced with hope and that there are many ecosystems that humans can protect. This dynamic is the main focus of Refugia.
After reading the poem, Felser said that I find myself lost among these deserts, these open seas of doubt, and when the heatwaves crashing down over me with every oil spillage, every pipeline through the indigenous land, and every part per Million of carbon forced into our atmosphere, I locate the cumulusclouds hovering above these refugia. They guide me in my local abundance, make sure I notice, and make me aware. What we pay attention, we nourish. And what we nourish, grows.
Felser stated that while the world is in decline, we can still create these patchwork connections with our communities of love and mutual aid.
The ability of Felser to combine the scientific and artistic to create a call to action was a delight for attendees.
Louise Cummins 23 stated that this was a great way to gather around something you are all curious about. I want to talk about [environmental crises]Different ways, but I believe it’s more interesting and inspiring for people to talk about the possibilities of change.
Weatherspoon 25 stated that Benjamin Felser is a brilliant writer. I think [they]Really work to capture the human condition [and]It relates to natural life on Earth. I’ve never met someone more focused and committed to this relationship than that of my wife. [them].