An ecolit and poety panel to inspire action.
As climate change and capitalist extraction continue to reshape our landscapes, declining species and habitat stand as both warning and possibility. This discussion explores how ecopoetry and eco lit fiction and nonfiction can deepen our relationship with the natural world and inspire real-world conservation efforts.
Hillary Gonzalez (they/she) is a Baltimore based queer, disabled, and AuDHD poet, activist, birder and wildlife photographer. They are the Vice President of the Baltimore City nonprofit, Sacred Parks and Waterways–an organization dedicated to preserving Baltimore City’s parks and watershed for future generations, and the authors of Seasons (2025), and the ecopoetry collections, Wild Unfelt World (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, April 2026), and Where the Osprey Nest (Palewell Press, August 2026). They won Baltimore Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Best Local Poet of Baltimore (2026). Their poems have been published in numerous publications, including South Broadway Press, Canid Press, RAGE Zine, and in anthologies by Bi+ Book Gang, Yellow Arrow Publishing, Loblolly Press’ anthology: Understory vol. 1, a fundraising anthology for the victims of Hurricane Helene, The Body Archive by Cosmic Daffodil Journal, In Praise of Despair, an anthology for disabled artists and writers by Beyond the Veil Press, and their visual poem, “The Sound of Spring,” was accepted by The Maryland Film Festival (2026), in their Vertical Shorts category.
Joanne Durham is an award-winning poet and teacher, author of Chasing Justice (Shanti Arts 2026), To Drink from a Wider Bowl, winner of the Sinclair Poetry Prize (Evening Street Press 2022), and the chapbook, On Shifting Shoals (Kelsay 2023). A multiple Pushcart Prize nominee, over 100 of her poems appear in literary journals and anthologies. Recent awards include the Miriam Chaikin Poetry Prize, the Poetry Society of Louisiana’s Annual Poetry Prize, and finalist for the Lascaux Poetry Prize. Her ecopoetry appears in Cold Mountain Review, Cider Press Review, Feral, Banyan Review, Kakalak, and The Nature of Our Times anthology, among others. She has studied ecopoetry with Martha Silano, Liz Bradfield, and Camille Dungy, and is headed to the first Hellbender Gathering in October 2026. She has taught ecopoetry workshops through the Osher Lifelong Learning Center at UNCW and online through Yellow Arrow Publishing and Maine Media, and co-hosts a monthly poetry event sponsored by the Island Arts Council of Carolina and Kure Beach. Visit her at https://www.joannedurham.com.
J.D. Smith has published seven collections of poetry, most recently The Place That Is Coming to Us, and he has received Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. His other books include the fiction collection Transit and the essay collection Dowsing and Science. Smith lives in Washington, DC. Additional information and occasional updates are available at www.jdsmithwriter.com.
Emily Decker is a Baltimore-based poet, actor, and singer. Her debut chapbook, Homing: Poems, was published in 2025 by Yellow Arrow Publishing. She is a 2026 Pushcart Prize Nominee, and her poems have appeared in Yellow Arrow Journal, Full Bleed, Hole in the Head Review, and Campfire Stories: Chesapeake Bay. She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s in teaching secondary English Education from Georgia State University. In addition to writing, Emily enjoys dabbling in the Baltimore theater scene and serves on the leadership team for Manor Mill Playhouse in Monkton, MD. Her other loves include sailing and exploring the nature of the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. You can find Emily online at emilydeckerpoetry.com and on Instagram @emadeck.
