poetry in library and zoo collaborations, edited by jane preston

The Language of Conservation

The Language of Conservation

JanePreston Editor

SandraAlcosser•LeeBriccetti Dr.JohnFraser•Dr.DanWharton ExecutiveEditors

PoetsHouse NewYorkCity

Place

On the last day of the world

I would want to plant a tree

what for

not for the fruit

the tree that bears the fruit

is not the one that was planted

I want the tree that stands

in the earth for the first time

with the sun already

going down

and the water

touching its roots

in the earth full of the dead

and the clouds passing

one by one

over its leaves

—W. S. Merwin

©2013byPoetsHouse

Allrightsreserved.

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

ISBN978-0-9888625-0-0

DesignbyZiporaFried

CoverphotographcourtesyoftheChicagoZoologicalSociety,BrookfieldZoo.CoverpoembyJaneHirshfieldfromAfter: Poems,courtesyofHarperCollinsPublishers.

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ThisprojectismadepossiblebyagrantfromtheU.S.InstituteofMuseumandLibraryServices

Table of Contents

Editor’sNote....................................................................xiiiPreface,byMarshaL.Semmel..............................................xviiForeword:On the Life of the Imagination,byW.S.Merwin...................xxi

INTRODUCTION

Mind and Soul: That Crossroad of Science and Art,byDanWharton...............3

In Service to the Natural World,bySandraAlcosser...............................9

The LanguageofConservation: An Overview of the Project,byLeeBriccetti..................................................................15

SectionITHEPROJECT

HowtheProjectWentForward:TheExperienceofthePoetsinFiveCities

Curating the Installation at Brookfield Zoo,bySandraAlcosser............27

Lines of Life: My Experience as Part of the LanguageofConservationin Little Rock, byJosephBruchac..........................................35

Curatorial Commentary: Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, byAlisonHawthorneDeming..........................................43

“Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet”: On New Orleans and the Audubon Zoo, byMarkDoty........................................49

Faith and Hope and Selecting Poetry for Milwaukee County Zoo, byPattiannRogers........................................................57

SummaryofOutcomes........................................................66

SectionIIREPLICATION

Poet to Poet: A Meditation on Selecting Poems for the LanguageofConservation,bySandraAlcosser........................71

Design Strategies for Poetry in Zoos,byJohnFraser................................81

Replication Q & A,byJanePreston...............................................95

ix

APPENDICES

HonoraryBoardofAdvisors................................................209

ProjectPartners................................................................210

Contributors...................................................................216

Acknowledgements............................................................221

SectionIIICOLLABORATION

Setting the Stage for Collaboration: Project Design and the Role of the Leadership Team,byJohnFraserandJanePreston.....................103

Strategies for Collaboration,byReginaldHarris................................109

Creating a Community of Practice: Zoo, Library, and Poet Collaborations,byJohnFraserandJessicaSickler...................113

Future Trends: Zoos, Libraries, and Specialty Collections, byJohnFraser...........123

SectionIVEVALUATION

Evaluating Success: The Why, What, and How of Evaluation in theLanguageofConservation,byJohnFraserandJessicaSickler....................133

Outcomes Achieved through the LanguageofConservation: Evaluation Results, byJessicaSicklerandErinJohnson.......................................143

SectionVNOTESONNATUREPOETRY

PoetsRespondtotheCanonofNaturePoetry

Poetry: A Catalyst for Building Vital Communities,bySandraAlcosser.....165

Where We Must Look for Help: Nature and Poetry, byJonathanBlunk....167

Notes on the Canon of Nature Poetry,byAnnieFinch......................171

A Brief Comment on “The Nature Canon,” byAlisonHawthorneDeming........................................173

The Canon of Nature Poetry in the Twenty-first Century: A Perspective from the Mid-Pacific, byFrankStewart........................................174

The Canon of Nature Writing?byChristopherMerrill..................177

BookLists

TheLanguageofConservationBook Lists, byReginaldHarrisandMarshaHoward

SourcesfortheZooInstallations.....................................181

PoetryCollections.......................................................193

Nonfiction...............................................................203

xix

Editor’s Note

The Language of Conservationisaprojectthatpairspoetryinstallationsinzooswithprogramminginpubliclibrariestocreatepublicdialogueabout issues of conservation. This volume seeks to lay out our expe-riencewithagroundbreakingprojecttodocumenttheseachievementsandengageothercollaborationsofthiskind.

Researchincludedheredemonstrates that theoverwhelmingma-jorityofvisitorstothezoosrespondpositivelytopoetrydisplayedthere:upto90%ofvisitorstoparticipatingzoosreadthepoems;upto92%ofthosevisitorscouldcitespecificpoemsthey’dread;andhalfofthemdrewexplicitconnectionsbetweenthepoemsandtheconservationmis-sionofthezoo.

The project was a collaboration between professionals of diversedisciplines.Accordingly,wehaveincludedessayswrittenbycontributorswhousedistinctvocabulariesandradicallydifferentframesofreference.As thisvolumeis intendedforreaders fromasimilarlywiderangeofperspectives,wehaveorganizedthematerialinawaythatwillhelpindi-vidualsfindthekindofinformationtheyarelookingforeasily.Hereisabriefintroductiontothevariouscomponentsofthevolume.

Introductory material: The volume begins with a Preface by MarshaSemmel,fromtheInstituteofMuseumandLibraryServices,forwhosesupportandfaithinthisprojectweareverygrateful.TheForewordfea-turescommentsmadebyU.S.PoetLaureateW.S.MerwinwhenhemetwithlibrariansatPoetsHousein2010.Hisremarksonthenatureofartanditsrelationshiptoissuesofconservationarereproducedwithhiskindpermission.ThetripartiteIntroductionthatfollowsincludesthreeessays:Dr.DanWharton,co-creatoroftheLanguage of Conservation, speakstothepotential,andtheurgency,ofthiswork;firstpoet-in-residenceSandraAlcosserdescribesthepoeticphilosophythatundergirdsit;andLeeBriccetti,ExecutiveDirectorofPoetsHouse,providesanin-depthoverview of this three-year project and its history. This complex ar-rangementofintroductorymaterialisindicativeoftherangeofvoicesreaders will find in the volume as a whole, including administrators,scientists,andpoets.

Section Onedescribes theproject through theeyesof thepoets-in-residence.SandraAlcosserdescribesher experience as curatorof theinstallationinBrookfield,IL,whichismanagedbytheChicagoZoolog-icalSociety.Sheisfollowedbypoets-in-residenceJoeBruchac,AlisonHawthorne Deming, Mark Doty, and Pattiann Rogers, each of whom

xiii

WehopethisvolumewillprovidehelpfulinformationforthosewhoareintriguedbytheLanguage of Conservation.Indeed,wehopetheprojectrecentlyconcludedbecomesonlythefirstofmanysuchendeavors.Webelieveitoffershopeforanewwayforward;oneofmanywaysforward,wehope,forthereismuchworktobedone.

JanePrestonManagingDirector,PoetsHouse

describehowtheprojectwentforwardinthecitieswheretheyworked.SectionOneconcludeswithasummaryoftheoutcomesoftheproject,basedonresearchconductedbytheInstituteforLearningInnovation(ILI),evaluatorsfortheproject.

Section Twoprovidesspecific informationfor thosewhowould liketo further replicate thisprojectby creating similar initiatives in theirowncommunities.ItbeginswithameditationbypoetSandraAlcosseronthemethodologiesofsuccessfulcuration.Anin-depthdiscussionoftheprinciplesofeffectivegraphicdesignforpoetryinstallationsfollows,writtenbyDr.JohnFraser.Thesectionconcludeswith“ReplicationQ&A,”asetofbrief,practicalsuggestionsforthosewhowouldliketodesignaprojectsuchasthisandgetitofftheground.

Section Threeprovidesthreearticlesoncollaboration:first,howtheproject leadership sought to create the conditions forproductive col-laborationsbetweenpoets, zoos,andpublic libraries; then,anarticleonsomeoftheoutcomesofthezootolibraryrelationships,whichdrawsheavilyfrommaterialpreviouslypublishedbytheAmericanLibraryAs-sociationontheirwebsite,Programming Librarian.Anin-depthanalysisofhowtheserelationshipsworked,basedoninterviewswithallparticipantsconductedbyILI,follows.Finally, inanarticlewrittenbyDr.Fraser,readerswillfindadiscussionofimplicationsforculturalinstitutionsassuggestedbythecollaborationsattheheartofthisproject.

Section Four presentsadiscussionofthetechniquesemployedbytheevaluatorsintheirresearch,followedbytheirfullreport.

Section Fivechartssomeofthewritingavailabletopoetsastheycurateinstallations,offeredbyhonoraryadvisorsandotherpoets.TheseessaysaresucceededbythebooklistsPoetsHouseanditspartnerspreparedforthelibrarieswhoparticipatedintheproject.Ratherthanacomprehen-sivebibliographyoftheliterature,thesearelistsspecificallydrawnuptofacilitateacquisitionsbypubliclibraries.

Appendicesprovidealistofhonoraryadvisorstotheproject,contactinformation for participating institutions and consultants, and briefbiographicalinformationaboutthecontributors.

In regard to the photographs throughout this volume, we havesought to make the best compromise between two alternatives: eitherpresentingtheinstallationwithinthecontextofitssurroundingsorpre-sentingtheinstallationsinsuchawayastoensurethatthetextofthesignage is readable.Asneitheralternative is entirely acceptableon itsown,wepresenteachsignwithasmuchofitssurroundingsaspossibleand,inallcases,providethelanguageoftheinstallationaswell,adjacenttothephotograph.

xiv xv

MarshaL.SemmelDirectorofStrategicPartnershipsInstituteofMuseumandLibraryServices(IMLS)

Preface

TheLanguage of Conservation,buildingonasuccessful,IMLS-fundedpilot project at the Central Park Zoo in New York, brought togetheresteemedpoets,librarians,andzooprofessionalsinfivesites—NewOr-leans,LittleRock,Jacksonville,Milwaukee,andBrookfield,Illinois—toengagefamiliesandpeopleofallagesatzoosandlibrariesinanexplora-tionoftherelationshipbetweentheplantsandanimalsandthespokenandwrittenword.

AcollaborationthatoriginatedwiththeWildlifeConservationSo-cietyandPoetsHouseinNewYorkCity,theprojectcreatedaseriesoffamilyeventsthroughsignageinthezoos,poetryreadingsinthelibrar-ies,readingeventsforchildrenandadults,activitybooks,poetrycon-tests,andonlineresources.Thisvolumeexaminesthenational,IMLS-fundedLanguage of Conservation project,evaluates its impact,explores thechallenges of creating effective collaborations across types of institu-tions,andprovidesa“toolkit”forotherlibraries,zoos,andmuseumsthatmaywanttocreatetheirowncollaborativeprojects.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an in-dependentfederalagencythatsupportsmuseumsandlibrariesintheirrolesofsustainingculturalheritage,fosteringlearningandinnovation,andbuildingtheskillsofthosewhoworkintheseinstitutions.Throughgrants, convenings, resources, research, and leadership activities, theagencyenableslibrariesandmuseumstoservetheircommunitiesmoreeffectively.IMLSencouragescollaborationsbetweenlibrariesandmu-seumsthatwillengagediverseaudiencesandproviderichlearningex-periences. Libraries and museums are community “anchor” institu-tions,trustedplaceswherepeopleofallages,individuallyandinsocialgroups,cometogethertolearnandgrow,findinformationnecessarytotheirworkandtheirlives,forgestrongercommunitybonds,exploretheworldaroundthem,andfeelconnectedtoeachother.

TheLanguage of Conservation drewontheskillsofpoets(ledbyMon-tana’sPoetLaureateSandraAlcosser),librarians,andzooprofessionalstoexplorerelationshipsbetweenhumanbeingsandthenaturalworld.Thepoemsinthezooshelpedfamiliesthinkaboutanimalsandplantsinnewwaysandre-imaginetheirownroleinthebroaderenvironment;

xvii

Little Rock Zoo

Beauty / before me / I walk

—Anonymous, from “The Navajo Night Chant”

the programs in the libraries suggested ways that adults and childrenalikecouldfindmorewaystoexplorepoetry,otherformsofliterature,andscience.The Language of Conservationthuslinkedourfascinationwithanimalsandplantswiththepowerofliterature,andspurredaudiences’curiositytolearnmore.

Finally, theprojectcreatednewbondsbetweenthestaffandvol-unteersintheparticipatinglibrariesandzoos,developingcollaborativerelationshipsthatwillcontinuelongafteritsconclusion,astheseinsti-tutionscontinuetore-examinewaysthattheyprovidegatewaystonewknowledgeandlearning.

xviii xix

Foreword

W.S.MerwinUnitedStatesPoetLaureate,2010-2011

On the Life of the Imagination

The following comments were transcribed from an address by W. S. Merwin to a group of librarians gathered at Poets House in New York City on October 21, 2010.

It’sawayofbeingintheworldthatwe’retalkingabout.That’swhatthearts areabout, and that’s the relationbetween thearts and life asawhole—theyaresimplyaspectsofthesamething.Ilovetheideathatyou’recarryingpoetryintothezoosnow.Idon’tknowwhattheanimalswillmakeofthepoems,butthere’salotthatwedon’tknow.

~

How do you explain any poem? People say, “I don’t read poetrybecauseIdon’tunderstandit,”andIthinkthat’sbecausethey’recomingatitfromthewrongend.Childrendon’tskipropebecausetheyunder-standit,theyskipropebecausetheywanttoskiprope.WhenyoufinishlisteningtooneofthelateSchubertsonatas,youdon’tunderstandit—that’snot why you listen to it. When you do anything that you love doing,youdon’tdoitbecauseyouunderstandit.Understandingissomethingthatcomesafterwards,whenyoucanattachwordstoit,butthewordsnevercomeclosetotheexperience.WhenyoulookatLeonardo’s“Ladywith anErmine,”do youunderstand it?When you look atVermeer’s“GirlPouringMilkfromaPitcher,”doyouunderstandthemilkfromthepitcher?Idon’tthinkso.Wedon’tgobacktoreadpoetrybecauseweunderstandit.Wegobacktoitbecauseweloveit,andbecausewehearit,anditentersintous.

~I’mjustsurprised,daybyday,bythewayhumanbeingsarebehav-

ingnow.Iknowwe’vealwaysbehavedthiswaytosomedegree,butweseemtobegettingworseandworseandworse.Theviciousness,andthe

Central Park Zoo, NYC

On the last day of the world / I would want to plant a tree

—W. S. Merwin, from “Place”

xx xxi

INTRODUCTION

negativity,andthedestructiveness,andthe indifference towhatwe’redoing—itseemstometobegettingworseallthetime.Iwanttotrytosaysomethingaboutthat,andaboutwhatIthinktheconnectiontotheartsis.Thegreatthingthatreallydistinguishesourspecies,thatwecanloveandrespectabouthumankind,isnothowmuchsmarterthanthewhalesweare(becausewemaynotbesmarterthanthewhales),orhowwonder-fulourlanguageis,becauseevenlanguageisnotsomethinguniquetous.Itistheprimacyoftheimagination,andourabilitytorecognizethatinthesufferingofpeopledyingofAIDSinAfrica,orofthewhalesdyingofstarvationinthePacificOcean,orofanyofthespeciesthatarebeingsnuffedout,wearenotexempt.Weareapartofit.Thatsufferingisoursuffering.Thatisourworldthattheyareleaving.

Outofthatimaginationcomes,ontheonehand,compassion;ontheotherhand,thearts,andthey’reconnectedtoeachother.Theartssomehowremindusofourkinshipwithallotherlife,andwiththemor-talityofotherlife—theephemeral,preciousnatureofeveryotherformoflife.

xxii

3

DanWharton,Ph.D.Co-PrincipalInvestigator

Mind and Soul: That Crossroad of Science and Art

It isperhaps fair todescribe science as amethod that condenseshumanexperienceinawaythatmakespatternsmuchmorevisibleandcomprehensible.Thepowerofthismethodisobviousineverythingwesee,hear,andtouchandtheworldchangeseverysingledayasaresult.Despite some misunderstandings on this point, science does not op-erate on truth but on workability and openness to being found false.Armedwiththestraightforwardobjectivitythatscienceoffers,humanshavebecomemuchsmarteraboutthepastandpresentbutperhapsfarmoreconfusedaboutafuturethatplaysoutonadynamic,ever-chang-inglandscape.

For several hundred years now, the world’s wildlife populationshavediminishedindirectproportiontohumansuccessinsolvingages-oldhumanproblemsinincreasingfoodsupply,havingbetteraccesstoshelter, andconqueringdiseases.Inshort,ourliveshaveimprovedon the premise that less natureandmoretechnologyisbetterforhumanity.Wenowknowthatthereisaviciouscurveinthistrajectoryanddramaticadjustmentisinor-der.Buthowdowemakeadjust-ments on behalf of the naturalworldwhennooneisinchargeofit?Willtheextinctionofthepas-sengerpigeonandtheTasmanianwolfplayoutasunfortunatechaptersofhumanhistoryor somethingmoreprofound, anopening scene totheunderminingofthenaturalsystemsthatsupporthumancivilization,perhapsevenhumanlifeitself?

Theanswerliesingiftinghumanitywithsometruth,notjusttheclear-eyedobjectivityofthepastandpresent,butadeep-rootedconsen-susonwhysubjectivevisionsofaperfectworldarevalid.

Zoologicalgardenscollectivelyreachwellover150millionpeopleannuallyinNorthAmericaalone,andworldwidethefigureisconser-vativelyestimatedat500million,adouble-digitpercentageoftheen-tirehumanpopulation. It isnowonder that zoos are soberedby this


A small grove massacred to the last ash, / An oak with heart-rot, give away the show: / This great society is going smash; / They cannot fool us with how fast they go, / How much they cost each other and the gods. / A culture is no better than its woods.

—W. H. Auden, from “Woods”

The immense popularity of zoos seems to stem from an innately human fascination with animals—no surprise, considering that wildlife and its often lush surroundings represent resources that make human existence possible.

4 5

Jacksonville Zoo

In the very earliest time, / when both people and animals lived on earth, / a person could become an animal if he wanted to / and an animal could become a human being. / Sometimes they were people / and sometimes animals / and there was no difference.

—from “Magic Words,” after Nalungiaq, translated from the Inuit by Edward Field

incredibleopportunitytoreachandtouchhumanityonthesubjectofconservationandthewildlifeextinctioncrisis.TheLanguage of Conserva-tionprojectemergedasanexperiment to see if anewwayof thinkingaboutinterpretationof theanimalsandthezoosettingper secoulddosomethingthat the traditional,morepedagogicalapproachcouldnot.Theimmensepopularityofzoosseemstostemfromaninnatelyhumanfascinationwithanimals—nosurprise,consideringthatwildlifeanditsoftenlushsurroundingsrepresentresourcesthatmakehumanexistencepossible.Inthatsense,zooscontinuallyseektobethevenueforsparkingthatspontaneousfeelingofwell-beingthatspringsfromviewingsomeofthemostcolorfulandfascinatingcomponentsofnature—wildlife.

Given that the sightingof animals isfirst and foremost anemo-tionalexperience,itseemsthatinterpretationoftheexperiencewouldbemosteffective if it, too, spoke tohumanemotions.Givenalso theurgencyof inspiring zoo visitors to take actiononbehalfof a rapidlydiminishingwildlifeheritage, then the taskof interpretationmustbebothtospeaktotheaestheticsofanintimatelypersonalexperienceandtosoundanunprecedentedcalltoarms,urgingparticipationintheef-forttoturnthetideofdestruction,aneffortthatmustbe,butisnotyet,everyone’sresponsibility.Theconcernsofpoetandscientistcouldfindnobettermeetingplace.

Herepoetandscientistbecomebothteacherandstudent,thesci-entistsettingthestagewiththefactsabouttheanimalsandtheiruncer-tainfuturesandthepoetfindingthroughtimeandspaceallthevoicesthathavecelebratedhumanity’srelationshipwithnatureasbothuplift-ingandseriouslyvitaltobodyandsoul.Biologicalaccuracyandartisticexpressioncombinedcommunicateinwaysneithercanalone.

Injustafewwords,thepoetshavecapturedthetruththat“acultureisnobetterthanitswoods”andforthepeopleandtheanimalsthereis“nodifference.”And,“theyhaveplacestogoto,too.”Risingabovethehazeofuncertaintyandmortality,whetheroftheindividual,theplanet,ortheuniverse,whatshouldwedo?“Plantatree.”

7

Birdfoot’s Grampa

The old man

must have stopped our car

two dozen times to climb out

and gather into his hands

the small toads blinded

by our lights and leaping,

live drops of rain.

The rain was falling,

a mist about his white hair

and I kept saying

you can’t save them all,

accept it, get back in

we’ve got places to go.

But, leathery hands full

of wet brown life,

knee deep in the summer

roadside grass,

he just smiled and said

they have places to go to

too.

—Joseph Bruchac

8 9

SandraAlcosserPoet-in-Residence,Language of Conservation

In Service to the Natural World

…. it is not half so important to know as to feel. —Rachel Carson, from The Sense of Wonder

In2004IbeganworkasapoetatCentralParkZoofor

24speciesofmammals 63speciesofbirds 48speciesofreptiles 20speciesofamphibians 3speciesoffish 9speciesofinvertebrates

everyone,butthepoet,ontheRedListofThreatenedSpecies—allofusworkingwiththescientistsasambassadorsforworldconservation.

InvitedtocurateaninstallationofpoetryforPoetsHouseandtheWildlifeConservationSociety,thefirstinstallationofitskind,Ibeganto create a theoretical foundation for the program. With one millionvisitors from all over the world each year, I wanted the poems at theCentralParkZootobeacelebrationofourconnectiontothephysicalworld,andthepoetswhoseworkwasselectedtobethosewhoworkedinservicetosustainthatworld.

Dr.Wharton,aconservationbiologistwhowasthentheDirectorofboththeCentralParkZooandtheSpeciesProtectionProgramfortheSnowLeopardandtheWesternLowlandGorilla,metwithmeeachweektoselectshortlyriclinesfrompoetslikeNezahualcoyotl,the15th-cen-turyphilosopher-kingwhoplannedcitiesandcreatedzoologicalgardensandarboretainpre-ColumbianMexico:

Huia! Cuix oc nelli nemohua oa in tlalticpac? Yhui. Ohuaye.

Annochipa tlalticpac. Zan achica ye nican. Ohuaye ohuaye. Tel ca chalchihuitl no xamani, no teocuitlatl in tlapani, no quetzalli poztequi. Yahui ohuaye. Anochipa tlalticpac zan achica ye nican. Ohuaya ohuaya.


Could it be true we live on earth? / On earth forever? // Just one brief instant here. // Even the finest stones begin to split, / even gold is tarnished, / even pre-cious bird-plumes / shrivel like a cough. // Just one brief instant here.

—Nezahualcoyotl, translated by Edward Kissam and Michael Schmidt

10 11

Egrets

OnceasItraveledthroughaquietevening,Isawapool,jet-blackandmirror-still.Beyond,theslenderpaperbarksstoodcrowding;eachonitsownwhiteimagelookeditsfill,andnothingmovedbutthirtyegretswading—thirtyegretsinaquietevening.

Onceinalifetime,lovelypastbelieving,yourluckyeyesmaylightonsuchapool.AsthoughformanyyearsIhadbeenwaiting,Iwatchedinsilence,tillmyheartwasfullofcleardarkwater,andwhitetreesunmoving,and,whiteryet,thosethirtyegretswading.

—Judith Wright

Thepoemsbecamepartofasix-acre,twenty-sevencenturypoetryinstallationinCentralPark.Etchedinglass,wood,andstone;inrainforest,redpandapavilion,andpenguinhouse,theyflewbrightlyfrombannersandcurledacrossrafters,stairsrisersandbenches.

CentralParkwasitselfanidealplacetobeginacollaborationbe-tweenpoetryandscience.Itexistsbecauseofthevisionofapoet—Wil-liamCullenBryant—andwasdesignedbyFrederickLawOlmstedtobeexperienced in the same way as a poem. Marianne Moore, FedericoGarcíaLorca,andmanyotherpoetsoncesatamongtheanimalsofCen-tralParkZoo.I am so glad that Marianne has decided to give the inhabitants of the zoo a rest,Moore’smotheroncesighedtoElizabethBishop,complainingaboutMoore’sattentiontohermuse.

InfrontofhundredsofpeoplecrossingtheBrooklynBridgeoneevening,nationallaureateBillyCollinsaskedustoexplain—what exactly are you doing in the zoo? Hewasnotthefirsttoaskthatquestion.

Livingforoverthirtyyearsat4,000feetintheBitterrootMoun-tainsofMontana,surroundedbybear,moose,elk,goshawk,andwol-verine, in situ, I amremindeddailyof theendangerednatureofourshared lives and ecosystems. And working with zoological societies, Ihavediscoveredthemtobemajorsupportersofworldconservation.

The scientists believe that we can help them build an emotionalbridge between science and nature, between culture and the physicalworld.Withtheseinstallations,wearetestingtheirhypothesisandprov-ingittobetrue.Throughaseriesofentranceandexitinterviews,the

Coulditbetrueweliveonearth? Onearthforever?

Justonebriefinstanthere.

Eventhefineststonesbegintosplit, evengoldistarnished, evenpreciousbird-plumes shrivellikeacough.

Justonebriefinstanthere.

And Birago Diop, the 20th-century Senegalese poet, translator,ambassadortoTunisia,andveterinarysurgeonwhobuiltahospitalforanimalsinDakar.

Ecoute plus souvent Les Choses que les Etres La Voix du Feu s’entend, Entends la Voix de l’Eau. Ecoute dans le Vent Le Buisson en sanglots: C’est le Souffle des ancêtres.

Listenmoreoftentothingsthantobeings, Hearthefire’svoice, Hearthevoiceofwater. Hear,inthewind,thesobbingofthetrees. Itisthebreathoftheancestors.

Judith Wright, of Australia, an outspoken supporter of Aborigi-nalrightsandenvironmentalintegrity,hadoftenbeenconsideredforaNobelPrizeinliterature.“Herenvironmentalpoems,lovedandstud-iednowbygenerationsofAustralians,”wroteacountryman,“aretodaystoppingmorebulldozersthananyenvironmentalactivists.”WeselectedthispoemtolinethebridgeoftheturtlepondwhereGreatEgretscir-clingabovethecitysometimesmadesurpriselandings:

12 13

Famous

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence, which knew it would inherit the earth before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birdswatching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth, more famous than the dress shoe,which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries itand not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men who smile while crossing streets, sticky children in grocery lines, famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular, but because it never forgot what it could do.

—Naomi Shihab Nye

WildlifeConservationSocietydetermined that globally-centered con-servation thinking increased markedly once the poems were in place;researchersdocumenteda48%increaseincommentsthatreflectedanunderstandingofhumansaspartofecosystems.

TheLanguage of Conservation hasgrownslowly,steadily.Asoneofouradvisors and a national poet laureate, Robert Hass, said: Thoreau read Wordsworth, Muir read Thoreau, Teddy Roosevelt read Muir, and you got national parks. It took a century for this to happen, for artistic values to percolate down to where honoring the relation of people’s imagination to the land, or beauty, or to wild things was issued in legisla-tion. Hewentontosay, I think that the job of poetry, its political job, is to refresh the idea of justice, which is going dead in us all the time.

Thepoemsweselectedfortheseinstallationswerenotalwaysaboutanimals, or pointedly about conservation. The poem that follows bycontemporarypoetNaomiShihabNye is suchaone. Ithasbecomeafavoriteofscientists,educators,andguestsalikebecauseofwhatitpro-poses:asaneandhumblewaytoliveintheworld.

Central Park Zoo, NYCNaomi Shihab Nye, “Famous” (opposite)

14 15

LeeBriccettiExecutiveDirector,PoetsHouse

The Language of Conservation: An Overview of the Project

ThenaturalistE.O.WilsonhascalledHomo sapiensThePoeticSpe-ciesbecauseourcognitiveinfrastructureissodependentonlearningbyanalogyandmetaphor.TheLanguage of Conservation,a three-yearprojectfundedbytheInstituteofMuseumandLibraryServices,putsthisno-tiontothetest,askingifthepoeticspeciescanbeengagedinanaffilia-tionwithotherlivingcreaturesthrough—well—poetry!InthemixareteninstitutionsinfiveU.S.cities;theirmillionsofvisitors;fiveacclaimedpoets; a professional evaluationteam specializing in innovativelearningmodels;andPoetsHouse,anationalpoetrylibraryandliter-ary center in New York City, theinitiative’sco-originatorandman-ager.

In broad strokes, the projectbringstogetherzoosandlibraries—amongthemosthighlyvisitedofpublic institutions inournation—tohelpvisitorsexperienceadeepenedconservationethicthroughinstalla-tionsofpoetryinthezoos.Thesepermanentinstallationsestablishwhatamounts to innovative walking anthologies—huge poetry banners, di-minutiveplacards,poemsrunningupstaircases,lineshangingfromtherafters—helpingvisitorsseemoreinwhattheysee,andtakeamomenttoreflectonthemagnificentcreaturesaroundthem.Poemscomefrommanyoftheworld’sgreattraditionsofpoetryand,sometimes,fromtheanimal’splaceoforigin.Inaffiliatedlibraries,specialdisplays,collec-tions,andalignedeventscreatecitywideconversationsaboutenviron-mentalstewardship.

ThepresenceofthescientificcommunityintheLanguage of Conserva-tionhasmeantthatoureffortshavebeenshaped,fromthebeginning,toevaluatehypothesesagainstevidence.Inotherwords,onemajorraisond’êtreoftheprojectistodetermineifourelegantmodelworks,andif


Let the beauty we love be what we do.

—Jalal al-Din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

... the project brings together zoos and libraries—among the most highly visited of public institutions in our nation—to help visitors experience a deepened conservation ethic through installations of poetry in the zoos.

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Project Basics

Poets-in-residencewerematchedtozoostocreatepermanentin-stallationsofpoetrythatmightcausevisitorstopauseandreflect,estab-lishingametaphoricalmeansofrelatingtothedazzlingcreaturesbeforethem.Theinstallationsofpoemsatzooswereintendedtoworkwith,not replace, scientific interpretive labels. Poetry selections—generally40poemsorfragmentsateachzoo—werecarefullyconsideredbypoets-in-residenceintandemwithzoospecialistsforeffectiveplacementandscientificprecision.

Throughout the project, collection building, book displays, andpublicprogramsat theparticipating librariesmade theprojectvisibleandteasedouttheissuesinpublicforums.

How lucky we were to have among our group of poets PulitzerPrizewinners,NationalPoetrySerieswinners,andformerStatePoetsLaureate.Eachhadasuperlativenationalpublishinghistory;eachhadapassion for animals and the environment; andeachwas a generoussynergy-maker.JosephBruchacworkedintheLittleRockZoo;AlisonHawthorneDeminginJacksonvilleZooandGardens;MarkDotyinTheNew Orleans Audubon Zoo; and Pattiann Rogers in The MilwaukeeAudubon Zoo. Sandra Alcosser, who originally created the prototypeprogramwithusattheCentralParkZooinNewYorkCityin2003/4,became program mentor. She also worked on an installation at TheBrookfield Zoo—just outside of Chicago—with the visionary scientist,DanWharton,whohadmoved there fromtheCentralParkZoo,andwhohadbeensofundamentaltotheinceptionoftheprototypeinitiativeinNewYork.(Moreonthatlater.)

WhatfollowsisageneraloutlineoftheLanguage of Conservation’smanyconstituentparts:

Year 1: Team Building

• long-rangeplanningandbaselineanalysisforevaluations

• developmentofaprojectWikitoenableparticipant conversationandpeer-to-peermentoring

• developmentoftipsheetsforpartnersonpoetryprogramming, publicity,andevaluation;selectionofpoetryforinstallations; graphicdesignofsignage,etc.

• selectionofpoets-in-residenceforplacementatzoos

• developmentofaPoetsAdvisoryCommitteeofnationally- acclaimedpoets(toadviseoncontentandserveasapotential speakersbureau)

itworkssimilarlytotheearlier,single-cityprototypeinNewYorkCity.Thisnew,multi-cityinitiativehascreatedamorecollaborativeprocessbetween divergent institutions and focuses specifically on how sharedlearningcanbearticulatedintoareplicationmodelusefultoothergeo-graphicallocationsoncethegrantcycleisconcluded.

Thisisacomplex,multi-layeredproject.Inmanyofthehostcit-ies, thezoosand the library systemshadnotbeforeworkedonama-jorprojecttogether.Theculture,structure,andmanagementpractice

of each institution is dif-ferent. Furthermore, theinter-disciplinary natureofourpremiseimpliesun-charted territory. So it iswith enormous gratitudethat we thank everyonewhohasparticipated—morethaneightypeople,includ-

ingleadershipteamsfromzoosandlibraries;zoocurators,animalkeep-ers, graphicdesigners; staff librarians, events coordinators;poets-in-residenceandanationaladvisorygroupofpoets;andPoetsHousestaff.

Theimpetusfortheprojectisalsocomplex.Anditisurgent.Hu-manbehaviorischangingthelivingworld.Mostscientistsagreethatwehavecometoamomentofenvironmentalcrisisthathasprofoundim-plicationsforthefutureofourownspeciesandfortheplanetwesharewithotherformsoflife.Extinctionshavebecomesoacceleratedthatitispredictedhalfofthespeciesonearthwillbelostwithinthenextcentury,thehighestdegradationofbiodiversityinmillennia(Wilson,2002).

Many scientists and environmental activists who are most con-cernedabouthumanimpactsonbiodiversityhavecalledforeducationalprogramsthat joinemotionwithrationalanalysis inordertocreateadeeperandmoreenduringconservationethic(Wilson,1985).Certainly,thishasbeenoneofourmajorgoals,asonebyone,millionsofpeoplearebeinginvitedtoexperiencethelanguageofscienceandpoetryplacedsidebyside.Earlyprojectevaluationsindicatethatthepoetryenablesachangeinperception,allowinganalignmentof learningwithfeeling.It isourhope that feeling willbecomean impetus foraction.Changedthinking isalreadypartofchange.Thisbriefintroductionoutlineswhatwedid,howitcameabout,andofferssomebriefpersonalobservationsrelatedtotheproject’spossibilitiesforgenerativeconversationbetweeninstitutions.

Many scientists and environmental activists who are most concerned about human impacts on biodiversity have called for educational programs that join emotion with rational anal-ysis in order to create a deeper and more enduring conservation ethic.

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Poets House started from the premise that poetry can be aboutanything and good poems can help people comprehend anything, inadeeper,morecomplex,andmulti-dimensionalway.Weareaspecieswith language.Language iskey to individual thinkingandcommunityinteraction;andpoetrydistills theexpressive,musical,andemotionalstrengthsof language.Certainly ithas surprised somepeople, indeedsomeofthepartnersinthisproject,thatthepoetryworks.Notbecausevisitors to the zoo become students of literature—but because poeticthinkingandmetaphorareintrinsictothewaythehumanmindoper-ates,andarethechiefmechanismthroughwhichwedescribeandgraspabstraction(Deutscher,2008).

Little Rock Zoo

Atom from atom yawns as far / As moon from earth, as star from star.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson, from “Nature”

Antecedents

ThebasicideafortheLanguage of Conservationstartedabout10yearsagowhenImetDanWharton,then-directoroftheCentralParkZooinNewYorkCity.Danexpressedconcernthatzoovisitorsoftenseemedtohavenounderstandingofthegrowingroleofzoosinspeciespreserva-tion.Hewasurgentlyconcernedthatvisitorswereleavingthezoowith-outasenseofbeingpersonallyimplicatedormovedtowardstewardship.Webothagreedthatpoetrymightcreateabridgethatcouldinvitevisitorsintodeeperthinkingandfeeling.AsEzraPoundsaid,poetry“presentsanintellectualandemotionalcomplexinaninstantoftime.”

• atwo-dayconveningforkeystafffromallparticipating institutions

• poets-in-residenceworkatzoos;researchpoemsfor installations

• libraryresources,bibliographies,anddisplayscreated

• initialliteraryeventsfeaturepoets-in-residenceatlibraries

Year 2: Zoo Installations and Library Literary Events

• poetryselectionsvettedwithpartners

• permissionsforpoetryinstallationssoughtfromrightsholders

• poetryplacementsfinalized

• designofpoetryplacardsandsignage

• pre-installationevaluationsateachzoo

• publiclaunchofinstallations

• librariespresentjointprogrammingandpublicizeinstallations

Year 3: Events, Evaluation, Dissemination

• programseriesinlibrariescreatecitywideexposure

• evaluationoflibraryandzoovisitors’experiencesmeasure impactsonconservationthinking

• finalsummativeevaluationandarticulationoflearningmodels

• publicationsinpopularandacademicjournals

• presentationsatliteraryandscientificconferences

Year 4: Publication

Thatpoetrycanactasthetensilethreadthatbringsalltheseorga-nizationstogethermayseemcounterintuitive.ButPoetsHousehasseenitsaudiencesincreaseexponentiallyoverthelasttwentyyears.JustanoteaboutPoetsHouse:weareoneofthegreatplacesforthepoeticspecies,a50,000-volumenationalpoetry libraryandhomefor theart form.After more than twenty-five years of distinguished programming andcollectionbuilding,wehaverecentlyopenedalively,newhomeonthebanksoftheHudsonRiver,wherereadersandwritersandaudiencesofallkindsexperiencepoetrywithpleasureandunderstanding.

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That very night in Max’s room a forest grew // and grew— // and grew until his ceiling hung with vines / and the walls became the world all around

—Maurice Sendak, from Where the Wild Things Are

Thegoalwastoofferanotherintimateconnectiontotheanimalsthrough the artful, mediating voice of poetry. So, we teamed up andwroteaninitialgranttotheInstituteofMuseumandLibraryServicestoenrichzoosignagewithpoetry.Blessedly,SandraAlcosserwaswillingtoleaveherhomeinMontanatobecomeourfirstPoet-in-Residence.Together,DanandSandracreatedthefirstprototypeprogram.

Earlyinourworktogether,focusgroupswithpoetsrevealedtheirsuspicionofzoos(cages!)andzoopersonnel’ssuspicionofpoetry(whowouldlikeit?).Butultimately,overthecourseofthatfirstproject,acul-turalshiftoccurredandtheevaluationmechanismsthatcoulddescribethe importance of the poetry helped to generate a sense of discoveryamongzoostaff.Everyonewantedtodosomethingthatenrichedtheiraudiences’thinkingandsupportedtheirinstitution’sbasicenvironmen-talmission.Mostsignificantly,evaluationsoftheprojectintheCentralParkZoodocumentedanincreaseinvisitors’emotionalconnectiontotheanimalsoncethepoetrywasinstalled.Also,inexitinterviews,whenaskedwhatpartofzoosignagetheyremembered,visitorstotheCentralParkZoooftenquotedfromthepoetry.Butwhenasked,pointblank,iftheylikedthepoetry,manydidnotknowthatwhattheylikedwaspoetry.

ThisconfirmedwhatPoetsHousehad learnedthroughourworkwithpubliclibrariansoverthepreviousdecade:whenpeopleexperiencepoetry,theyareoftensurprisedanddelighted.But,ifyoutellthemit’scoming, they get nervous. And the scientists and curators at the zooswerenervous.Until,thatis,theysawthepoetrywork.

Scienceandpoetryhavesimilarroots—inobservationandarticula-tion.Butpoetry,sorichinmetaphor,activatestheimaginationthroughaprocessthattransfersaffinitiesfromdissimilarsubjectstooneanoth-er,creatinganewwayofseeing.Thismetaphoricalfacilityalsotransfersfeeling.

In New York, even before the professional evaluators’ interviewsandsurveyswerecompleted,IhadapersonalsenseofexcitementasIoverheardavigorousconversationbetweenayoungboyandhismothersoonafterthepoetryinstallationopened.TheyhadcomeuponaGarySnydercouplet,“Thesecret/andthesecretdeepinthat…,”detachedfromtherestofthepoem.Theyoungboywaspositivelyexasperatedthathedidnotknowthesecret.

“Well,whatdoyouthinkthesecretis?”askedthemother,tryingtoengageherchild’s imagination.Later, inanother locationnearthepolarbears,visitorscouldreadthewholepoemandthinkmoreaboutthenetworkofconnectionsbetweenanimalsintheirhabitats,discover-ingthesecretanimalinsideanotheranimal’sbelly.Anenvironmentalconversationthatcouldtakemanydirectionswasbegun.

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Section1THE PROJECT

Making More Creative Institutions

OurworkthroughtheLanguage of Conservationhascreatedaninfra-structureof co-agencybetweendifferentkindsof institutions, aswellasthedifferentlanguagesofscienceandliterature.Thesejointenergieshavecreatedcooperativepublicspacesthatrespectimaginationandin-vitegenerativethinking.

Inducementstothiskindofcreativityandconnectivityarenotjustgoodforart.Theymakebetterworkplaces,educationalinstitutions,andcities.Thisprojecthasrequiredeachinstitutiontoreachoutsidetheirspecializedlanguage—tobeopentoanewwayofcommunicating—inor-dertoforgeanewopportunityforpubliclearning.

Itmayalsobepossibletosaythattheseinstitutions’willingnesstocreateproximitybetweenthelanguageofscienceandliteraturehasbeena positive step toward enacting a new social dynamic that emphasizesalignmentofintellectandfeeling.Isthatenoughtochangetheculturaldynamicinaparticularcity?Whatwouldbeenough?Wheredowestart?

Althoughourculturemaybemorenervousaboutpoetrythanothercultures,wherevertheyare,humanbeingslikecreativity,skill,andsur-prise.Andthatiswherewecanstart.Myfive-year-oldnephewliterallyjumpedwithgleeattheCentralParkZoowhenhesawquotationsfromMauriceSendak’sWhere the Wild Things Are.“That’smine!”heexclaimed.

Onebyone,millionsofpeople,bothadultsandchildren,haveex-periencedpoetryinthesezoosasameanstounderstandasharedalive-nesswithothercreatures.

References

Deutscher,Guy(2008).The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Man-kind’s Greatest Invention.NewYork:HenryHolt,117.

Wilson,E.O.(2002).The Future of Life.NewYork:Knopf,77.

Wilson,E.O.(1985).Biophilia.NewYork:W.W.Norton,119.

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How the Project Went Forward: The Experience of the Poets in Five Cities

Brookfield Zoo

…in Wildness is the preservation of the world.

—Henry David Thoreau, from “Walking”

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Curating the Installation at Brookfield Zoo

People come here now more than to fill their eyes—they come to fill their souls. —Dr. Alejandro Grajal, Chicago Zoological Society

Azooisalivingmuseum,andkintoalivingperson,ormorepre-

cisely,ahumanfamily,ithasanecology,apurposeforbeing,andaneedtoshareitsstory.

I felt this powerfully at Brookfield Zoo, over two hundred acressurroundedbyatree-linedsuburbancommunitydesignedbyFrederickLawOlmsted,acommunityofbrickhomesandmeanderingsidewalkstwelvemileswestofChicago.

IbegantounderstandtheintegrityofourworkonedayoverlunchwiththeDirectorofBrookfieldZoo,Dr.StuartStrahl.Wespokeabouttools:howtheyrevealourintelligenceandintegrationwiththephysicalworld.Dr.StrahltoldmethathisfamilyhadhadafarmontheChesa-peake Bay that they deeded to the Audubon Society, which he helpedturnintoaprogressiveenvironmentalcenter.Onthatlandhestartedatoolmuseumtopreservetheintelligenceofourplaceupontheland.Ashespoke,Iobservedtheholisticnatureofaconservationist’swork,rememberingthatheandBrookfield’svisionaryteamhadsurveyedeverycornerofthezoo,ashehadoncesurveyedhisfamily’slandtodetermineitswise,long-termuse.

Overthe77yearsofitsexistence,BrookfieldZoohasbecomeavitalmemberof thecommunity.EachtimeIwalkedfromtheMetroTrainStation,Ipassedthroughthezoo’sgateswithChicagokidsfromdiversebackgroundswhoparticipatedonadailyorweeklybasisinChicagoZoo-logicalSociety’sincrediblyactiveandsuccessfulYoungConservationistPrograms.

Theworkofapoetrycuratoristohelpaplacetellitsstory.IhadbeenhiredbyElizabethBarlowRogersinCentralParkinthe70sbe-cause my slight frame and passion for walking, pen and notebook inhand,remindedherofFrederickLawOlmsted.Althoughresemblanceendedthere,instartingPoetsinthePark,IbecamedeeplyfamiliarwithOlmsted’splansandthehistoryofthepark,somyreturnin2004for

Brookfield Zoo My words are tied in one / With the great mountains / With the great rocks / With the great trees / In one with my body / And my heart.

—Yokuts Prayer

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To select poems for the 7.5-acre site, we often circled around atable in the educational staff’s trailer. We sat like family, six distinctpersonalitiesreadingthepoemsIservedupandresponding.ForeachanimalorecosystemIprovidedhalf-a-dozenselectionswrittenbyNa-tiveAmericanandotherAmericanpoetswhoworkedinservicetothenaturalworld.Wereadthesilencesandenthusiasmsofeachpersonatthetable.

Casey Schulke, a young poet and the Interpretive Programs Co-ordinator forBrookfieldZoo,wouldoversee thedetailsof thepoetryinstallationandtheprogrammingthatsurroundedit.SheselectedtheselinesbySylviaPlath,from“IAmVertical”:

Comparedwithme,atreeisimmortal Andaflower-headnottall,butmorestartling, AndIwanttheone’slongevityandtheother’sdaring.

CaseydescribedherselfassomeonewhogrewupinaruralAlas-kanAthabascanvillageof300people—whereshelearnedthatducttape,moose,andagoodcupof teacanfix justaboutanything.GreatBearWildernesswasherfirstprojectofthissize,andwewereluckytohavesomeonewithherenergy,senseofadventure,andloveof languageasourpointperson.

EarlyinourcollaborationAndreCopelandselectedlinesbyJohnMuir:

Whenwetrytopickoutanythingbyitself, Wefindithitchedtoeverythingelseintheuniverse.

Muir,whotiedhimselftothetopofafirtreeintheSierrastorideawindstorm,smell thechafingofresinybranches,andhear tensevi-brationsofpineneedlesagainsteachother,reachedacross140yearstotouchAndreCopeland,theInterpretiveProgramsManagerattheZoo.Cherokee,Creole,andAfricanAmerican,Andre,whospenthischild-hoodinandoutofhospitalswithasthma,recalledhismothersaying,asshesatbyhishospitalbed:

See that spider Andre. See how slow it crosses the ceiling? You watch that spider. He’s your friend. By the time that spider crosses from that corner to the next, returns, and comes back again, by the time that spider crosses this ceiling two times, I’ll be back. Right here beside you.

thefirstinstallationoftheLanguage of Conservationcamewithpriorknowl-edgeofthezooandadeeplovefortheparkthatembracedit.

AlthoughIhadgrownupintheMidwestandattendedschoolinLakeForest,Illinois,myworkinBrookfieldwasawholenewadventurethatbeganwithhardhatsinaconstructionzone.Poetrywouldbewovenintoanewexhibitarea—GreatBearWilderness—oneofthemostambitiousinstallationscreatedbyBrookfieldin75years.OnlyavisionarylikeDr.Wharton,co-creatoroftheLanguage of Conservation,andthenewSeniorVicePresidentofAnimalPrograms,wouldhavebeentrustedtoinvitepoetryintotheconstruction.GreatBearWildernesspromisedaspectacularnewhomefortheiconicanimalsoftheNorthAmericancontinent:theMex-icangraywolf,Americanbison,grizzlybear,baldeagle,raven,andpolarbear.Alloftheseanimals,exceptthepolarbear,andofcoursetheraven,hadbeenbroughtbackfromnearextinctionbyconservationaction,anditwashopedthatbypersuadingvisitorstotrimtheircarbonfootprintandpursueotherconservationaction,thepolarbearanditshabitatmightbesavedaswell.Withthishope,BrookfieldZoohadpartneredwithor-ganizationsintheWestthatpreservehundredsofthousandsofacresofcriticalhabitat:YellowstonetoYukonConservationInitiative;Ameri-canPrairieFoundation;VitalGround;andPolarBearsInternational.

Brookfield Zoo

The moon goes over the water. / How tranquil the sky is! / She goes scything slowly / the old shimmer from the river; / meanwhile a young frog / takes her for a little mirror.

—Federico García Lorca, “Half Moon,” translated by W. S. Merwin

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Riverside Public Library, IL

As a quiet little seedling / Lay within its darksome bed, / To itself it fell a-talking, / And this is what it said: // “I am not so very robust, / But I’ll do the best I can;”And the seedling from that moment / Its work of life began.—Paul Laurence Dunbar, from “The Seedling”

Asanadult,Andrelovesspiders—theexquisitelyprecise19th-cen-turylithographofarachnidsbyGermanbiologistErnstHaecklelisonhis screensaver. Later, Andre brought forward another poem by PaulLaurenceDunbarforAndyMurashige, theLeadDesigner forBrook-fieldZoo’sCreativeServices,tofeatureatRiversideLibrary.

The library installations thrilled me. Andy had the freedom toplacepoemsonrisers,walls,andwindows,andhediditwithrealpa-nache.ThedaybeforetheopeningofLanguage of Conservationatthezoo,wetouredthepoetryexhibitsatboththeBrookfieldandRiversideLibrariesandmetwith the fantastic staffmembers.FridayeveningwereturnedinatorrentialdownpourtoreadforapackedhouseatBrookfieldLi-brary.ThelibrarystaffmadeLanguage of Conservationbisonstickerstogooneachbookintheexhibitandimprintedthesidewalkswithbisontracksrightuptothedoor.StateAssemblymanZalewskiopenedtheprogram,talkedaboutconservation,thenLauraVanProoyen,afineBrookfieldpoet—whoclaimsshejogsthestreetseachmorningtothecriesofzoopeacocks—providedintroductions.Everyone,includingthemayor,waspresent, as well as representatives of numerous groups including theMetropolitanLibrary.Thepresidentof thebankandmembersof thelocalfarmers’marketexpressedinterestinexhibitingourconservationpoems.Theprogramsatbothlibrariesaretooextensivetodescribehere,buttheyincludedpoetryandconservationcollaborationsbetweenmanyschools,seniorcitizens’groups,thelibraries,andBrookfieldZoo.ThelibrarycollaborationswereatruegiftofspiritonthepartofBrookfieldZooandthewonderfullibraryadministrativestaffs.

Brookfield Public Library, IL

Earth laughs in flowers

—Ralph Waldo Emerson, from “Hamatreya”

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Eagle Poem

To pray you open your whole self

To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon

To one whole voice that is you.

And know there is more

That you can’t see, can’t hear,

Can’t know except in moments

Steadily growing, and in languages

That aren’t always sound but other

Circles of motion.

Like eagle that Sunday morning

Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky

In wind, swept our hearts clean

With sacred wings.

We see you, see ourselves and know

That we must take the utmost care

And kindness in all things.

Breathe in, knowing we are made of

All this, and breathe, knowing

We are truly blessed because we

Were born, and die soon within a

True circle of motion,

Like eagle rounding out the morning

Inside us.

We pray that it will be done

In beauty.

In beauty.

—Joy Harjo

AndyMurashigecameupwithinnovativewaysofpresentingpoetryatthezooaswell.Forpoemsthatappearedintwolanguages,hefoundhand-crankedspeakersthatcouldrecordandplaythepoemsinboth.Muchofmyjobwascustodial:totakepeoplethroughtherigorsofpermissionsandproofreading,andtheprecisionsandeccentricitiesofpunctuationandlinebreaks.IplayedthedisciplinarianwhooverlookedanerrantrinFedericoGarcíaLorca’sname,sothathebecameFredericountiltheopeningdayofinstallation.

Oneswirlsinthedetailsofopenings,butitwasonthatdaythatIfullyunderstoodinthemostintimatewaywhythisworkisofcriticalimportancetopoets.

Theripplinggraceofgrizzlies,evenseenatadistance,causesthehumanbodytoflare.Callitawe.Andyet,nothingpreparesonefortheincendiarymomentwhentwoofthesethousand-poundomnivoresliftmassive heads with glistening snouts from a deep pool and stare into

youreyesfromtheothersideof glass at Brookfield Zoo.The children scream. Theywouldnotscreaminthefor-est.Theywouldknowtodivedeeper than silence. But onopeningdayandsurelyallthedays to follow, theyput theirhandsontheglass,mimicthebears’ movements under wa-terandrendtheairwiththeirhighhumanvoices.Asadults

welearntomufflethatthrill,driveitdowndeepinside,butitresides.Ourbodiesacknowledgethatwehavemet,ifnotourmaker,atleastapresencemorepowerfulthanweareanddeservingofpraise.

Dr.Strahl,Dr.Grajal,Dr.Wharton,andtheworkersofBrookfieldZooarepassionateabout the livesof themagnificentanimalsandtheecosystems theypreserve.Animalsbringus fully intobeing.Theyareagatewaytosurvivalandmystery, to thenaturalworldthatcalmsandembraces us, teaches us how to be. Nature is our ordering principle;languageandpoetryareyetanotherorderingprinciple;bothinformusthatwearepartoftheworld’sstory.

Thankyou,JoyHarjo,andallthepoetsofGreatBearWildernessforgenerouslyallowingustoshareyourwisdomandyourblessingsforthisearth.

Animals bring us fully into being. They are a gateway to survival and mystery, to the natural world that calms and embraces us, teaches us how to be. Nature is our order-ing principle; language and poetry are yet another ordering principle; both inform us that we are part of the world’s story.

34 35

JosephBruchacPoet-in-Residence,LittleRockZoo

Lines of Life: My Experience as Part of the Language of Conservation in Little Rock

Myowninterest inconservationstretchesbackat leastas longasmyloveforpoetry,whichbeganwhenIwasasmallchildandheardmygrandmotherreadingtomefromA Child’s Garden of Verses byRobertLouisStevenson.ThoughIdidn’trealizeitbackthen,thatverytitlesuggeststhatpoetryissomethinggreenandgrowing,likelytobefoundoutdoors,tobecaredforandnurturedlikeagarden.Iwrotepoemsallthroughelementaryschoolandhighschool,memorizedsomanythatIoftenre-citedfrommemoryinthebackoftheroomtheclassicpoemsmyEnglishteacherwasreadingatthefrontoftheclass.However,mystatedaiminlifewastohaveacareerasanaturalistortoworkinazoo.Butnotjustanynaturalistorzooworker—someonelikeEdwinWayTeale,whowroteAutumn Across America ortheSanDiegoZoo’sBelleBenchley,theauthorofMy Animal Babies.IwouldbedoingwhatGarySnydercalls“therealwork”andwritingaboutit.

I carried my love of poetry and the natural world on to CornellUniversity,whereIspentmyfirstthreeyearsofstudyasamajorinWild-life Conservation, before switching to an English Major after severalelectivecoursesinCreativeWritingshowedmewheremygreatestpas-sionwas.ButIdidn’tleavethenaturalworldbehind.Myfirstpublishedpoems in The Trojan Horse, the Cornell student literary magazine, wereaboutanimals.Suchpoetsas JamesWright,GarySnyder,RobertBly,thehaikumastersofJapan,andthegreatChinesemastersoftheTangDynasty strengthenedmyunspokenconviction thatpoetryandnaturewereasnaturallyconnectedasfertilesoilandrain.

Also,asIgrewolder,IbecamemorevisiblyconnectedtomyownAmericanIndianroots,wherethatlinkbetweenthepoweroflanguageandthelifeallaroundusisimplicit.Myfirstbookofpoetryin1971wascalled Indian Mountain and,with thecollaborationofmyco-authorMi-chaelCaduto,IpublishedseveralbooksthatusetraditionalAmericanIndianstoriestoteachaboutthenaturalworld—theKeepers of the Earthse-ries.(Thesebookscanbefoundinthegiftshopsofmanyzoos.)

Little Rock Zoo

Several of Nature’s People / I know, and they know me — / I feel for them a transport / Of cordiality — // But never met this Fellow / Attended, or alone / Without a tighter breathing / And Zero at the Bone —

—Emily Dickinson, from #986, “A narrow Fellow in the Grass”

36 37

poets, librarians,andzoopeople,Ireadsimilarenthusiasminevery-one’s faces.Personally, Igot the feeling that Icouldhaveworkedwellwithanyofthem.Later,whenIwouldgetthechancetomakevisitstoalloftheotherzoosinvolvedintheprojectasidefromNewOrleans,Iwouldseeclearevidenceofthatoriginal impressionofmine.Ifoundthepoetryinstallationsatallthosezoostobeeffective,moving,andex-tremelyimpressiveinmanyways,includingappropriatechoicesofpo-etry,placementofthepoems,useofvarioustechniquestodisplayandmountthepoems,andthesupportgivenbyeachhostzoototheprojectasawhole.

Myownzoo(notehowI’mtakingownership)wastheLittleRockZooandthoughIwouldhappilyhaveacceptedthepostofResidentPoetatanyoftheothers,Inowconsidermyselfparticularlyblessedtohavebeenpairedwiththezooandlibrarypeopleinwhathasnowbecomeoneofmyfavoritecities.

Ican’tgoanyfurtherwithoutmakingmentionoftheleadpeopleintheLittleRockteam:JjMuehlhausenandDelbertDawsonattheLittleRockZooandBettyeKernsattheLittleRockLibrary.Thewaysinwhichtheyplannedandmarketedourproject,workedwithme,keptincon-stantcontactwithmeand(justasimportantly)workedwitheachotherwereexemplary.ThelessonItookawayfromthatpartnershipisthat,inanyfuturesuchprograms(ofwhichIhopetherearemany),onecannotstress stronglyenoughtheneedforcontinued, thorough,andregularcommunication between the poet, the host library, and the host zoo.Everyoneneedstobekeptintheloopandeveryoneneedstoknowwhatthey’reexpectedtodoandwhen.Thatwayweareallsharingtheloadandawareoftasks,timeframes,andschedules.Actually,thefourthlegofthetable(or,ifwewanttokeepitintherealmofzoology,theelephant)thatkeptitallinbalanceandmovingalongwasPoetsHouse.Iwasconstantlyimpressedbythesmoothnessoftheiroperations,thewaytheymanagednotjusttorespondtobutalsotoanticipateneeds.

I know that each poet and their team had their own methods ofcomingupwiththechoices,placements,anddisplayelementsforthepoetryineachzoo.AndIwasimpressedwithhowwelleverythingseemedtoworkintheotherzoosIwasfortunateenoughtovisit.However,letmesharewhatourmethodwasatLittleRock.

Firstofall,ImadeasitevisitduringwhichImetallofthepeopleatthelibraryandthezoowithwhomI’dbeworking.I’dalreadydoneapo-etrypresentationinNewOrleans,sharinganumberofpoemsthatIfelttiedintoourthemeof“ConservationPoetry”fromvariouspoetsandpartsoftheworld.Itturnedoutthatmypresentationhadinspiredthe

AllofthismaymakeunderstandablewhyIwassodelightedtobepartofthisprojectandfeltthatitwasanaturalfit.Infact,apoemofminecalled“Birdfoot’sGrampa”wasusedinthepilotprogramattheCentralParkZooseveralyearsago,whereItookpartintheinauguralreadingtoalargeaudiencethatincludedanumberofseeminglyappre-ciativesealions.

Ithaslongbeenmybelief(notoriginaltome,ofcourse)thatoneofthethingspoetrycando(nottheonlything,ofcourse)istogivevoicetothevoiceless.Thus,poemsthatareforandaboutanimals,plants,andtheecosystemwithinwhichwelive,canserveaverypracticalpurpose.Of course, I also believe that the play of language, the shape a poemmakesinthemindofthereader,isarewardinandofitself.But,liketraditionalAmericanIndianstories,apoemcanfillthedualroleofbothentertainerandteacher.

Idonotbelievethatthevastmajorityofhumanbeingssupportthedestructionofourecosystemthatisnowgoingonineverycornerofour

fragileplanet.NordoIbelievethatthissortofdestructionwhere,forexample,incuttingdownthefor-ests of Indonesia to clear the wayforpalmoilplantationsisresultinginthedecimationofcountlessspe-ciessuchastheorangutan,isabso-lutely necessary. There is always amiddle way. But how do we bringpeopletoawarenesswithoutfright-

ening them, without making them feel guilty, without making themhardentheirheartsandjustturnawaybecauseitistoopainfultohear?

Ibelievethatpoetryisoneofthoseways.Mostpeople,whentheygotothezoo,dosowithopenhearts.They’reoftenwiththeirchildren.They’rereadyto lookandlisten,totakedelight insomethingnew,toexercisewhatRachelCarsoncalledthe“senseofwonder.”Thus,whenpresentedwithlinesofpoetrythattieintothatexperience,theyreadthemgladlyandmaycarryawaywiththem—sometimessubconsciously—themessagesthosepoemsimpart.Thoselinesofpoetrybecomelinesoflife,lifelines.Andjustasonebriefmeetingwithagreatsoulmaychangeaperson’slifeforever,so,too,onelineofpoetrymaydothesame,maywakenanawarenessofandadeterminationtobettercarefortheearth.

ThefirstmeetingthatweheldinNewOrleanswasarealgatheringofkindredspirits.Itwasplain,tousetheappropriateliterarymetaphor,thatwewereallonthesamepage.Althoughwewereadiversegroupof

And just as one brief meeting with a great soul may change a person’s life forever, so, too, one line of poetry may do the same, may waken an aware-ness of and a determination to better care for the earth.

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Third,afterchoosingthepoems,wewouldcometoanagreementtogether about where and how each poem would be displayed, takingintoaccounttheneedforvariety,formakingthepoemappropriatetotheanimalsandtheirsettings,andtheneedtorenderthesepoemsintoformsdurableenoughforthemtolastforyears.

Inmaking that initial selectionofpoemstochoose from,I triedtodoseveralthingsthatIbelievewerereflectedinthefinalchoicesofpoemsforexhibit.

Thesewereto:

1. Choosepoemsofhighqualitythatmatchedourthemesofcon- servationandawarenessofthenaturalworld.

2.Representawiderangeofvoiceswithpoetrythatisethnically, racially,andculturallydiverse,aswellasincludingpoemsby womenandmen.NotjustAmericanandBritishpoetry,butalso poemsfromAfrica,Asia,SouthAmerica,Europe,andNative America,someofwhichwerepresentedinbilingualformat.

3. Offerdiversityinthetypesofpoems—poetryfrompastand present,formalrhymedpoetryandfreeverse,andpoetryfor children.

EffortswerealsomadetoincludethelocalpoetrycommunityandAr-kansaspoets.AlthoughnopoemsfromArkansaswritersendedupbe-ingchosen,localpoetsattendedeventsatthezooandlibraryandwereinvitedtopresentaspartoftheoverallproject.

I visited the Little Rock Zoo several times, including during theofficialopeningfortheeventwhichcoincidedwithanothereventatthezoo, thusdrawinga larger crowd. Iobserved (not just atLittleRock,but at every other zoo I visited) howoftenthepoemsstoppedzoovisitors,howtheywouldpauseoverthemandread silently, then look again at theanimals.Inmanycases,peoplewouldread the poems aloud. The LittleRockZoo is verymucha communityzooandIobservedhowmanyofthosewhocametothezooseemedtobeworking-classfolks—notyourstereotypicalaudienceforpoetry.ButfromwhatIsaw—andwhatothershavetoldme—theylovedit.Wewerereaching groupsofpeoplewhomightotherwisehavenever seen suchpoemsorgivenmuchthoughttothemessagestheycontained.

LittleRockZoopeopletochooseoneortwoofthosepoemsassamplestodisplay.Theydidagreatjobofspreadingthewordaboutpoetryandourproject throughout the entire zoobefore I got there.As a result,whileatLittleRockZooIwasgivenathoroughtourofthefacility,metthekeepersinchargeofeachexhibit,andworkedouttheapproachwe’dfollowinselectingpoemsforthezoo.Theplanwasasimpleone:

First,basedonmyknowledgeofthezoo’sanimalsandthezoolay-out,andmydiscussionswiththezoopeopleofwherethey’dlikepoemsdisplayed,Iwouldputtogetheralargeselectionofpoems.Notjustoneforeacharea,butseveral.

Second,thosepoemswouldbediscussedbynotonlythecoordi-natorsoftheprojectatthezoo,butalsothepeopledirectlyinvolvedasthekeepersforeacharea.Thus,theelephantkeeperschosetheYorubapraisepoemabouttheelephantandsoon.Ourfeelingwasthatitgaveeveryoneinthezoomoreofasenseofownershipintheproject.(And,Ishouldmention,myoldloveforRobertLouisStevensonresurfacedwhenwechosethepoem“TheLittleLand”fromA Child’s Garden of Verses fortheChildren’sAreainthezoo.)

Little Rock Zoo

The Earth and myself are of one mind.

—Hinmaton Yalatkit (Chief Joseph)

We were reaching groups of people who might otherwise have never seen such poems or given much thought to the messages they contained.

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Thepreservationoflife,theeducationofthepublic,eventherestockingofcreaturesintheiroriginalhabitatsaftertheyhavebeenliterallysavedfromextinctionbyzooprograms(asinthecaseoftheSanDiegoZooandtheCaliforniaCondor)havetakentheplaceofmerevoyeurism.

Luckily, most of the living poets whose work we wished to useseemed to understand that and gladly gave permission for the use oftheirpoems.Therewereonlytwoexceptions.Butthoseexceptionsshowushowmuchmoreworkneedstobedonetoletpeopleknowtherolesthatzoosareplaying.And,Iwouldsuggest,ourprojectisoneofthebestnewideastohelpdojustthat.

Onemorethingisworthmentioning.Itravelwidelyasavisitingwriter in schoolsanda storytellerand frequently speakat libraryandreading conferences. Invariably, without exception, every time I havementionedtheLanguage of Conservationproject,therehasbeenoneques-tionaskedofme.IhearditinArizona,inCalifornia,inMassachusetts,inVirginia,inNorthCarolina,andmanyotherplaces.Thequestionisthis:“Whenistheprojectgoingtocometoourlocalzoo?”

AllIcouldanswerwasthatourswasapilotproject.However,myhopeisthattherewillbemoretocome,thatthelinewehavebeguntodrawconnectingzoosandpoetrywillonlygrowlongerandremainun-broken.

Little Rock Zoo

They hurt no one. They rove the North. / Owning the wilderness, they’re not lost.

—William Stafford, from “In Fur”

TheonlymarginallynegativepartofmyLittleRockexperienceissomethingthatbotheredthelibrarypeople,butdidn’tbothermeatall.Itwas that theaudiences for the twopoetrypresentationsIdidat thelibrarywerenotaslargeasthelibrarianshadhoped.Drawingalargeau-diencetoapoetryreadingatanylibraryisnotaneasything.Andthosewhowerethereseemedgenuinelyinterested.Workinbuildingalargeraudienceforpoetryissomethingthathastobecontinuallypursuedineverycommunity—throughworkshops,poetryslams,andregularpublicevents to letpeopleknowwhat theycanexpectand lead themto lookforwardtoit.

Ibelievethatthisprojecthasbothfulfilleditspotentialanddem-onstrateditsviabilityinallofthewaysI’vementioned.Ithasentertainedandeducated,createdawareness,andalsohelpedpeopleseezoosinanewway.

Little Rock Zoo

Elephant, a spirit in the bush… / With her single hand / she pulls two palm trees to the ground…

—Yoruba Praise Poem, Nigeria, translated by Joseph Bruchac

There are some preconceptions out there about zoos. Negativeones.SomeofthemhavebeenheldbysuchfamouspoetsasRainerMa-riaRilkeandWilliamBlake.Anynumberofpoetspastandpresenthavewrittenaboutthezooasaplaceofconfinement,atragicsetting,evenaconcentrationcampforanimals.There’snodoubtthatmanyofthezoosofthepastplacedlivingcreaturesincramped,unhealthyconditions.Butthenewgenerationofzoosandthephilosophyofthezoohavechanged.

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AlisonHawthorneDemingPoet-in-Residence,JacksonvilleZooandGardens

Curatorial Commentary: Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

FordecadesIhavebeenwritingandthinkingaboutthepowerofanimalsinthehumanimagination,theirplightinadiminishingnatu-ralworld,and thepowerofpoetic language to strengthenacollectiveresolve to protect their future. The Language of Conservation provided anexcitingopportunitytotesttheseideasonthegroundandinasettingnottraditionallyconsideredliterary.This“replication”projectspun-offfromSandraAlcosser’soutstandingworkatCentralParkZoo,butthechallengewastomakeitnewandsite-specific.

Jacksonville Zoo

I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. // My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

—Langston Hughes, from “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”

Jacksonville Zoo

Between forest and field, a threshold / like stepping from a cathedral into the street—

—Ravi Shankar, from “Crossings”

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Ihad thegoodfortune toworkwithKelliannWhitney, thezoo’sEducation Director, who eagerly seized upon the project and orches-tratedthecollectivedecision-makingprocessatthezoo.AnycuratorialvoicethatIfoundhadeverythingtodowithher support, compe-tence, and work with the teamwithin the zoo that helped tomake the final poetry selectionsfor the installation. She and Ipresented the project overviewto the Board of Directors. Oneoftheirimportantcontributionswas to reinforce the importanceofthedesignqualitiesofthein-stallation.IremainverygratefulforthisinputbecauseIthinktheinventivenessandgraphicdynamismoftheinstallationisoneofthedis-tinguishingfeaturesoftheJacksonvillesite.

Aftertouringthesite,meetingwithkeepersandgroundscrewforthebotanicalgardens,andobservingwherezoovisitorstendedtopauseorgather,Imadeaninitialselectionofover100poemexcerpts.Imade

IcametotheLanguage of Conservationwithcertainassumptions.Iwant-edarangeofpoemsthatwouldspeakfromabroadrangeofculturesandhistoricalperiods.Iwantedvoicesthatspokefromthezoo’sregionanditscultures.Iwantedpoemsfromfar-flungtraditionsinwhichloveofnatureisavaluedeeplyembeddedinanartisticlegacy:NativeAmericansong,AncientChinese“mountainsandrivers”poetry,andBritishRo-manticism.Iwantedpoetryforloversoftraditionandpoetryforloversofinnovationintheart,poemsfromEuropeandtheAmericas,poemsforadultsandsomeforchildren.Iwantedtheoldwaystobewellrepre-sented,perspectivesonanimalsdrawnfromatimewhenacloserrela-tionshipwithanimalswasthedailyfare.AndIwantedsomeofthepoetsofourtimewhohavebecomeenvironmentalheroestobeincluded:W.S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver. I wanted to find poems thatwouldgivewordstotheineffablefeelingsthatourencounterswithani-malssooftenprovoke.

Suffering from the twin maladies of nature deficit disorder andinformation overload, most urban Americans are hungry for storiesofinspiration,alanguageofgenuineempathyandloveforourfellowcreatures,andareconnectionwiththesensethatanimalsspeaktothehumanspirit.Moreinformationcannotfeedthishunger,buttheartshavethepotentialtodosoinaresonantway.Thisprojectisatestofthatassumption.

Suffering from the twin mala-dies of nature deficit disorder and information overload, most urban Americans are hungry for stories of inspiration, a language of genuine empathy and love for our fellow creatures, and a reconnection with the sense that animals speak to the human spirit.

Jacksonville Zoo Jacksonville Zoo

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Jacksonville Zoo

Sometimes, when a bird cries out, / Or the wind sweeps through a tree, / Or a dog howls in a far off farm, / I hold still and listen a long time.

—Hermann Hesse, from “Sometimes,” translated by Robert Bly

anothersitevisitwiththesepoemsinhand.Havinglittlesenseatthisstageofwhatpoemswere likely toresonatewith thezoostaff,I felt itnecessary tohave a large enough selection that about75%of it couldbesetaside,andnewmaterialbroughtinifneeded.Kelliannofferedadditionalsuggestionsforworktobeincludedafterherzoocommitteehaddiscussedandreviewedpotentialselections.Afteramonthortwoofbackandforthexchange,wehadwinnoweddownourchoicestotwen-ty-fiveorsopoems.ThenIreviewedtheoverallproposedinstallation,lookingforgaps,balance,andbreadth.Weeliminatedsomeadditionalpoemsatthisstage.IwascautiousinselectinganyNativeAmericanma-terial thatweshouldhaveaclearandtrustworthyideaofprovenance.Withonepiecethiswasnotthecase,andthemorewelookedintoitthemorespeciousthesourcecametobe.AtthisstageIalso lookedcare-fullyatculturalrepresentation,wanting toensure thatmajorpopula-tiongroups(includingAsian,AfricanAmerican,andLatino)fromthisregionwereincluded.

Jacksonvillehasaseriesofbioregional-themedbotanicalgardens.These areplaceswhere visitors frequently sit to rest in the shadeandcontemplate, and therefore they are very good sites for poems. TheAsianGarden,forexample,offeredaperfectsiteforplacingworkfromthe“mountainsandrivers”tradition.TheSt.JohnRivervistawasidealforplacing theLangstonHughes excerpt from“TheNegroSpeaksofRivers,”highlightingthistopographicalfeatureofthecitywithaworkthatlinksasenseofpersonalidentitywiththegeographyitoccupies.

Wechosewordsthatmightcaptureasenseofwhatpeoplefeelwhentheyencounterthebeauty,mystery,sadness,andcomplexityofnature.Thatmeantpoemsthatspeakinatoneofelegy,aswithCampbellMc-Grath’s“Manatee”andIanMcDonald’s“TheSunParrotsAreLateThisYear,”andpoemsspeakingincelebration,aswithRobinsonJeffers’“TheVulture”andtheInuit“MagicWords.”

Themost importantprinciple in curating the installationwas tolistentothecollaborators,boththezooandlibrarypartners,todevelopasenseofaudienceforthesiteandasenseofthevaluesthatshapethecommunity’saesthetic.ThebestadviceIhadintheprocesswasSandra’sencouragementthattheprocessofselectionwasaconversationwiththepartners.ThatwasverymuchmyexperienceandIamgratefulforthegenerousinputandthoughtfulnessofmyJacksonvillepartners.

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MarkDotyPoet-in-Residence,AudubonZoo,NewOrleans

“Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet”: On New Orleans and the Audubon Zoo

My poems have always been filled with animal presences: turtlesandswans,horsesandgoldfish,dogsandwhalesmakeregularappear-ances.Ineverquestionedwhyuntilaudiencesbegantoaskme,andthenItriedtofigureoutananswer;itseemedthatthewordlesscalledtomeprofoundly,andwherenowordsdwellatall,thepoetfeelscompelledtosupplysome.Animalsmakesoundsandcommunicateconstantly,butthesymbolicentitywhichisthewordseemstobehumanproperty,ifyoudiscounthighly-trainedparrotsandgorillas,andaretriever’sremark-ableabilitytounderstandtheword“fetch”evenwhenhecanneversayithimself.In2008Ipublishedabook,Dog Years,ameditationonlivingwithdogswhichisdeeplyconcernedwiththerelationshipsbetweenani-malsandlanguage.

When I first walked through the Audubon Zoo, the problematicrelationshipbetweenwordsandlookingatanimalsseemedcentral.

Howcouldpoetryofferaninvitationtothevisitortodomorethanlook—orat least todeepenwhatwemeanby“looking.”ThoughIhadthewonderfulmodelofSandraAlcosser’sworkattheCentralParkZoo,NewOrleans isanentirelydifferentplace.Thezoo ishugeandbusy,packedwithschoolgroupsorchildrenwiththeirparents.Howtocre-ateanopportunitytoconnectmorefullywiththeanimalsondisplay?Itfeelsdecentralizedanddifficulttomapinone’smind;pathsloopawayanddoubleback,andfarintothezooyoucomeuponlakesfullofwa-terfowl,swampyplaces,andevenaSouthAmericanpampawithalong,lonelyboardwalkandllamasgrazingundisturbed.Butthedominantim-pression isof thronging crowds, and lotsofdistraction. Ihoped thatpoetrycouldcreatepointsofstillness,occasionsofreflection.

BrendaWalkenhorst,thezoo’sEducationDirector,wasnotonlyawelcomingandhelpfulguidebutacollaboratorfromtheverybeginning.Wewalkedtogetherfromherofficetothelarge,circularfountainthatcenterstheentrancetothezoo,andBrendatoldmethatshe’dimaginedapoempaintedonthefloorofthefountain,undertheripplingwater.

Audubon Zoo, New Orleans

What would the world be, once bereft / Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left, / O let them be left, wildness and wet; / Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

—Gerard Manley Hopkins, from “Inversnaid”

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Fromtherewewentexploring,andaftervisitingmajorareasofthezoowithBrenda,Iwanderedonmyownfortwodays,notinganyplacewemightconsiderplacingapoem.Imadesketchesofexhibits,notingwaysinwhichtextmightbeemployedindifferentcontexts,andnotingthosecreaturesthatparticularlystruckachordinme.Iidentifiedaboutforty places around the zoo grounds that might work. An immediatechallengewasthesheersizeoftheplace;wouldthepoemsjustgetlostinthebusylandscape?Andhowcouldtheyachieveasortofcoherence,atleastmovinginthedirectionoftyingsomediverseandcomplexrealmstogether?HerewasanAsianarea,hereasnackbar;herearetheseali-ons,inabeautifuloldpavilion,andhereistheSwampwithitsevocationofbayoucul-ture.Howdidallthisfit?

BackathomeinNewYork,withmylistofpossiblesitesinhand,Ibegantocombmy own library, and then to range afield.ThemostusefulandcomprehensiveresourceprovedtobePoetsHouse,withitshappilyrangylibrary.Iwanderedthestackshalfdoingdetectiveworkandhalfseeingwhatmightfallintomyhands.

Iwasn’tlookingforpoemsto“illustrate”animalexhibits—not,say,apoemaboutagorillabesideagorilla.Iwasinterestedinsteadinpo-etry’sabilitytogetatessence,topointustowardthespiritofathing.So,forexample,foraparticularlyquirkybunchofexoticstorks,whoseemtoliketowalkasortoftightwiredisplayingtheirunlikelygrace,IthoughtoftheselinesfromAndrewMarvell’s“TheGarden”:

Mysoulintotheboughsdoesglide: Therelikeabirditsits,andsings, Thenwhets,andcombsitssilverwings; And,tillpreparedforlongerflight, Wavesinitsplumesthevariouslight.

Placingthispoeminimaginedjuxtapositionbesidethestorks,somein-terestingthingsbegantohappen.First,itwasn’tapoemaboutstorks,so there wasn’t a literal correspondence between word and creature.Instead,Marvell’spoemseemedtosaysomethingsaboutbirdness;it’sclearlybasedinobservation(“whets,andcombs”isquiteprecise),butthiscouldbemanysortsofbirds.Whateverparticularbirdthepoetob-servedhasbeentranslatedintoafigureforthesoul,andthuswe’reof-feredatemplateofthewaythathumanconsciousnessmakesmetaphorofothercreatures,seekinginthemthemirrorofourownselves.It’san

Anditwasn’tlongbeforeIthoughtofHopkins,andthewonderfullinesfrom“Inversnaid”:

Letthembeleft, Oletthembeleft,wildnessandwet; Longlivetheweedsandthewildernessyet.

Thosewordsfeellikearound,intheirrhythmictumblingforwardandtheiruseofrepetition.Howperfecttoplacethembeneathmovingwater,andtousethemasinvocation,acenteringpointforencounteringthecontainedwildnessoftheAudubonZoo.NewOrleans,ofcourse,isutterlydependentonwildnessandwet,sinceit’sthemarshesoftheGulfthatkeepstormsurgesatbay,orusedto.“Letthembeleft”isaprayerofpersistence,andthusitseemsespeciallyappropriateforacitysoendangered.

Andrew Marvell, from “The Garden” (opposite)

Poetry is doing its old work here: returning us to interiority, turning us back inward again.

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Levee, levee, / How high have you got to be? / Levee, levee, / How high have you got to be / To keep them cold muddy waters / From washin’ over me?

—Langston Hughes, from “Mississippi Levee”

Itwasajoytochoosepoemsfortheotherexhibits,37inall.I’mpleasedwiththeirrange,fromShakespearetoNeruda,Dick-

inson to aMesoamericanpoetofnearly amillenniumagowho com-posed in Nahuatl. I’m delighted that there’s so much of Louisiana inthemix;backintheswamparepoemsevokingbayouchildhoods,Ca-junculture,andthestrangenessoftwodreamy-lookingwhitealligators.Thezoo’sdesignteamdidfantasticwork,economicallyinstallingpoemsininventivewaysandsurprisingplaces.IlovedseeingFrankO’Hara’slinescarvedintotheconcretecurbofaplanteroftropicalflowers,andDarrellBourque’spoem(he’sthepoetlaureateofthestate)paintedonanoldwoodendoor.Thereare evocationsofNewOrleans that seemespeciallytrenchant:LangstonHughesprayingthattheleveeshold,orthegreatPolishpoetZbigniewHerbertprayingtobeworthyoflivinginagreatriverdelta.I’mhappywiththepolyglotcharacterofthepoems;theyrangeacrosshistoryandcultures.

elegantexample,butitalsocontainsabitofmystery,asgreatpoemsdo;itendsnotonthetropeofsoul-as-bird,butreturnstoarich,surprisingimageofthevisualworld.Wecanlookatthestorksandsee“thevariouslight”waveintheirplumes,andcontemplatehowfineitistobeabodyinthelightofday.

Andsomethingelsehashappenedtoo,Ithink,forthosewhoslowdownand take thepoemin,and lookperhaps fromtext to storkandbackagain:aspaceofcontemplationhasopened,abitofreflectivequietinthebustlingurbanfeelofthezoo.Poetryisdoingitsoldworkhere:returningustointeriority,turningusbackinwardagain.


My father-in-law liked the idea of having me in a boat / for whole afternoons. On the way out to les Fordoches / he pointed out the water moccasins sunning themselves / in Spanish moss clusters overhead, thick black coils / in delicate gray nests. He pointed them out on fallen trees / lying in the coffee-colored shallows at the front of his boat, / and the small alligators too sleeping in the mud flats near / the banks on either side.

—Darrell Bourque, from “Old Women Fishing from Bridges”

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TheunityI’dhopedforseemstohaveappeared,too,forthosewhofollowthetrailofpoemsaroundthegrounds.Thesignageisdiverseindesignbutthere’ssomethingdeftlycoherentaboutthelook;oncepeoplerecognizeapoeminitsplace,theyseemtostartlookingforothers.

Andthere’sadeepercoherence,too,whichIfirstsawinthisway.ThelateafternoonthatIfirstsawthecompletedinstallations,Iarrivedatthezooaroundclosingtimeforacelebratoryreception,andIcouldwalkfrompoemtopoeminthequietofthecoolingtwilight.ThepoemsdidwhatIcouldbarelyimaginetheywoulddo:theyseemedtomaketheinnerlife,thesoulofthezoo,ifyouwill,visible.Itseemedbeautifultome,howthewordsaskedonetoseebeneaththesurface,toseeourcom-monlife,oursandtheanimals’.

I’lladdthatwe’vehadsomewonderfulevents,especiallyapoetryreadingandjazzdanceanddessertpartyputtogetherbythegreatstaffattheLatterLibrary.AndthentherewasthenightIgottositupinthefrontofthelittletrain,withamikeheadseton,andleadatourofthepoems.ItwasthefulfillmentofafantasyIdidn’tknowIhad:toleadatouronthezootrain,pointingoutthesights.OnlythesightstobeseenwerethewordsofWilliamBlakeandMaryOliver,KayRyanandTheo-doreRoethke.Itwas,andIdonotexaggerate,heavenly.


I saw in Louisiana a live-oak growing, / All alone stood it and the moss hung down from the branches, / Without any companion it grew there uttering joyous leaves of dark green, / And its look, rude, unbending, lusty, made me think of myself, / But I wonder’d how it could utter joyous leaves standing alone there without its friend near, for I knew I could not…

—Walt Whitman, from “I Saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing”

Poet-in-residence Mark Doty leads a tour of the installation at the Audubon Zoo, New Orleans

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PattiannRogersPoet-in-Residence,MilwaukeeCountyZoo

Faith and Hope and Selecting Poetry for Milwaukee County Zoo

Amalehippopotamus,livingintheMilwaukeeCountyZoo,issub-mergedinhisoutdoorpool,resting.Graduallythewaterstartstoswirl,andit’spossibletoseehishugegirthbeginningtorisefrombelow.Hissmallflippyearsappearandnowhiseyesopenjustbarelyabovethesur-face.Onthebankinacornerbesidethepool,inscribedonalargestone,isLesMurray’spoem,“Dreambabwe.”

Milwaukee County Zoo

Streaming, a hippo surfaces / like the head of someone / lifting, with still-entranced eyes, / from a lake of stanzas.

—Les Murray, “Dreambabwe”


This song is for the elk / with its throat whistling / and antlers / above head and great hooves / rattling earth. // One spring night, elk / ran across me / while I slept on earth / and every hoof missed / my shaking bones.

—Linda Hogan, from “Elk Song”

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—Anonymous, from “The Navajo Night Chant” (opposite)

Peopleareactuallywalkingastheyreadthepoem,thelinesinrhythmandcadencewith thepaceeachchooses.“Wehearpeoplereadingthepoetryoutloudastheywalk.Howcoolisthat?”oneoftheZooartistsreportedtome.

Engravedonawing-shapedstoneintheAviaryFreeFlightExhibit,wherebirdsfly above, circling andperchinghighon trees and rocks,aretheselines,“Thebirdsdon’talterspace./Theyrevealit.”fromLi-YoungLee’spoem“PraiseThem.”

ThethreestanzasofMarilynTaylor’s“InTanzania”concludewiththeselines:

NowthedeepAfricansky liftsaglitteringclaw; we,thevulnerable,hear theraspofdeath andtwitchourhaunches asthegoldencat beginsherdance.

Eachstanzaappearsonaseparatesignframedbybranchesfastenedwithrough rope. They lead down the walkway to the Big Cat Compound,whereanexcerptfrom“TheOtherTiger”byJorgeLuisBorgesispaint-edon thewallopposite the expansivequarterswhere two young tigerbrothersrompandwrestletogetherwhiletheirmotherlounges,dozing.

AndinsidetheElkYardatthiszoo,wordsfrom“ElkSong”byLin-daHoganarepainted inwhiteonweatheredboards leaningagainstaboulderintheshadeofatree,asifsomeonehikingthroughameadowhadleftamessagebehind.Beyond,theelkcanbeseengrazing.

AndanexcerptfromLucilleClifton’spoem“breaklight”isinraisedlettersonametalribbondrapedbeforeaglassyglobefloatinginawater-filledbasinattheentrancetotheAquaticandReptileCenter:

lightkeepsonbreaking. ikeepknowing thelanguageofothernations. ikeephearing treetalk waterwords andikeepknowingwhattheymean.

Thesearethreeexamplesofthe54poemsandexcerptsfrompoemsinstalledpermanentlyonsignsthroughouttheMilwaukeeCountyZooaspartoftheLanguage of Conservation,aprojectthataimstoheightenandenhancetheexperienceofvisitorstothezoobyofferingthemnewper-spectivesontheearthanditslivingcreaturesthroughpoetry;toevokenewbondsbetweenzoovisitorsandtheanimalsandthelandstheycomefrom;andtopresentawhollynewandpositiveexperienceofpoetry.

MyprimaryresponsibilityasPoet-in-ResidencefortheMilwaukeeZoo was to select the poems for installation, in consultation with myzooandlibrarypartners.Thecompletedprojectisaworkofartresult-ing from this collaboration.Eachpoem ispresented in auniquewayonasigndesignedespecially for itandplacedinaspecificallychosenlocation.Thepoem,thefontused,thesizeandformofeachsign,thematerialscomposingitsdesign,andthelocationoftheinstallation,allfunc-tioningtogether,resultinanexperiencenotlikeanyotherartisticendeavor.

Linesfrom“InBeautyMayIWalk,”forinstance,byAnonymous,Navajo,arepaintedontheeavesofa longboardwalk leading into thePeck Welcome Center. The poem is chanting and prayer-like, as thisexcerptdemonstrates:

Onthetrailmarkedwithpollen mayIwalk Withgrasshoppersaboutmyfeet mayIwalk Withdewaboutmyfeet mayIwalk Withbeautybeforeme mayIwalk Withbeautyaboveme mayIwalk Withbeautyallaroundme mayIwalk

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WhenIwasinvitedtoparticipateintheLanguage of Conservation,Iac-ceptedwithpleasure,asIwasalreadydeeplycommittedtotheideaofplacingpoetryinpublicoutdoorspaces.ThefirsttimeIremembersee-ingpoemswrittenonsignsplacedoutdoorswasin1987alongafootpathin the forest behind the farmhouse where Robert Frost once lived inFranconia,NH.Thepoemswerepaintedinwhiteonbrownboards,asIrecall;Frostpoemsinstalledstanzabystanza,linebyline,alongtheway.IwalkedonthatpathoftenduringthesummerweekswhenI livedinthefarmhouse.Isawthewordsofthesepoemscoveredbytreeshadowsshimmeringwithwind,sometimes instillness.Once thesilver threadofacobweblayacrossthewords.Onceasignhadbecomedislodgedbythe previous night’s storm. Sometimes the poems were less visible infog,sometimeswetandfragrantwithforestdeworraindropsdrippingslowlyfrombranchesabove,addingtheirrhythmicsoundstothemeterofthelines.Thewordspresentedinthiswaytookonanewquality.Thepoemspossessed thephysicalpresenceofaworldconstantly changingintimewiththeshiftingdetailsofitsplace.Thewordshadtakenonthelife,thespirit,oftheforest,andtheforesthadbeenenhancedbythisexchange.SincethenIparticipatedinanumberofprojectsthatplacedpoetryinoutdoor,publicsettings,eachprojectgaininginmysenseofitsimportance,untilin2009IwasinvitedtoparticipateintheLanguage of Conservation.

ThesearchforpoemstobeinstalledonsignageattheMilwaukeeCountyZoobeganwiththebasicfaiththatpeoplewillnurtureandpro-tectwhattheytakeintotheirhearts,whattheycometovalueandlove.MycollaborativepartnersandIhopedthatthepoetrywechoseandtheartofthesignagetogetherwouldhighlightthegrandeuranduniquenessofeachanimal,engagingtheheartsofvisitorstothezoo,promotingnewconnectionsbetweenthemandeachindividualanimal,andthatthoseconnectionswoulddevelopintoadeepeningrespectandregardforthespeciesasawholethateachanimalrepresents.Thisfaithandthishopewereparamountduringourselectionprocess.

Holdingtothisfaithandworkingtowardthesegoals,Iestablishedseveralcriteriaforthepoemswechose.

1. Thepoemsselectedshouldcelebrateandrespectspecific animalsandtheirspecificcharacteristicsandofferanew perspectiveandinsightoneach,forexamplethepoem “Dreambabwe,”bytheAustralianpoetLesMurray, quotedabove.

Along theWolfWoodsBoardwalk,beyondwhichcanbeseen theforestedWolfCompound,andoccasionallyaglimpseofoneofthewolveswatching from the shadows of a thicket, are lines by Pamela Uschuckendingwiththesewords,“Whatisthewildernesswithoutthebeast/anditsnationsofmystery?”from“WolfLecture.”


There is the yellow about the eyes, / the impeccable reading of night / between trees, the will to shift / directions with a flick of the dew claws, rake / of leather paws on ice packed blue by the moon, / when the belly is empty / and blood car-ries the wind. / What is wilderness without the beast / and its nations of mystery?

—Pamela Uschuk, from “Wolf Lecture”

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andpleasureinthewildlandandlivesoftheseareas,acommon countrysideofournation.


And does it matter that light, late afternoon, / makes every willow leaf, every mallard feather, / each bristling filament in the doe’s freckled ear / show itself for what it is—a strand of gold / to airy thinness beat, a sort of spirit-tip to tug / us out of the big picture, put us in touch / with the far edge of things where the heart // has been in hiding…”

—Eamon Grennan, from “What Matter”

8.Ilookedprimarilyforcontemporarypoems,believingthe languageofcontemporarypoemswouldbemostlikelytoreach andtouchzoovisitors.However,ourcollectionofpoemsdoes includeafewfromotherliteraryperiods,withsomefamiliar linesfromWordsworth,Blake,RobertLouisStevenson, Hopkins,Dickinson,Whitman,andothers.

2. Installationpoemsshouldhavethepowertoawakenandevoke emotionalresponses,inthewaysthatthebestpoetryhasalways done—withsubtlety,suggestion,andappealtothesenses,by concreteimagery,byquestioningandwondering,byemploying originallanguageandthemusicofthelanguage,bypossessing authenticityandhonesty,forinstancetheselinesfrom“This Grizzly”byRegSaner: anindividual, huge-humpedandhulking,asulker,bilge-bellied,bossy-broad,isaborealandforest-fearsomecrushofclaws,isclawsalivewithbloom,withtundrasofmud;

3. Inadditiontoafewcompletepoems,theinstallationshould includememorablelinesfromwithinapoemthatarecomplete inthemselvesandcanstandalone,likethelinesfrom“Praise Them”byLi-YoungLee,quotedabove. 4.Thereshouldbepoemswithdifferentlevelsofaccessibility, rangingfrombrief,wonderfulpoemsthatcaneasilybereadby childrenoranyonereadingatathird-orfourth-gradelevel,to richpoemsthatrequirealittlemoretimebutthatofferrewards forthattime.Mygoalwasthateveryonevisitingthezoowould findatleastonepoemthatheorshelikedenoughtoreadmore thanonce.

5. Theinstallationshouldincludeavarietyofvoices,tones,and approaches—serious,lyrical,musing,witty,compassionate, contemplative,light-hearted,celebratory.

6.Poemsfrommanycountries,continents,andethnicgroups— India,Australia,Iceland,SouthAmerica,Europe,Africa, China,andtheUSA,includingNativeAmericans,African Americans,andHispanicAmericans—shouldbeincluded.

7. TheMilwaukeeCountyZooisalargezoowithopenlandscape areas,undisturbedstretchesofforest,alargelake,andsmaller ponds.Isearchedforpoemsthatwouldcomplementthese featuresandtheirseasonalchanges,thusheighteningawareness

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Millionsofpeopleleavetheirhomesandtraveleveryyeartozoos,parks,andpreserves,tomountainsandoceans,tovisitcanyons,rivers,lakes,forests,anddeserts.Manysignsareerectedintheseplaces;somegiveinstructionsordirectionsorwarnings;somelistdata,thehistoricalandecologicalfactsofthelocation;someareadvertisements.Suchsignscanbehelpfulandnecessary,butpeopletraveltothesesitesforavarietyofreasons.Manycometoremember,torestoreoldconnections,ortorekindle essential perspectives. Many come to marvel at the existenceofvigorouslivesotherthanhuman.Manycomefortherespiteofwidespaces,orforthestrengthandaffirmationofthewilderness.Andmanyarenotquitecertainwhytheyhavecomeuntiltheyarriveandmeetagainthefullforceofthebountiful,beautiful,oftenshockingandunpredict-ablepoweroftheearthanditslifefromwhichwehavearisen.

Allofthesereasonsshouldberespectedandacknowledgedatthesitesandbyourarts.Thebeginninglinesof“AmericatheBeautiful,”whichcametoKatharineBatesinJuly1893asshelookedoutoverthelandfromthetopofPikesPeak,areeminentlyappropriatetothatpar-ticularscene.Thewordsspeakofthelandandherfeelingsfortheland.“Obeautifulforspaciousskies,/Foramberwavesofgrain,/Forpurplemountainmajesties...”“Obeautiful...”Icanhearthegaspofrevelationinherenttothosetwowords,asharedrecognitionofutmostimportance.

Expressionsofastonishmentandgratitudefortheearthinall itsdetailsoflifeareabundantinourliteratureandarebeingwrittento-daybytalentedpoetslivingineveryregionofthecountry,oftheglobe.Asweareaffectedandalteredbythelivingearth,Ibelievetheearthisalteredbythewordswechoosetouseasweexperienceitslivesanditsfeatures.Wehaveavibrantheritageofpoetrythathasalwaysattemptedtotouchwhatmattersmosttotheheartandcoreofourbeing,tocaptureinlanguagethemusicofourdeepestfearsandourmostenergeticplea-sures,andtocelebratethatwhichisforevermysteriousthroughoutthewilduniverse,ourhome.

9. Itisimportantthatthepoemsofferadistinctlydifferent experiencefromtheothersignsencounteredatthezoo,those signsinprosegivingfactsanddata,information,and directions.Thepoemsshouldnotbedictatorial,orexpress condemnationofhumanbehavior,oradvocateanyparticular action.Instead,thepoemsshouldallowreaderstotakepleasure inthelanguage,tocometodiscoveriesontheirown,andhave

thepowertoengenderarapportwiththelivingearthandits creatures.

Throughouttheprocessofselectingpoems,IworkedcloselywiththeZooDirector,CharlesWikenhauser;Directorof theCreativeDe-partment,MarciaSinner;andhercolleague,JulieRadcliffe.JudiGloyer

at the Milwaukee Central Librarywas also helpful in searching forparticular poems and suggestingothers. Whenever I had gathered25to30potentialpoems,Iwouldsend them for review to my threeZoopartners.Wewould thenhavea conference call to discuss eachpoemanddecidewhetherwewant-edtokeepitoreliminate it.Afterseveral listsandseveralconference

calls,wesettledonafinalgroupof54poems.Chuck,Marcia,andJuliewereallgood,knowledgeablereadersandgavehelpfuladviceandsug-gestions.Iwaseagertoheartheiropinions,as theyknewtheZoo,itsinhabitants,anditsvisitorsbetterthanIdid.Thefourofusagreedoneverypoeminthefinalcollection.

Thefinishedinstallationisacreativecollaborationbetweenpoetryandthevisualarts.Thewordsofthepoems,thedesignofthesigns,andtheirlocationworktogethertoevokeanartisticexperience.Thisartisprimarilyoutsideandtangible,onandoftheearth,affectedbysunandshadow,thetimeofday,thewindandtheweather,snowandfrost,thefallingofaleaf,thecryofabird,theshoutsofchildren.Theexperienceofthesignsandtheirpoetrywillconstantlyvary,justasalloftheseele-mentsareconstantlychanging.Thethemesandthegoalsofthisprojectmeldwiththeprocessesoftheearth,reflectingandbecomingonewiththeearth.Thefunctioningofthiscollaborativeartisalsoamessageinitself.

This art is primarily outside and tangible, on and of the earth, affected by sun and shadow, the time of day, the wind and the weather, snow and frost, the falling of a leaf, the cry of a bird, the shouts of children.

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Thefullresultsoftheresearchcanbefoundinthe“Eval-uation”sectionofthisvolume.Specificfindingstobehigh-lightedhereindicate:

• 70%to90%ofvisitorsrecalledseeingpoetry duringtheirvisit.

• 82%to92%ofthosewhocouldrecallseeing poetrycouldcitespecificpoemsorlocations.

• 70%ofvisitorsreportedlikingthepoetry, whilelessthan1%dislikedit.

• 56%to66%feltthatthepoetrywaseasyto understand.

• 54%to70%feltstronglythatthepoetrywas relevantto“whatthezooisabout.”

• 24%to40%saidspecificallythatthepoems madethemthinkaboutissuesofconservation.

• Asignificantpercentage,13%to38%ofvisitors, notedthatthepoetrychangedthequalityof theirexperienceatthezoo,promptingaslower,

morethoughtful,orreflectiveexperience.

The results were extremely consistent across the fivezoos, suggesting that poetry installations on this model willwork—anywhere—todeepen theexperienceof visitors to thezooandconveythezoos’conservationmessage.

Summary of Outcomes

At Central Park Zoo and at all five of the zoos of thereplicationproject,designteamsworkedcollaborativelywiththeircolleaguesandthepoets-in-residencetopresentpoetryandpoetryfragmentsinavarietyofmaterials(plexiglass,vi-nylbanners,stone,paint,andsoon)inlocationswhereonewouldnotexpecttoreadanything,letalonepoetry.Thepo-emsarenotsimply“substitutes”forthefamiliarmuseum-stylesignage that accompanies all zoo exhibits (and which someresearchshowsfewvisitorsread).Instead, theycomplementtheanimals,providingaricherexperience. In someplaces,poemsareinscribeddirectlyontothematerialsof theview-ing panel, not seeking to compete with the animals for theattention of the public, but providing a conceptual overlayorinterpretiveelement.Elsewhere,poemsarearrangedlat-erally,movingvisitorsalongpaths.Poemsappearonrafters,benches,stairwells,fountains,andotherunexpectedplaces.Thepoemsmaybeplayful, ironic, spiritual; fullof longingordesire,but they imposeno singleparticularapproachorunderstanding.

While research shows that most zoo visitors rememberfew facts from educational signs, a study conducted in theCentralParkZoodiscoveredthatnearlyhalfofvisitorscouldcitespecificpoemstheyhadread.Thoseresultswerematchedateachofthefivezoosofthereplicationproject,where—likeatCentralPark—interviewswereconductedbothbeforeandafterthepoemswereinstalled.

At all of the zoos, responsesdemonstrated an extraor-dinarilypositivereaction to thepoetry installationsandex-tremelyhighlevelofretention,withmostpeopleabletocitespecificpoemstheyhadread.Atmostofthefivezoosofthereplication project, half of visitors who read poetry duringtheir visit explicitly indicated that they had drawn connec-tionsbetween thepoetry they read and conservation issues,consistentlymentioningthatthepoemscausedthemtothinkaboutourhumanresponsibilitytoactasstewardsofwildlifeandabouttheinterconnectednessofhumansandthenaturalworld.

SectionIIREPLICATION

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Poet to Poet: A Meditation on Selecting Poems for the Language of Conservation

I remain convinced that an appeal for conservation must reach the heart, not just the mind. —George B. Schaller, A Naturalist and Other Beasts: Tales from a Life in the Field

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Goalforpoets:torebuildtheemotionalbridgetothenaturalworld.

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Asyoubeginthiswork,makeyourselfawareofthevisionofeachculturalcenter(zooandlibrary).Becomefamiliarwiththeknowledgetobeshared,aswellasthephilosophyofeachinstitution.Interviewthedirectorsandothermembersofthestaffwhoareresponsiblefordesign-ingandsharingthatvision.

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Familiarizeyourselfwiththeinstallationspaces:selectpoemsthatinvitevisitorsintotheexhibits.Whatactivitiestakeplaceorcouldtakeplacewithineach?Howmightpoetryinteract?Doacarefulanalysisofecotone,niche.Identifyareasofplay.Beawareoftrafficflows,language,culturalpatterns,agesofvisitors.

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Artisaconversation.Dowhatyoucantoevokethatconversation.

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OnJune26,2009,BillMoyerssaidinanationaltelevisioninter-viewwithW.S.Merwin,“Ihadaportentofourmeetingtheotherday.WetookourtwosmallgrandchildrentotheCentralParkZoo.Anden-teringthepreservetheyhavethereoftheRainForest,everyvisitorlooksupandseesaquotefromW.S.Merwin.Didyouknowthat?”

Brookfield Zoo

My words are tied in one / With the great mountains / With the great rocks / With the great trees / In one with my body / And my heart.

—Yokuts Prayer

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Engagethereaderinmentalandphysicalplay.Ratherthanrepli-catepoeticallywhatavisitorsees(e.g.,polarbearinstallation/poemaboutpolarbear),considertriangulatingaspace,creatingakindofdiaphoricmetaphor. The viewer will take in two disparate suggestions (animal/poem)andparticipateinanactivecreationofmeaning.

Little Rock Zoo

Wilderness has no words. The unwritten pages / stretch out in all directions.

—Tomas Tranströmer, from “From March 1979,” translated by Robin Robertson

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Cultivatearangeoftones.Political Animals: Public Art in American Zoos and Aquariums,byJesseDonahueandErikTrump,describestheCentralParkinstallationthisway:…the poems capture not just a diversity of time, style, and ethnic-ity, but also a diversity of sentiment. Some are playfully ironic (Gertrude Stein’s “My Little Dog”), others solemn (W. S. Merwin’s “On the last day of the world / I would want to plant a tree”). Some take a “scientific” approach (Richard’s piece on penguins), others mystical (the Inuit translation). No single attitude toward animals emerges.

BILLMOYERS:Itsays,On the last day of the world / I would want to plant a tree.Whywouldyouwanttoplantatree?

W.S.MERWIN:It’sarelationtotheworld.Ithasnothingtodowiththinkingthattheworldisgoingtobethereforever.ButtherelationwiththeworldthatIwantistobeputtinglifebackintotheworld,ratherthantakinglifeoutofitallthetime.Wedoalotofthat,youknow?

Two Thoughts, Two Lines

Excerpt from interview transcript, suburban Atlanta family visiting Central Park Zoo, Oct. 11, 2004:

Mother: “Rememberyoureadapoem?”Son: “Inthezoo?”Mother: “Yeah,wesaid,‘Whowrotethat?’”Son: “Ifitwastheendoftheworld,thelasttreeonEarthto surviveonelastminute…”Mother: “…You’dwanttoplantatree.”Son: “That’showIfeelaboutit.Onelastlifetosaygoodbye toallyourfellow…”Mother: (addressing interviewer)“Itjustwastouching.Itmadeit moreintimate,Idothink.SoIlovedthepoetry….and it’sgoodforthekids.Theydon’ttellrightaway,butit goesintheirbrainandstaysthere.It’saseed.Itplantsa seed.Youdon’tknowwhenit’sgoingtosprout.”

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Welearnedfromourevaluationsthatbrevitywasmostimportant.

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Inplacingthepoems,makeuseoficonicspaces.Forinstance,inCentralPark,wherethevisitorissurroundedbytoweringbuildingsandtrees, we placed the following excerpt from W. H. Auden’s sequence“Woods”:This great society is going smash; / They cannot fool us with how fast they go, / How much they cost each other and the gods. / A culture is no better than its woods.Manypeoplecontactedus todiscovermoreabout these lines.Oneof thosepeoplewastheenvironmentalministerofIceland,whohadnoideathatAudenhadnotonlyspentsignificanttimein,aswellaswrittenabout,Iceland,butalsothatAudenconsideredithisiconiclandscape.

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Allowyourself,ascurator,tobesurprisedandtomakemistakes.Knowthatwhateveryoudo,someoneelsewoulddoitdifferently,andtheywouldliketoletyouknow.Honoryourvisiononceyouhaveshapedit.TheCentralParkZooinstallationwasselectedforallages,butsomemembersof focusgroupsthoughtpoetryshouldonlybeforchildren.Keepingtoouroriginalvision,weselectedafewadditionalpoemsbychildren’spoetswhohadworkedinservicetothenaturalworld.Thesepoems and poets turned out to be preexisting cultural icons to manyvisitors,andthefamiliarityofthepoemsexhibitedinanewcontextcre-atedasenseofrecognitionandexcitementforbothchildrenandadults.

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This is a collaboration in which scientists, poets, and librarianshonorthelifeoftheplanet,theanimals,science,andpoetry.Theyhon-or the conservationists who care passionately about the earth and thesustainabilityandqualityoflifeuponit.Tocollaboratewell,conversa-tionisimportant.Scientists,librarians,poets—walk,visittheanimalsinasmanyhoursandseasonsaspossible.Breakbreadtogether.


I am I because my little dog knows me.

—Gertrude Stein, from The Geographical History of America


Evening Star who gathers everything / Shining dawn scattered / You bring the sheep and the goats, / You bring the child back to its mother.

—Sappho, Fragment 47, translated by Diane Rayor

Select poems from across centuries and continents to demon-stratethedepthandbreadthofthehumanrelationshipwiththephysicalworld. And select poems that resonate in that particular location. InCentralParkweselectedworkofpoetslikeMarianneMoore,whospentagreatdealoftimeattheCentralParkZoo,andweengagedinakindofcallandresponsewithotherpoetryinstallationsinNewYorkCity.Forinstance,poemsbyWaltWhitmanandFrankO’HarajoinmetaphoricalarmsonthegatesatBatteryParkCityanddoakindofpasdedeuxintheredpandapavilionatthezoo.OneoftheideaswerepeatedthroughouttheCentralParkinstallationwasoursharedfamiliallifewiththeplanet:Evening Star who gathers everything / Shining dawn scattered— / You bring the sheep and the goats, / You bring the child back to its mother (bySappho,borncirca630B.C.inGreece,translatedbyDianeRayor).Wealsoselectedpoemsthatshowedoursharedanimallife,suchastheInuitpoem,“MagicWords.”

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Wehadonerule inourcollaboration:wedon’twantourvisitorsto leavedumberthanwhentheyarrived.Weselectedpoemsthatwerefactuallycorrect.

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Magic Words

after Nalungiaq

In the very earliest time,

when both people and animals lived on earth,

a person could become an animal if he wanted to

and an animal could become a human being.

Sometimes they were people

and sometimes animals

and there was no difference.

All spoke the same language.

That was the time when words were like magic.

The human mind had mysterious powers.

A word spoken by chance

might have strange consequences.

It would suddenly come alive

and what people wanted to happen could happen—

all you had to do was say it.

Nobody could explain this:

That’s just the way it was.

—Translated from the Inuit by Edward Field


“Magic Words,” after Nalungiaq, translated from the Inuit by Edward Field (opposite)

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Line Breaks, Punctuation, and Proofreading

Donotguessatlinebreaksandpunctuation;alwaysveri-fytextfromtheoriginalsource.Iflinesmustberuntogether,linebreaksstillmustbeindicated.Twolinesareseparatedthisway/.Twostanzasareseparatedlikethis//.

Expect errors in fabrication. In addition to carefulproofreadingbymembersof the staff,be sure youhave theopportunitytoproofreadthepoemsbeforefabrication,andbeforeandafterinstallation.

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OscarWildesaid:A poet can survive everything but a misprint.

Sidebar: Some Essential Details

Poems in Translation

When you use poems in translation, review a numberof translationstofindthebest.Alwayscreditbothpoetandtranslator.Ideally,poemsshouldappearintheirnativelan-guagesaswell as in translation;however, in somecases youmayhavedifficultylocatingtheoriginalpassage,translator,orthefontforanativelanguage.Trytobeimpeccableaboutthis,butacceptthatitmaynotalwaysbepossible.

Permissions and Credits

All poetry selections must be made well in advance ofproduction. The permissions process can take up to threemonths. Working backward from the date selected for theopening of the installation, allow time for design, produc-tion,andinstallation,andsetadeadlinewithyourteamforfinalapprovalofacompleteselectionofpoemsforinstallation.

Youwillalsoneedtodetermine,togetherwiththeothermembersoftheteam,whatspecialpermissionsmightbede-sired(media,on-site,ephemeral,product)beyondwhatwillotherwise be requested. The standard letter for this projectrequestspermissionfortheinstallation;additionally itsays:the lines could be printed in an accompanying free brochure about the poetry signs at the Zoo, and we would be happy to reprint a credit line to your institution in the brochure. We also request permission for other publicity uses of the sign for this program and related zoo and library programs.

Information needed by the permissions’ specialist in-cludes:thepoemandtitleofthepoem;thepoet’sname,birth,anddeathdates,andcountryoforigin;andyoursource(title,publisher, copyright, edition, and page number). Most po-etsarehappytocontributetheirworkwiththeunderstandingthattheyaresupportinganon-profitgroupthatworksforthehealth and sustainability of the planet; however, sometimesit isnecessaryfor thepoet-in-residencetoengageincorre-spondencewiththecreatorofthepoem,thepublisher,ortheliteraryexecutor.

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JohnFraser,Ph.D.Co-PrincipalInvestigator

Design Strategies for Poetry in Zoos

Introduction

TheinstallationscreatedfortheLanguage of Conservationprojectwereaimed at insinuating metaphors into the visitors’ experience in ordertoprovokeamoreconservation-mindedsynthesisofwhatisbeingpre-sentedintheanimalexhibitions.Thischapterprovidesanoverviewofthedesignprinciplesthatguideddecisionmakingandexamplesofhowtheseprincipleswereimplemented.Itcoverssomeofthebasicconceptsthatinformcontemporaryzoodesign,andsomestrategiesthatemergedassuccessfulintheexperimentsreportedinthispublication.

Background

Poetry installationat zoos fallsunder thebroadcategoryof “en-vironmentalgraphicdesign”becauseitcutsacrossthreerelateddesignprofessions—graphic design, landscape design, and architecture. Theprinciplespresentedbelowsummarizewhathaveemergedasbestprac-ticesbytheauthorandhiscolleaguesworkinginzoos,butthisoverviewdoesnotattempttorepresenttheentirefieldofenvironmentalgraphicdesignnortheemergingtrendsinretaildesignthatcontinuetoadvancethinkinginthefield.

Reading in the Zoo

Zoos,likeallmuseums,arecriticizedfornotbeingsufficientlyed-ucational,inpartbecauseobservationalresearchdemonstratesthatfewpeopleareseenreadingsigns.However,interviewresearchcontradictstheseobservationalstudies.ResearchersstudyingsignreadingbehavioratzoosdiscoveredthatregularvisitorsrecallsignstheyhavereadduringpreviousoutingsandthatsomevisitorsinterceptedbysurveyorsforthestudyofpoetryinstallationsattheCentralParkZoowereabletorecallsignwording,eveniftheywerenotwitnessedreadingthesignatthetimeoftheinterview.

Atthesametime,zoosareparks.Peoplereadwhilewalking,andtheywalkingroupsandusesignsandinformationasasupplementto


This stone I set at your feet / As my courtship gift to you / At the white summer’s end / On Antarctica’s icy shore. / Later you lay your egg / And ease it on to my feet. / You turn and walk away, / Black going into the blackness.

—Michael Richards, from “Penguin”

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uesandbeliefs.Carved letters invokehistoricalarchitecture thatusedpoetrytoarticulatethephilosophythatguidedanorganization,suchasalibrary’sespousaloftherightofallindividualstohaveaccesstoknowl-edge,orthepostalservice’scommitmenttoservethepublicgood.Inourtime,too,whenpoemsareselectedthatspeaktobeliefsthatareintrinsictothemissionofaninstitution,embeddingthewordsintothefabricofthebuildinglinkstheinstitutiontothewords.

Anotherstrategyistoblendthecolorofthesignsurfacewiththecolorandtextureofitssurroundings(seeFig.3).Theinstallationde-picted inFigure3mighthavebeenmore successfulhad it includedabackgroundtextureusingsubtleleafpatternstoblendevenmorecloselywiththefoliageandiftheentiresurfacehadbeencoveredbythesign.This strategyallows thereader to focuson thewords,rather than theedgesand limits.Figure4 illustrates theconsequencesof focusingondesignovertext;thedesignersattemptedtoblendthesurfacewiththepavers,butdidnotsucceed.Herethecontrastdrawsthereader’seyesawayfromthetext totheedge.Texturedsurfaces,however,areprob-lematicforreaderswithlowvisionorthosewhohavedifficultyreading.ADA(AmericanswithDisabilitiesAct)guidelinesgenerallyrecommendaminimumof70%contrastbetweenletterandbackground,andmanyinstitutions recommend that a textured sign surface should allow nomorethan5%colorandshadevariationundertheletters.

Successful installationswill interpretand integratewithwhat thereadercanseedirectlybeyondtheedgeofthesign.Figure5depictsasuccessfulexampleofthisprinciple.Inthatinstallation,theeyeisnotdrawntotheedgeofthesign,buttotheviewbeyond,asifthewallisspeakingaboutitself,thetrees,andthebuildingsinthedistance.

Textual ConsiderationsThepoemitselfisthemostimportantpartoftheinstallation,and

shouldhavethemostcontrastandlargestfontintheinstallation.Theauthor’snameshouldbesmallerorhavelesscontrast(seeFig.1).Thegoalisnottoteachthenamesofthepoets,buttoletthewordsseepintotheconsciousnessofthereader.

Whentranslationsareused,itispreferabletoplacetheoriginalandthetranslationsidebysideorincloseproximitytooneanother,possiblyevenwiththeoriginalslightlylargerinsizethanthetranslationsoread-ersareawareofwhichshouldbeperceivedasthemosttruetotheorigi-nalwork(seeFig.4).Thetranslationshouldneverappearasifitisabovetheoriginal,becauseplacementimplieshierarchyandmightsuggestthatthetranslatedversionwastheoriginalintentionofthepoet(seeFig.6).

their social experience.Whena signfitswith anemotionalor cogni-tiveexperience,thesereaderswillintroducethatinformationintotheirconversation. Signs are not exclusively one-way modes of communi-cation to a single reader; they instigate conversation or challenge theknowledgeprocessesatplaywithinvisitinggroups.

Readingsignsinzoosisalotlikereadinghighwaysignswhiledriv-ing.Thebrainandbodyoperatedifferentlywhen inmotion,makingreadingcognitivelymoredifficult thanwhen thereader is still.Read-ers in motion are constantly making spatial sense of their surround-

ings based on variations in lightand shadow. The eye continuouslyshifts between the text in questionand surfaces, edges, and placementin their field of vision. Reflectioncauses visual disturbance that candisruptreading textwhile thebrain

sortsoutwhatishappeningaroundthebodyandsearchesforothercluestoinformmovementandnegotiatetravel.

Successfulenvironmentalgraphicdesignfitsseamlesslyintothear-chitectural surroundings,as if thebuilding surfacehasavoice.Gooddesigndoesnotdrawattentiontoitself;rather,itrecedesintotheback-ground,sothatthecontentitseekstoconveycantaketheforeground.Likegoodindustrialdesign,asuccessfulenvironmentalgraphicdesignisminimaltothepointthatitisforgettable,whilethecontentremainswiththereaderasifitsprangfrominsidetheirownmind.

The Voice of the Environment

Werecommendthatdesignersthinkofapoetryinstallationasifitisthevoiceofthebuildingorsurfaceonwhichitwillbefound.Poetryshouldintegratewithexistingdesignelementsandfeatures(seeFigures).Figure1depictsatestdesignforaninstallationinwhichthesettingofthepoetry,thebackrest,allowsthebenchtofurtherblendwithitssur-round.InFigure2,stairrisersprovideanunexpectedhomeforapoem.Noticethattheuseofpaintcolorhelpstoblendthesignwiththesur-roundings and integrates the staircase into its surroundings. Each oftheseFiguresillustrateshowtheintegrationofthepoemintotheenvi-ronment,whethernaturalormanufactured,supportsthenuanced,butclearlyperceptible,presentationofcontent.

Graphic ConsiderationsPoetryembeddedintowall surfacesspeaks toaninstitution’sval-

Successful environmental graphic design fits seamlessly into the architectural sur-roundings, as if the building surface has a voice.

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InFigure10,thedesignersexperimentedwithsizebyusingside-walkchalktodeterminethecorrectscale.Visitorswerecarefultowalkaround the chalk at the beginning of the day, but it did not survive.Permanent installations can be made using the vinyl asphalt adhesivematerialsusedforsidewalkcrossingsigns.Thisspecialtyitemcanbecutbysigncompanies,likeothervinyllettering,butrequiresproperprim-ingandadhesiveapplicationtoensuredurability.

Maintaining Design Integrity During Production

The management of design through production requires a greatdealofattentionfromallinvolvedintheproject.Designfontsshouldbedelivered to theproduction company that is going tomanufacturethewords;itisnotuncommonfortheproductioncompanytousetheirownversionofthefontspecified,whichcanleadtoproblems.Thereareoftenmanyversionsofthesamefont;sometraditionalfontsarepro-ducedbymorethanonefontsoftwaresupplierandinsomecaseshavebeenupdated toworkmoreefficientlywith signproduction software.These substitutionswillnotnecessarily retainall theattributesof thedesign.Theycanleadtominormistakesinwordlength,spacing,linelength,linebreaks,characterrelationships,orsymbols.Obviously,linebreaksrepresentthemostsignificantdeparturefromapoet’sintent,buttheothervariationsembeddedinthedesignfilesallhaveimplicationsfor thefinal installation.Production staff familiarwithmakinghigh-waysignsareoftenverywillingtotaketheinitiativetoaddunexpectedlinebreaks,punctuation,orcapitalizationiftheyarenotgivenexplicitinstructionsaboutthedesignintent.Toensurethepoetrymanufacturemeetstheoriginaldesignintent,proofreadingisbestdonefourtimes:before and after manufacture, and then again before installation andafter.

Itisnowcommonknowledgethat“rightreading”signsinanout-doorsettingaremostcomprehensiblewhen the text isbrightand thebackgrounddark.Asnotedearlier,seventypercentcontrasthasemergedas a standard that meets ADA guidelines and is most easily perceivedas legible by most readers. There are specific DOT (Department ofTransportation)-authorizedfontsthatincreasereadability,butmanage-mentofcolor,surface,andreflectionarethemaintoolsforensuringreadability.

Typescaleisalsoanimportantconsideration.Wherepossible,typesizecanbemadetofeelmonumental(seeFigs.1,3,7and8).Intheeval-uationoftheinstallationdepictedinFigure3,observersdidnotdetectanyonereadingthesign,andvisitorsinterviewedastheyleftthezoodidnotclaimtohavereadthissign;however,theseinterviewparticipantsrecalledthewordsandsentimentofthispoemwhentheydescribedthesignstheylikedinthezoo.

Inreferencetotextlength,empiricalresearchintolabeldesignhasproducedsomerulesofthumbtoensurethemaximumreadabilityforthehighestnumberofvisitors.

• Textoffewerthan35wordsinvitesahighernumber ofreadersthanlongersigns(seeFigs.1and2inparticular).

• Bulletphrasesarescannedandmorequicklyunderstood thansentences.

• Mostvisitorstomuseumsfailtoreadbeyond150words onasign.

Testing

ToprepareforinstallationsofsimplesignsliketheoneillustratedinFigure3, it is recommended thatdesigners createa temporarypa-persignbeforecompletingthedesigntoassesstheimpactofthework.Askpeoplewhohavenotseentheworkbeforetowalkpastthesignandreadanythingtheysee—withoutstopping.Iftheycanreadtheentiresignwithoutstopping,theoptimalscaleandlengthwillhavebeenconfirmed.

Durability

Testingreadabilityisimportantforthesesigns,butdurabilityisalsocritical.Forexample,Figure2depictsaninstallationthatissubjectedtounanticipatedwearandtear,asshoescommonlyleaveblackstreaks.Inthiscase,whilethevariegatedbackgroundhelpsthesignblendintothesurroundings,darkbrownwouldsupportthatgoalwhilealsomitigatingtheeffectsoftheshoeprints.

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Figure 3, Wildlife Conservation Society, Central Park Zoo. Here the designer used green to blend with the foliage and stretched the sign to cover the surface from edge to edge. The length of this work makes it easy to read while walking.

Figure 4, Wildlife Conservation Society, Central Park Zoo. This temporary instal-lation used “floor graphics,” a vinyl adhesive, to test the layout before commis-sioning a permanent carving in slate.

Figures:

Figure 1, Wildlife Conservation Society, Central Park Zoo. For this test, the de-signer imagined creating a bench with monumental letters. Notice the subtle type for the author’s name.

Figure 2, Audubon Zoo, New Orleans. This innovative approach integrates the sign into a stairway and makes the reading part of the interpretation of what is seen as the visitor walks up the stairs.

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Figure 7, Little Rock Zoo. Note how the designers used this installation to let the building speak, articulating the mission of the zoo itself, by drawing the edge of the image to cover the entire surface.

Figure 8, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo. The monumental scale of the lettering and its prominent placement allow this installation to encapsulate the message of the project and interpret how to see the exhibition beyond.

Figure 5, Wildlife Conserva-tion Society, Central Park Zoo. Here the designers demonstrate the power of juxtaposition. This work is about 4’ high and dem-onstrates the salience of words contemplated as part of a larger whole. Again, the scale is monu-mental.

Figure 6, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo. This in-stallation demonstrates the pre-sentation of a poem in English and in its original language. This presentation ensures that the translation is easily available to the reader without seeming to give it primacy.

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Figure 11, Milwaukee County Zoo. The designers spread this long Navajo Indian poem along the rafters of a covered boardwalk. Note how the rhythm of the poem is emphasized by the placement of the lines of the poem and how the natural rhythm of walking reinforces and embodies the poem’s own rhythm.

Figure 12, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. This innovative overhead installation demonstrates both the challenge and the opportunity created by backlighting.

Figure 9, Milwaukee County Zoo. Note the monumental scale of the letters and the sense the design achieves of the letters floating in air, almost as if the lake itself was talking.

Figure 10, Wildlife Conservation Society, Central Park Zoo. The presentation of this Wendell Berry poem was intended to integrate the poetry into the walkway experience. In this example, the poem was spray-painted with a stencil but more durable installations can be achieved with adhesive road sign materials.

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Key References Regarding the Principles Guiding Museum Label Design:

Blois,A.(1995).Text in the Exhibition Medium.QuébecCity:Mu-séedelaCivilization.

Eisenberger,R.(1999).Themuseumgoer’smotives:Theso-cialandthesublime.Visitor Studies Today,2(3),1-5.

Rand,J.(1990).Fishstoriesthathookreaders:Interpretivegraphics at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Technical Report90-30.Jacksonville,AL:CenterforSocialDesign.

Rand,J.(2001).The227-milemuseum,oravisitors’billofrights.Curator:The Museum Journal44(1),7-14.

Screven,C.G.(1992).Motivatingvisitorstoreadlabels.ILVS Review: A Journal of Visitor Behavior2(2),183–211.

Screven,C.G. (1999) Informationdesign in informal set-tings:Museumsandotherpublicspaces.InJacobsen,R.(Ed.)Information Design.Cambridge,MA:MITPress.

Serrell,B.(1981).ZoolabelstudyatBrookfieldZoo.Interna-tional Zoo Yearbook,21,54-61.

Serrell, B. (1996). Exhibit labels: An Interpretive Approach. WalnutCreek,CA:AltimiraPress.

SmithsonianInstitution(2000).Smithsonian Guidelines for Acces-sible Exhibition Design.www.si.edu/Accessibility/SGAED

Figure 13, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo. While somewhat difficult to read, this subtle installation takes advan-tage of the glass to present a “voice” floating in the exhibit. This installation also serves the practical purpose of warning off unwary birds.

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JanePrestonManagingDirector,PoetsHouse

Replication Q & A

Thesinglequestionposedmostfrequentlytoallofthosewhohavebeeninvolved in theLanguage of Conservation is,“HowcanIbring thisprojecttomyzoo?”or“my library;mybotanicalgarden;mynaturepreserveorbikepath;howcanIbringthisprojecttomycity?”Theentiretyofthisvolumeisintendedtoanswerthatquestion,butforthosewhoareinclinedtobrevity,whatfollowsisacapsulediscussionoftheissuesin-volvedindesigningasuccessfulproject.

What is the first step in getting this kind of project off the ground?

Thefirststepistoengageothersinyourcommunitywiththeideasbe-hindtheproject,especiallyotherstakeholders inyour institution.Wehavediscoveredthatthephotographsoftheinstallations,togetherwithreadableversionsofthepoemsused,andabriefsynopsisoftheresultsachievedareeffectivetoolsingatheringsupportfortheproject.

Inordertosustainexcitementwhiletheworkgoesforward,sharedin-volvementintheprojectisessential.Aworkinggroupshouldbeidenti-fiedtoperformthemajorityoftheworkinvolved;however,informa-tionabouttheprojectshouldbesharedwidelyfromtheearlieststagesofinceptionthroughitsconclusion.Asmanypeopleasfeasibleshouldbeengagedinprovidingresponsesandfeedback,especiallythosewhoaremostcloselyinvolvedintheregularactivitiesofthezooanditseducationoroutreachprograms.

Is an institutional partner always a good idea?

Collaborationwithanotherinstitutionoffersrichrewards:deeperpen-etration into the community; a broader, richer community dialogue;theopportunitytoleveragetheinvestmentoftimeandcapitaltomeetmultiplegoals;andthedevelopmentofawidercoalition,withalloftheattendantrewardstheseresultssuggest.However,successfulcollabora-tionsdemandtimeandefforttounderstandanother’spointofviewandfindinnovativeresolutionstoanychallengesthatarepresented.Collab-orationsamongunlike institutionsrequirewide-rangingconversationtodiscoverareasofsynergyaswellaspotentialpitfalls,withtheunder-


Nearby, at the stream, a tip of willow / just touching the surface has scribbled / its lovely, idle, loose / unbroken line all summer.

—Albert Goldbarth, from “Or of Anything”

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What is involved in selecting a poet-in-residence?

The selectionof apoet toworkwith is among themost criticaldeci-sionsyouwillhavetomake.Therearepoetslivingandworkingineverycommunityinthecountry,butyouwillneedtoworkwithonewhoisdeeplycommittedtoissuesofconservationandtoyourproject,broadlyknowledgeableofthevastrangeofliterarytraditionsthisprojectdrawsupon,opentoengagingwiththezooandunderstandingitsneedsandconcerns,devotedtoengagingwiththestaffinacollaborativeprocess,andpossessingapersonalityandworkingstylethatfitswellwiththosein your community. In addition, selecting a poet who has a nationalreputationwillhelptobringwiderrecognitiontoyourprojectandmayhelptoeaseyourpermissionsprocess,encouragingfaithinyourefforts.

How should the project be managed?

Themajorityoftheworkwillfalltoarelativelysmallgroupofindividu-alswhoareresponsibleforbringingtheprojectforward.Themake-upofthatgroupwilldependonthecultureofyourowninstitutionandtheenthusiasmoftheindividualswithinit.IncludedinthisgroupcouldbestaffpersonsrepresentingInterpretiveLanguage;EducationandOut-reach;Design;andFacilities.Theseindividualswillworkmostcloselywiththepoet-in-residence,andrepresenttheprojecttotheothermem-bersofyourstaffandtothepublic.Onememberofthisgroupshouldmanagetheschedulingandcoordinationoftheprojectasawhole.

What else should one be aware of in determining the overall parameters of the project?

Theoveralldesignof yourprojectwilldependonanumberofaddi-tionalconsiderations:

•Locationanddensityofsignage—Howmanysigns,overhow largeanarea?Indicationsarethatthedenserthesignage,the morepowerfulitsimpact.TheChicagoZoologicalSociety, forexample,decidedtoinstallitspoetryinonlyonesection ofthezoo,GreatBearWilderness,believingthatthesame numberofsignsdistributedthroughouttheentiretyofthe zoowouldhavediminishedtheimpactoftheinstallation.

•Materials—Inselectingmaterialsforthesignage,itis necessarytoweighpermanencywitheffectiveness.Low-cost materialscanbeusedtomaximizethenumberofsigns,but

standingthatsomeaspectsofwhateachinstitutiontakesforgrantedwillcomeasasurprisetoitspartner.Carefulplanningwillhelptoeliminatesomeofthesetroublespots,butoftenpartnerswillcomeawayfromaplanningsessionfrustratedbydialogthatseemstogoaroundincircles,unawarethatthedifficultyisrootedindisparatepremises.Identifyingthoseassumptionsandfindingawaypastthemthatmeetstheneedsofbothinstitutionsisessentialforsuccess.

What sort of budget will be needed?

Fundswillbeneededtosupportthedesign,fabrication,andinstalla-tionofthesignageitself,theworkofthepoet-in-residence(notaminoritem—thisworkrequiresbroadexpertiseandthededicationofasignifi-cantamountoftime);apermissionsspecialist,ifyoudecidetoengageone;potentiallyfeesforthepermissionsthemselves;artistfeesforanypublicprogramsyourprojectincludes;printedmaterials;publicity;andstafftimeforalloftheinstitutionalpartnersinvolved.

Brookfield Zoo

This living flowing land / is all there is, forever // We are it / it sings through us—

—Gary Snyder, from “By Frazier Creek Falls”

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signagecanproceed);andsixmonthsforthesite-specificselectionofpoems. Project planning, selection of a poet-in-residence, and teambuildingshouldbesubstantiallycompletebeforethen.

Thisexercisewilldemonstratewhetherornotyourtargetdateistooam-bitious.Youcanthenconsiderchangingthetargetdateorresolvingthedifficultyinanotherway,suchasbeginningtoseekpermissionsassoonasyouhaveasmallgroupofpoemsyou’resureof,thenbuildingtherestofthecollectionaroundthosefew.


“this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire”

—Shakespeare, from Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2

What is the most effective way to get publicity for the project?

Theopeningof the installationisanaturalopportunity forpublicity.Youcanmakethemostofitbyrollingitoutoverseveraldays:planapressconferenceatwhichpublicfiguresinyourcommunityareinvited

rarelywilltheyprovidesignagethatislong-lasting.Astrategy usedeffectivelyinNewOrleanswastoselectlow-costmateri- alsforsomeofthesigns,buttoinvestdeeplyinothers,the fountainpicturedonp.48,forexample.

Are there any issues concerned regarding copyright?

Itisessentialtorequestpermissionofthepublishers,and/orauthors,orliteraryexecutorsfortheuseofthepoemsyouselect.Thepermissionsprocesswilltakeseveralmonths.Insomecasesafeemaybeassessed,butfeesareoftenwaivedfornon-profitandeducationaluses.Generallyitisbesttorequestpermissionfromthepublisherwithaletterthatdescribesyourprojectanditsgoals,aswellasthespecificpoem,orportionofthepoem,youwishtouse.Itisimportanttophraseyourrequesttocoverallofyourneeds,includingpossibleuseofthepoeminabrochureabouttheproject.Permissionforanymerchandisingeffortsyouarecontem-platingshouldberequestedseparatelyandwithafocusontheeduca-tionalvalueoftheeffort.

Anexceptiontotherulewouldbepoemsthatareinthepublicdomain,whichgenerallyreferstopoemsthatwerepublishedpriorto1923.Thisexception,however,doesnotapplytopoemsintranslation,unlessthetranslationisinthepublicdomainaswell.

Copyrightlawcanbecomplicated.Insomecases,itmaybeachallengetolocatethepersonneededtoprovidepermission.Forourprojectswedelegatedthisworktoaspecialist(see“ProjectConsultants”intheAp-pendix).

Iffornootherreasonthanthatitisthecourteousthingtodo,whenitcomestopermissions,werecommendmeticulouscaretoensurethatallpermissionsareinplaceinadvanceoftheuseofpoetryinanyinstalla-tionorpublication.

How is a timeline for this kind of project developed?

Theprocessofdevelopingatimelinemostoftenbeginswithatargetdatefortheopeningoftheinstallation.Thetargetdatemaybedeterminedbyfundingparameters,bypublicitygoals,orbyvisitationtrends.Begin-ningwith thatdate,workbackwards, allowingmonths for fabricationand installation(duringwhich timepublicityeffortscango forward);allow threemonths forpermissions (duringwhich timedesignof the

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SectionIII

COLLABORATION

toaddressthegoalsoftheproject;thepoet-in-residenceorzoodirec-torcanleadatouroftheinstallationatthisgatheringofthepress;planspecialeventsforindividualconstituenciessuchaseducators;andplanpubliceventssuchasareadingbythepoet-in-residence.Includingalo-calpubliclibraryasaprincipalpartnercanhelpenormouslybyengagingitsconstituency.

But publicity for the project should neither begin nor end there.Throughtheuseofsocialmediaandyourblogyoucanbuildexpecta-tionandinvolvementinyourcommunity.Oncetheinstallationopens,possibilitiesareendless.Someofthestrategiesusedbythezoospartici-patingintheLanguage of Conservationincludedprovidingmaterialsinprintandon-linesuchasmapsoftheinstallationsandbrochuresabouttheproject,activitybookletsforyoungsters,eventee-shirtsandothermer-chandisefeaturingthepoemsforwhichpermissionshadbeenobtained.

What about public events and other programming initiatives?

TheLanguage of Conservationincludedanextensiveprogramseriespresent-edbypartneringlibraries,co-sponsoredbythezoos.Publicprogramsbroadendialoguewithinthecommunitybyprovidingopportunitiesforengagementandinteraction.

Conservation-relatedeventscanbeartsorhumanitiescenteredandtheycanbeofferedtoaudiencesofallages.Publicprogramswillalsohelptospreadthewordaboutyourproject.Formoreinformationaboutpro-gramminginpubliclibraries,pleaseseethePoetry in the Branches Sourcebook,availablefromPoetsHouse.

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JohnFraser,Ph.D.Co-PrincipalInvestigator&JanePrestonManagingDirector,PoetsHouse

Setting the Stage for Collaboration: Project Design and the Role of the Leadership Team

Inatimeofunprecedentedchallengetothehealthoftheplanet,thelivesofthecreaturesitsupports,andtheviabilityofawayofthoughtthatpitshumanwelfareoverandagainsttheselives,theLanguage of Con-servationisaprojectthatisrootedinuncommonformsofcollaboration:betweenartandscience,betweenmuseum(i.e.,zoo)andlibrary,andbetweenindividualswithineachofthese.Theleadershipteamitselfrep-resentsanunusualgrouping,comprisedofaleadingbiologist,Dr.DanWharton;architect,psychologist,andevaluatorDr.JohnFraser;poet,scholar,andteacherSandraAlcosser;andartsadministratorandpoetLeeBriccettiandherteam.

Asaworkinggroup,themembersoftheleadershipteamwereal-readywell-knowntoeachother,havingcollaboratedpreviouslyonthepilotprojectatNewYorkCity’sCentralParkZoo.Thatprojectdemon-stratedsomecompellingresults:exitinterviewsdocumentedan85%re-tentionofthepoetryamongzoovisitorsanda21%uptickincommentsreflectinganawarenessoftheselfinrelationtothenaturalworld.Thoseresults,togetherwiththedeeptrustthatemergedamongthecollabora-tors,suggestedthatthenatureofthecollaborationitself—builtonare-lationshipbetweenpeers,eachanauthorityintheirownfield,workingacrossdisciplinestoachieveacommongoal—wasanessentialfactorinthesuccessoftheproject.

Thefive-cityreplicationprojectwasbuiltonthepremisethatthatsortofcollaborationwasessentialtoachieveunreservedbuy-inamongallpartners—andtoensurethatthepoemsselectedreflectedthevaluesofthezoo(boththosethatareuniversalamongzoosandthosethatareparticulartoeachzoo);andthattheprogramsofferedbythelibrarywerefullyintegratedintotheproject.


His Labor is a Chant — / His Idleness — a Tune — / Oh, for a Bee’s experience / Of Clovers, and of Noon!

—Emily Dickinson, from #916, “The Bee”

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The goals of that first 2-day meeting were to introduce partnerstooneanotherandtothemembersoftheprojectleadership;tolaythegroundworkwithineachcityteamforstrong,positiveworkingrelation-ships that couldbe sustainedacrossdistanceandacrossdiscipline; toprovideanexperiencewithpoetrythatwouldinspirecommitmenttotheproject;toprovideprofessionalsfromallthreedisciplineswithadeeperunderstandingofthemissionandworkingstylesoftheothers;toinformpartnersfullyabouttheprocessandoutcomesachievedinthepilotproj-ect;toprovidedetailedinformationregardinglinesofcommunication,timelinesanddeadlines,reporting,andalloftheothermechanismsthathadbeendevelopedtomanagetheprojectoverthenextthreeyears;andtodevelopasharedinvestmentintheprojectbetweencityteams,sothateachhadthesenseofparticipatinginsomethinglargerandpotentiallymorepowerfulthananythingthatcouldhappeninasinglecity.


The friendly cow all red and white, / I love with all my heart: / She gives me cream with all her might, / To eat with apple tart.

—Robert Louis Stevenson, from “The Cow”

Building the City Teams

Thecities invited toparticipatewere selectedbecauseof thepo-tentialforstrongcollaborativerelationshipsbetweenthezooandtheli-brary.FourofthelibrarieshadsuccessfullyparticipatedinPoetsHouse’sPoetry in the Branches,acapacitybuildingprojectthathelpedthemdevelopin-depthpoetryprogramsandexpandedpoetrycollections.Amongthezoos,eachinstitutionhadacommitmenttoartsprogrammingaspartoftheirconservationmission.

Theleadersoftheinstitutionsineachcityknewofoneanotherbutfewhadactuallyworkedtogetherbefore.Allagreedtojoinintheorigi-nalgrantproposalonthebasisofestablishedtrust,mostindicatingthattheproposedprojectofferedarareopportunitytobuildnewbridgesofcooperationwithintheircommunities.

Todevelopthepartnerships,theproject leadershipfirstoutlinedtheroles,responsibilities,andfinancialobligationsofeachpartneringinstitutionandconfirmedtheserelationships inacontractwithPoetsHouse.Theprojectleadershipalsoworkedindividuallywitheachpart-nering institution to ensure that expectations were clear in regard totheirroleandwhattheymightexpecttoemergefromtheproject.

Once these contracts were confirmed and the community-basedpartnershipswereinplace,SandraAlcosser,whoactedascoordinatorofthepoets,workeddirectlywitheachinstitutiontounderstandtheirconcerns,workingstyles,andaspirationsfortheprojectinordertose-lectapoet-in-residencewhopossessedthepersonality,skills,andbeliefstopromiseagoodfit,aswellasanationalreputationasapoetanddeepcommitmenttothecauseofconservation.Potentialmatcheswerethenratifiedbytheparticipatingpoets,zoos,andlibraries.

Shared VisionTheexperienceof theproject leadership team indeveloping the

first installations at the Central Park Zoo helped clarify the need forclearlinesofcommunicationbetweenallpartnersbasedonamutualap-preciationforoneanother’sradicallydifferentexpertise,amutualsenseoftrust,andasharedvisionforthefinaloutcome.

Inthepilotproject,however,everyonelivedinthesamecity.Inthefive-city replication, face-to-facemeetingswith thepoet-in-residencewerelimitedtoa“kick-off”symposium,whichbroughtallpartnersto-gether foran intensive initiation into theproject, followedby severalrelativelybriefvisitsoverthecourseofthreeyears.Thiswasamongthemost seriouschallenges to thedevelopmentofa sharedvision for theproject.Thekick-offsymposiumofferedoursinglebestopportunitytomeetthatchallenge.

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Duringthefollowingyearsoftheproject,PoetsHousecontinuedintheroleofprojectmanager,checkinginwitheachoftheteamsregu-larly,coordinatingtravel,respondingtoquestionsas theycameuporpassingthemontoothermembersoftheleadershipteam,workingwithallmemberstodevelopabooklistforlibrarycollections,managingthepermissionsprocess,developingaspeakers’bureauforthefinalsetofpublicprogramsthatwereofferedinthelibraries,andcoordinatingna-tionalpublicityfortheproject.

CollaborationAstheprojectprogressed,variouschallengestocollaborationwere

experiencedineachofthecities.Thedisparitybetweenthecoremissionofthetwokindsofinstitutionwasexpressedindisparateapproachestofunding(and,therefore,attitudesabouttheprovisionoffreeservices);disparateapproachestopublicity(librariesrequiringasignificantlylong-er lead time for publicity that is generally handled on a system-widebasis);anddisparateapproachestoaudiences(with librariesgenerallycatering to smaller audiences,providing in-depthaccess to abroaderrange of information). Each city team was encouraged to discover itsownsolutionstothesechallenges.

Theprojectleadershiprecognizedthatbringingtogethertwotra-ditionallyseparatecultural institutionswithdifferentdiscourses,mis-sions,andmethodsofworkingrequiredsubstantiveinvestmentinde-velopingasharedlanguageandencouragementtotakelibertiesinthecreation of unique relationships, suitable to their own communities,andcapableofbeingsustainedthroughasenseoftrustandreciprocity.

The Kick-off Symposium

ThesymposiumwasheldinNewOrleans,oneoftheparticipatingcities.Thesessionsalternatedbetweenreadingsbythepoets,presenta-tionsbyleadership,andsharedpresentationsontheoverarchinggoalsof each institutionand theirdisciplines.Theprogramwas structuredtotakeadvantageofemergingsynergiesanddiscussionwasencouragedthroughoutthecourseofanintensivetwo-daymeeting.

Tipsheets,basedonbestpracticesdevelopedintheCentralParkZooexperiment,hadbeenpreparedbytheleadershipteamtoprovideguidanceforeachaspectoftheworkahead:selectingpoems;designingsignage; and developing poetry- and conservation-related collections,displays,andprogramsinthepubliclibrarysetting.Versionsofsomeofthesetipsheetscanbefoundinthe“Replication”sectionofthisvolume.Presentationsbymembersoftheleadershipteam,supportedbythetipsheets,ensuredthateachcityteamcameawayfromthesymposiumwiththeknowledgetheywouldneedtodevelopasuccessfulproject.

Also provided at the symposium was an integrated schedule thatwouldallowmembersofeachdisciplineandeachinstitutiontounder-standtheactivitiesoftheothersandoftheleadershipteam,sothattheeffortsofallcouldcometogetherseamlessly.Goalsforinstallationdateswere coordinated to support media efforts by Poets House and goalsforlibrary-supportedpoetryprogramswereestablishedtohelpbuildacommunityconversationaboutconservationissues.

Activities were designed to encourage each community to find aprocess thatwasappropriate to thecultureof itsmember institutionsandtotheskillsandworkingstylesofitsindividuals;presumablysuchaprocesswouldnaturallyengagethepotentialforinnovation.Thelead-ershipteamsoughttoadvancethetheorybehindtheLanguage of Conserva-tionbyenlistingtheeffortsofthefivecitiestotestitsprinciples,eachinitsownway.

Lastly,sharedmealsandsocialtimeencouragedcross-disciplinaryandcross-institutionalconversationsthathelpedtoshapeaprojectlan-guageandethicandbuildasenseoftrustandreciprocityamongallpar-ticipants.

Ongoing Project Management

Following the symposium, an online wiki was created to supportcollaborativediscussionsacrossgroupsandtoshareresources.Thoughthe sitebecameausefulfiling cabinet forphotographs andbook titlerecommendations,theeffortunderscoredforallinvolvedhowessentialpersonalinteractionisinmaintainingstrongcommunication.

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ReginaldHarrisPoetry in the BranchesCoordinator,PoetsHouse

Strategies for Collaboration

TheultimatesuccessoftheLanguage of Conservationdependednotonlyontheworkdoneindividuallybyparticipatinglibraries,zoos,andpo-ets-in-residence,butalsoonhowtheinstitutionswereabletopartnerwithoneanother.Sincemanyoftheseinstitutionshadnotworkedto-getherpreviously,therewasalotofexcitementaboutthepossibilityofcollaborationastheprojectgotunderway.InthewordsofBettyeFowlerKerns,AssociateDirectoroftheCentralArkansasLibrarySystem,“TheLanguage of Conservationprojectfinallygaveusachancetogettogetheranddosomething.”

Giventheintensepoliticaldebateaboutglobalwarmingandotherthreatstotheenvironment,zoosandpubliclibrariesarenaturalpart-nersinthecreationofprogramsthatprovideinformationandinitiatedialogueabouttheseissues.Bothshareascoretotheirmissionstheroleofeducatingthepublic,whetherthroughprovidingfreeaccesstoinfor-mationofallkindsorbyinformingvisitorsaboutthelivesoftheanimalsandthreatstospeciesviability.

TheroleofthelibrariesintheLanguage of Conservation wastwofold:toprovideaccesstocollectionsthatwererichinbothpoetryandconserva-tion-relatedmaterials,includingthebooksfromwhichzooinstallationsweredrawn,andtoprovideaspaceforpublicdialogthroughconser-vation-relatedpoetryprogramming.These functionsworked togetherwiththezooinstallationstoprovidereciprocalandreinforcingelementsineachcommunity.

MuchoftheprogrammingthatwasofferedwasbasedonaSpeak-ers Bureau of readings and talks by nationally recognized poets, or-ganized by Poets House. These included presentations by each of thepoets-in-residencedesignedforcitiesotherthantheoneinwhichtheyhadworked,aswellassuchpoetsasAnnieFinch,CamilleDungy,andJohnFelstiner.AstandingroomonlyaudiencebravedamalfunctioningairconditioningsysteminNewOrleanstoattend“IndigenousandEn-dangered:AnEveningofLouisianaPoetry”withLouisianaPoetLaure-ateDarrellBourqueandothers.NaomiShihabNyevisitedJacksonvilleandRedHawkmesmerizedaudiencesinLittleRock.Inaddition,eachlibraryarrangedprogramstailoredtolocalaudiences,manyofthemde-signedcollaborativelyinpartnershipwiththezoo.


The blue bayou’s / A pool of fire. / And I saw the sun go down, / Down, / Down, / Lawd I saw the sun go down!

—Langston Hughes, from “Blue Bayou”

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• CentralArkansasLibraryfeaturedzooactivitiesintheir“Makea Splash”summerreadingprogramandheldthefinaleofthepro- gramatthezoo.Theyalsoofferedfreepassestothezoofor childreninthesummerreadingprogramtoensureequitable accesstothefinaleevent.

• TheChicagoZoologicalSocietycollaboratedwithRiverside PublicLibrarytosponsorapoetrycontestonproject-related themesinwhicheighty-eightchildrenparticipated,andde- signedpoetryinstallationsfordisplayintheyouthservicesarea oftheRiversideLibrary.

• Anumberoflibrariesfeaturedprogramspresentedbyzooper- sonnel.AndreCopeland,forexample,headofInterpretive ProgramsattheBrookfieldZoo,discussedNorthAmerica’s iconicanimalwithtwentylibraryvisitorsduringhis“Bison PavingtheWay”presentation.

• Somezoospresentedprogramsorganizedbylibrarystaffaswell. InNewOrleans,forinstance,aftertoursoftheinstallation conductedbypoet-in-residenceMarkDoty,librariansMissy AbbottandhercolleaguesfromtheLatterLibraryorganized readingsofmanyofthepoemsfeaturedintheinstallations.

• Alllibrariesandzoosworkedtogetheronthepressconferences announcingtheopeningoftheinstallationsandco-sponsored openingdaycelebrations.

• Alllibrariespurchasedthebooksofthepoetswhoseworkwas incorporatedinthezooinstallationsanddevelopedbookdis- playsinsupportoftheproject,whilezoostaffadvisedonnature andconservationtitlestobeaddedtolibrarycollections.

• Andsomuchmore,includingco-sponsorshipofpoetrybook- markdesigncontestsbasedontheinstallationsatthezoo,co- productionofactivitybookletsforyoungsters,andcollaboration onrelatedcommunityconservationandrevitalizationprojects.

Theprojecthascreateddeepand lastingcollaborativebondsbe-tween the participating libraries and zoos, inspiring libraries to wanttocontinuetoworkonconservationissuesandinspiringbothzoosandlibrariestoworktogetherandwithothercommunitypartnersonlocalconservation-relatedprojects.

Butnavigatingtheculturaldifferencesbetweenthepublic libraryworldandzoosproveddifficultforsomepartneringorganizations.Li-brariesarefreeforall,whilezoosdependonpaidadmissionstosupportthem.Accustomedtolargecrowdsmotivatedbyaninterestinanimals,zooscandrawaudienceswithrelativelyspontaneousprograms,whileli-brarieshavetodomorepublicityandplanningtobringtogetherthosewith shared interests. Expectations regarding audience size differ ac-cordingly.Dealingwithstaffchanges,particularlyduringtheeconomicdownturn,canalsopresentsignificantchallenges.However,acommit-menttoworktogetherpaiddividendsforbothinstitutions.

Buildingadeepsenseofmutualregardisessentialinestablishingapartnershipthatcanovercomedifferencesastheybecomeapparent.Thefirststepisgettingtoknowoneanotherasorganizationsandasindividu-als.Evenbeforemeeting,manyLanguage of Conservation partnersexaminedoneanother’swebsiteandtradedpublicitymaterials.Followingafirstmeetingoff-site,stafffromeachinstitutionvisitedtheother,touredoneanother’sfacilities,andlearnedaboutoneanother’sprogramsandser-vices.Oftenlunchmeetingsfollowed,overwhichprospectivepartnersconsideredwaystheycouldsupportoneanother’sprogramsandmanagejointpublicity.

Ultimately,librariesandzoosdevelopedarangeofstrategiestoen-couragepatronstovisitbothinstitutions,fromdesigningjointpublic-ityandmaterialstocollaboratingonprograms.Brookfield’sadultbookdiscussiongroupsgatheredtolearnmoreabouttheprojectandchoseconservation-relatedtitlestoreadtoyoungstersmakinggymshoegar-dens,whichwouldlaterbeplantedatthezoo.Someotherexamplesofcollaborationincluded:

• AllJacksonvillePublicLibrarycardholdersreceiveddiscounted admissiontothezoo.

• StafffromtheMilwaukeeCountyZooandtheZoological SocietyofMilwaukeeprovidedliveanimalprogramsfor316 childrenduringthesummeratthirteenbranchesofthe MilwaukeePublicLibrary.

• TheMilwaukeeCountyZooalsocreatedandprintedbookmarks withthecatchphrase“SeetheanimalsandpoetryattheZoo; ReadabouttheanimalsandpoetryattheLibrary,”withfive imagesfromthecollectionofanimalprintsinthelibrary’sKrug RareBooksRoom.Thebookmarksweredistributedatboththe libraryandthezoo.

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JohnFraser,Ph.D.Co-PrincipalInvestigator&JessicaSicklerEvaluator

Creating a Community of Practice: Zoo, Library, and Poet Collaborations

Introduction

TheLanguage of Conservation projectwasconceivedfromtheoutsetasaprojectthatwouldbedrivenbycollaborationofthepartnersatthefivereplicationsites,withbroadguidancefromtheleadershipteam.Aspre-viously described, project implementation was completed within eachcitybyathree-partpartnershipamongazoo,alibrary,andapoet-in-residencewhowasnotlocaltothecity,butwasselectedforherorhisexpertisewiththeenvironmentalconservationpoetrycanon.Creatingsuccessfulcollaborationswithineachcitywasenvisionedasastrengthoftheprojectbecauseitwouldallowpartnerstoleveragetheirparticularexpertisetoaccomplishsharedgoals.Creatingnewcollaborationscanalsopresentchallenges,however,asindividualsandinstitutionsmediatecompetingagendas,priorities,andculturestocreateasmoothworkingrelationship.

To develop understanding of how this collaboration processworked,theInstituteforLearningInnovation(ILI)undertookaneval-uationtodocumenttheprocess,tolookforevidenceofimpactonitspartners,andtoprovidelessonslearnedforinstitutionsthatseektocre-atesimilarpartnerships.Thisevaluationincorporatedperiodicreflec-tionsbypartnersduringtheprojectandin-depthtelephoneinterviewswith stakeholders near its conclusion. From the documentation andpartnerreflectionabout theprocessundertakenbythecities,wehavegainedabetterunderstandingofthebenefits,challenges,andstrategiesforcreating successfulpartnerships inaproject suchas the Language of Conservation.Herewepresentthekeythemes,lessons,andstrategiesre-vealedbythisprojectforcreatingandnegotiatingstrongpartnerships,aswellasrelatedinformationfromevaluationofsimilarcollaborativeprojects,providingguidanceoncreatingcommunitiesofpracticewithinasimilarcollaborativeeffort.


As for us: / We must uncenter our minds from ourselves; / We must unhumanize our views a little, and become confident / As the rock and ocean that we were made from.

—Robinson Jeffers, from “Carmel Point”

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Employing a participatory process within and across institutionsseemedtofosterandsupportinstitutionalandstaffbuy-intotheproj-ect as a whole. Establishing buy-in emerged as an important task foradvancingtheproject,particularlyamongzoopartners,whofoundthatthe concept of using poetry in zoos was challenging for most staff toimagine.Lookingacrossthesites,thosecaseswhereinstitutionrepre-sentatives created an inclusive and participatory process that involvedstaffatalllevelswithintheinstitutionweremosteffectiveatgeneratingtruebuy-inandcommitmenttotheproject.Lessparticipatorystrate-gies,suchasinternalpresentationsabouttheprojectorpoetryselectionprocessesthatwerelefttothepoet,withthezooandlibrarypartnerspur-suingindependenttasks,weregenerallylesseffectiveatachievingbuy-inandcommitment.Keytothisparticipatorystrategywastheleadershipofasinglestaffmemberorsmallgroupofstaffwithinaninstitution(zooand/orlibrary)whonotonlytooktheroleofprojectmanager,butalsoservedasaprojectadvocatewithintheinstitution.Inthisrole,he/sheproactivelygeneratedsupportandadvancedtheinitiativewithstaffandleadership.Thiswasnotaroleexplicitlynamedin theprojectdesignbutonethatemergednaturallyineachsitebyindividualswhobelievedstronglyinthepurposeandthegoalsoftheprojectandfeltacommit-menttoseeitsucceed.Theimportanceofapersontakingonthisroleofproject“champion”hasbeennotedintheliteratureaskeytosuccessinamulti-institutionalpartnership(Brinkerhoff,2002;Linden,2002).

Whatmighta successfulparticipatoryprocess look like?Oneex-amplecamefromJacksonville,wherethezooestablishedacross-insti-tutionalcommitteestructuretoguidethepoetryselectionprocess.Theprocessbeganwithaninitialsitevisitbythepoet-in-residencetothezooandcommunitythatincludedmanydiscussionsofopportunities,place-mentoptions,andthemesforinstallations.Afterthevisit,thepoet-in-residencespentagreatdealoftimedevelopingafirstselectionofpoetryoptions.Ledby theproject leaderatJacksonvilleZooandGardens,areviewcommitteewasestablishedwhichincludedrepresentativesfroma wide range of departments and job types within the zoo, as well asrepresentativesfromthelibrary.Sub-groupsofthecommitteereviewedportionsof the listofpoemsprovidedby thepoet,gave feedbackandinputontheideas,andinvestedsubstantialtimeinaniterativeprocessbetweenpoetandcommitteetorefineandhonethelistandtheexhi-bition strategies to reach a final selection and installation plan. Thiscross-institutionalapproachofactivestaffengagementwiththepoetandtheprocesswashighlybeneficial for the successof thepartnership inJacksonville.

Shared Vision and Participatory Process

Dataindicatedthatmuchoftheproject’ssuccesswasrelatedtotheinitialdevelopmentofa sharedvisionof theproject’s goals,purpose,and opportunities. This occurred in several ways, but it grew from afoundationestablishedbypartnersitesattheproject’sKick-offSympo-sium,atwhichzoostaff,librarystaff,andpoets-in-residencespentsev-eraldaysbecomingfamiliarwiththeproject’svision,collectivelydevel-opedtheuniquegoalsandexpectationsfortheircity,andbuiltpersonalandworkingrelationships.Thesymposiumcreatedastrongfeelingofcommunityandcommitmenttotheprojectamongthosewhoattended,andwasanimportantstartingpointfortheprojectateachnewsite.Asimplementationcontinued,thiscommonpurposehelpedgroundeachprojectandpartnership,evenintimesofdifficulty.

Inadditiontoitsroleinestablishingsharedvisionandgoals,thisin-depth, kick-off experience added value by supporting city team-building.Onevaluableattributeofthisexperiencewasthatitprovidedanextendedperiodofsustainedoff-sitetime,whichallowedindividualstofocusontheprojectanddevelopabetterunderstandingofonean-other’sgoals,workingstyles,andapproachestoproblem-solving.Par-ticipantsreportedthattheeventcreatedastrongbondwithincityteamsanda senseof camaraderie that enabled theproject tobeginonfirmground.Participantsalsoindicatedtheimportanceofhavingthepoetsinvolved,whichinstilledanunderstandingofeachpoet’spersonalback-ground,workingconcerns,andviewsontheprojectandconservation.

Astheindividualcityprojectsprogressed,itprovedtobecriticalthat the spirit of shared vision and participation was maintained andintegratedintotheprocess.Whileeachcityfolloweditsownpathforim-plementation,acommonsuccessfulstrategythatemergedacrossmanysiteswas a strongparticipatory and iterativeprocess that involvedkeystakeholders representing allpartners—zoo, library, andpoet-in-resi-dence.Thiswasclearlydemonstratedinthe lengthyprocessofpoetryidentification, review, and selection for inclusion in zoo exhibits. Inthesecases,whencitiesestablishediterativeandcollaborativeprocessesthat fostered respectfuldialogue among poet, zoo staff, and (in somecases)librarystaff,theresultwasstrongernetworksandgreatersatisfac-tionwiththeexhibitionproducts.Partnerswhoengagedinparticipatoryprocesses andwide-reaching zoo-library collaborationsalsoexpressedstrong commitment to ongoing community partnerships, collabora-tions,andextensionsofthevisionandgoalsoftheLanguage of Conservationproject.

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admissiontothezooondaysofLanguage of Conservationeventsinordertoensurefreeadmissionandequitableaccessforallcommunitymemberswithoutcontraveningthezoo’scity-mandatedfinancialsystem.

Theneedtoachievebalancewithinstitutionalcultureswasnotlim-itedtoworkbetweenzoosandlibraries.Poets-in-residenceweresimi-larly taskedwithunderstandingthecultureof thecommunitieswheretheyweretowork,thetoneandtenorofcommunityissues,andthena-tureofzoovisitorsandlibraryusersintheirpartnercities.Sincenoneofthepoets-in-residencelivedinthepartnercommunities,thisbecameoneofthefirsttasksthatpoetstackledastheymet,visited,andbeganaworkingrelationshipwiththeirpartnercities.Acrossallcities,partnersattributedtheirsuccess,inpart,totheeffectivematchingofapoet’sper-sonalityandworkstylewiththeprioritiesandvaluesofthecommunitypartners.Further,poets’investmentoftimeandefforttolearnabout,understand,andrespondtothespecificculture,needs,andaudiencesinordertodeveloptheirworkwascentraltoperceivedsuccessbypart-ners.

Zooandlibrarypartnersoftenmentionedthatthepoetsexceededtheirexpectations,andwerethoughtful,dedicated,andwillingtoinvestthetimerequiredtodevelopagoodunderstandingofthelocalculture.Theseeffortswerefrequentlyviewedbylibraryandzoopartnersases-sential totheultimatesuccessoftheexhibitionsandprograms.Itwasthisbehaviorthathelpedtobuildasenseoftrustthatextendedthroughthe entire process, beginning with the Kick-off Symposium and eachpoet’sfirstsitevisittothezooandcommunity.Frequently,thesitevisitincludednotonlytoursofthezooexhibitsandgrounds,butin-depthdiscussionsandbrainstormingaboutpotentialinstallations,visitstothelibrary,team-buildingactivitieswithprojectpartners,andsharedexpe-riencesaroundthelocalcommunity.Eachoftheseexperienceshelpedthepoettogainmoreknowledgeaboutthespiritandprioritiesofthelocalculture.Theyalsohelpedtoincreasetheleveloftrustwithintheteam,whichwasreinforcedbythesubsequentongoingcommunicationsurroundingpoetryselection,institutionalinvolvement,and,frequent-ly,aparticipatoryprocessforinstallationandliveprograms.

Themanagementofdifferencesininstitutionalculturesandphi-losophies is perhaps the most critical component in determining thesuccessofcollaborativeeffort.Experienceswiththisandothercollab-orativeprojects(e.g.,Heimlich&Yocco,2009)suggestthatwhenthesedifferences arise, successful resolutioncanusuallybeattributed toanimmediateandwell-consideredprocesstoacknowledgethedifferencesand identify solutions that will allow all partners to capitalize on the

Institutional Culture and Philosophy: Striking a Balance

Whilethecommitmenttoasharedvisionsetacommongroundforthis collaborative project, the collaboration also brought together in-stitutionswithdifferentmissions,structures,cultures,andapproachesto their daily work. Bridging disparate cultures can be a challenge tonegotiate,butinstitutionsthatseektodevelopthesetypesofcollabora-tionsmustaddresssuchdifferences.Thechallengesfacedandthesolu-tionspartnersusedtoaddressthemdemonstratedthateachinstitutionand partnership required locally-based solutions compatible with thepartnering institutions’ cultures and values.Some specificdifferencesreportedbyprojectpartners includedphilosophyaboutaccessandfi-nances,institutionaltimelines,processesforprogramplanning,deci-sion-makingprotocols,andthedifferingexpectationsofaudiencesineachvenue. Inall cases, thepartners invested time in identifying thesourceoftheunderlyingdifferenceandfindingamutuallyagreeableso-lutionthatwouldmeettheneedsofbothinstitutionsinpursuitofthelarger project goal without undermining their respective institutionalmissions.

One notable example of a potentially insoluble conflict that wasamicablyresolvedsurfacedduringtheplanningstagesoftheLittleRockpartnership.Althoughboth the libraryandzoowereenthusiastic andshared a strong commitment to the project’s goals, they discovered apracticalbarrier inprogramplanningwhen theyreached the topicofadmissionfees.Attheircore,eachinstitutionhadafirmpositionaboutthe role of admission fees. The regional public library system placeda strong valueon free admissionandopenaccess to anyandallpro-gramstheyoffered,whetheratthelibrary,thezoo,orelsewhereinthecommunity.This valuerelated to theprinciples central to theroleoflibrariesandaccesstoinformationinsociety.Incontrast,thezooop-eratedunderacity-mandatedfee-for-servicesysteminwhichrevenuegenerated fromgateadmissionswasessential to theirfinancial viabil-ity.Fromthezoo’sperspective,whenLanguage of Conservation eventswereheldwithinthezoo,itwouldnotbefinanciallypossibletoprovidefreeadmissiontoallguests,asthiswouldunderminetheirfinancialmodelandcontravenetherequirementsoftheircityfunding.Theseconflict-ingmandates, central toeach institution’soperatingmodel, appearedtopresentaninsurmountablebarrier.However,theteamengagedinadifficultprocesstoresolvethisconflict,conveningmeetingsofprojectparticipantsandcommunicatingthroughouttheirorganizationalhier-archiesinordertoultimatelydevelopacompromisesolutionforspecificplannedprograms.Thefinalresolutionfoundthelibraryunderwriting

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withintheproject’sdesigninordertoalignexpectationsofthelibrarystaffwiththeoverallgoals.

Thevarietyoforganizationalstructuresanddecision-makingpro-cessesacrossallinstitutions(eventhoseofthesametype)providedan-otherkeylesson.Eachimplementationplandevelopedauniquesetofroles and responsibilities that were crafted at the community level tosuit the institutions and the personalities of the individuals chargedwithmanagingthecollaborations.Thevastdifferencesillustratedbythemanyinstitutionalpartnersinthisprojectmadeitclearthatthereisnosingle“collaborationrecipe”torecommendforfuturegroups.Rather,collaborationsneedtobeadaptableandresponsivetoeachorganizationthatundertakessuchaneffort.Whilethedesireforstructureandguide-linesaboutresponsibilitieswasclear,anyprojectseekingtoreplicatethiseffortwillneedtobalancetheneedforclaritywithflexibilityandawill-ingnesstocustomizeaproject’sprocessandtothecommunity.

Communication: Clear, Consistent, and FrequentFinally,howcommunicationsoccurredamongthepartnerswasa

centralfactorthatemergedacrossthefullrangeofstrengthsandchal-lengesexperiencedbythepartnersinthesecollaborations.Oneimpor-tantattributereportedbythefivepartnershipcitieswasthedevelopmentofstrongandpositiverapportandcommunicationamongzoo,library,andpoet-in-residence.Nearlyallofthepartnercitiesdescribedthisasacentralfactorthatledtotheirsuccess.Eachstressedtheimportanceofbuildingsystemsforworkingtogetherandarrivingatamutualunder-standing inorder to create apositive, collaborativeworking relation-ship.

Theroleofcommunicationprovedtobeparticularlyimportantaspartnersworkedthroughunanticipatedchallenges.Theneedforclear,consistent,andfrequentcommunicationamongallpartnerswasessen-tial forpreventingandaddressingchallengesas theyemergedandforcontinuallystrengtheningworkingrelationships.Inmanycases,reviewofthechallenges(bothsmallandlarge)revealedthataperiodofnon-communicationbyoneormorepartners—whetherthepoet,zoo,orli-brary—seemedtobeattherootoftheproblem.Whentherewasalapsein communication, updates, or responsiveness, uncertainty about theprojectorcommitmentcouldemergeintheabsenceofotherinforma-tion.Toredressthisdifficulty,groupsoftenchosetoinstitutearegularcommunicationstrategy,whetherthroughstandingmeetingsorsched-uledappointments,soallpartnerscouldtrackhowtheprojectwaspro-gressing,eveniftheprogressslowedforaperiod.Theseregularcheck-

strengths they bring to the project without compromise to their mis-sions.Intheworldofuniversity-museumpartnershipsanduniversity-museum-K-12 partnerships, ILI has found that time and process areoften sources of institutional culture clash. While some institutionalcultures are comfortable starting projects that are theoretical in na-ture and have a degree of ambiguity and processes that slowly unfoldorarerefinedoveryears,othertypesofinstitutionsexpectpre-definedoutcomes,appliedsolutions,andshorter turnaroundtimes todeliverprogramming.Insituationsthatinvolvethesetwotypesofinstitutionalcultures, the partners who are comfortable with ambiguity may makecertainassumptionsthatdon’tholdtrueforpartnerinstitutionsthatfeelagreaterneedforspecificityearlyintheprocess.AswiththeLanguage of Conservationsites,attentionshouldbepaidtotheseculturaldifferences,theconflictsshouldbearticulated,andsolutionspursuedasearlyintheprocessaspossible.

Clarity of Roles, Responsibilities, and Benefits

Otherattributesof theproject thatemergedas influential in thesuccessofthecollaborationswerethedetailsregardinginstitutions’andindividuals’roles,responsibilities,andbenefitswithinthepartnership.Thereflectionsofthepartnersintheprojectsuggestthatcreatingcondi-tionsinwhichthedetailsandadministrativemechanismsforthesecol-laborationsareabundantlyclearisfundamentaltoarobustpartnershipandsmooth,effectiveprocess.Onechallengefacedinthisprojectwasthatsomepartnersobservedthattheprojectdesigncreatedaperceivedimbalancebetweenzooand library,with themajorityof the immedi-ate,tangibleactivityhappeningaroundthezoo,poet,andexhibitcre-ation.Librarystaffoftenfelttheirrolewastosupportthezooportionoftheprojectandthattheirprogramswerenotconsideredpartofthecoreprogram.Partnersreflectedthatbeingmoreexplicitabouttherole,responsibilities,andbenefitsoflibrarypartnersfromtheoutsetcouldincreasetheirengagementandstrengthentheprojectrelationship.Theliteratureonpartnerships innon-profitorganizationsasserts that thedegreeofinvolvementincollaborationscanrangewidely,frombasicco-operationtofull-fledgedpartnership,andresearchhasrecommendedthatcollaborationsarticulateattheoutsetwhatlevelofinvolvementisexpectedfromeachpartnerforasuccessfuleffort(King,1998;Mattes-sich,Murray-Close,&Monsey,2001).Reflectingonthisconcern,theprojectleadershipfeltthatfuturecollaborationsmightbenefitbyshift-ingscheduleandprogramactivitiesforthelibrariestobemoreactiveearlier in theprocessoracknowledging the imbalancemoreexplicitly

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References

Brinkerhoff,J.(2002).Assessingandimprovingpartnershiprelation-shipsandoutcomes:Aproposedframework.Evaluation and Program Planning,25(3),215-231.

Heimlich,J.E.&Yocco,V.S.(2009).Science in the Circle:A Partnership Study.Technicalreport.Edgewater,MD:InstituteforLearningInnovation.

King,K.(1998).Museumschools:Institutionalpartnershipandmu-seumlearning.PaperpresentedattheannualmeetingoftheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation.

Linden,R.M.(2002).Working Across Boundaries: Making Collaboration Work in Government and Non-profit Organizations.SanFrancisco,CA:JosseyBass.

Mattessich,P.W.,Murray-Close,M.,&Monsey,B.R.(2001).Collabo-ration: What Makes it Work(2nded.).SaintPaul,MN:AmherstH.WilderFoundation.

inpointsbecameusefulopportunitiestoinformapartneraboutprojectstatus and to surface concerns about potential conflicting short-termprioritiesthatcoulddivertattentionawayfromtheproject.Whilethecommunicationchallengesthatdidemergeinthisprojectweregenerallyaddressed, thefindingsunderscore that anymulti-party collaborationmustinvestinadetailedandregularcommunicationeffortthat,whilerespectingthetimeofthepartners,ensuresthatanyprogress,nomatterhowsmall,isreportedinordertoensuretheprojectcontinuestomovetowardasuccessfuloutcome.

Conclusion

TheprocessesandexperiencesoftheLanguage of Conservationprojectdemonstratethatcollaborationsamonglibraries,zoos,andexpertsfromoutsideofbothfieldscanproduceaprojectthatisgreaterthanthesumofitsindividualparts.Thegreatestvaluewasfoundtoflowtothoseinsti-tutionsthatworkedtointegratetheprojectacrosstheorganizationandthatencouragedparticipationbymanymembersofthestaff,andwhereopendialogueamongthepartnershelpedtobuildasharedunderstand-ing. Through this integration and sharing, the partners were able toleverage their individual strengths and unique perspectives to make acollectively createdproduct that is stronger than thatwhichany indi-vidualmighthaveachievedworkinginisolation.Sharedcontrolensuredthattheprojectmetlocalneedsandconcerns,butdidnotunderminethescholarshipatthecoreofthezooinstallationsorlibraryprogram-ming.Beyondtheachievementsandproductsgeneratedbytheprojectasawhole, thesecollaborationsalsoresulted inpositive, longer-termimpactsonpartners’commitmenttocommunitynetworks.Evaluationresultsshowedthattheprojectwasseenasasuccessbythecollaboratorswithinthecitypartnerships,witheachfeelingthatgoalswereachievedand individual agendas were met. Zoo and library partners describedconcretewaysthattheyintendtobuildonthenetworkscreatedthroughtheprojectandhowtheyarenowsharingexpertiseandresources(be-yondthescopeofthisproject).Severalpartnersevendescribedconcreteplansforfuturecollaborations.ItishopedthatthelessonslearnedfromtheLanguage of Conservationwillcontinue togrowintoongoing, strongernetworkswithinthefiveparticipatingcities,andwillserveasanexampleforothercollaborativeeffortsinthefuture.

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JohnFraser,Ph.D.Co-PrincipalInvestigator

Future Trends: Zoos, Libraries, and Specialty Collections

Introduction

Aspurveyorsofreliableinformationandsignificantcontributorsto America’s culture, museums and libraries have, arguably, garneredagreatdealof trust.However, ideasabouthowculture is shapedandwhereinformationisdiscoveredanddebatedhavechangedradicallyas21stcenturymediahasmadethevirtualarealpartofeverydaylife.Asaresultofthismediashift,librarieshavecometodirectthemajorityoftheireffortsonaccesstoknowledgeratherthanreplicatingcollections,andmuseumshavecometorecognizethattheyperformanimportantroleinfacilitatinginformationsynthesisfortheirusers.Bothofferpub-licvaluebyarchivingmaterialsthatareconsideredimportanttothecul-ture,eventhosecollectionsthatincludethegeneticmaterialofspeciesfacingextinction.

In2009,theInstituteofMuseumandLibraryServicespublisheda challenging discussion guide (Pastore, 2009) based on a conveningattheNationalAcademiesthatsoughttoconsidertheFutureofMuse-umsandLibraries.Theauthorofthischapterparticipatedinthediscussionsthatledtothatpublication. The ideas pre-sented in this paper are builtonthediscussionsheldduringthose meetings, the findingsdiscussedintheIMLSGuide,and the ways those premiseshave been expanded throughefforts of the Language of Conservation project. The Language of Conservationprojectmayhavechallenged thecurrent, if shifting,placeof librariesandmuseums inourculture.The IMLSGuide suggests that librariesandmuseums“workwiththeircommunitiesindefiningtheirrelation-shipswiththepublicstheyserveandchartacourseforsuccess…Muse-umsandlibrariescandothisbycontinuingtoworkwithoneanotherand

Little Rock Zoo

My child, then put aside your fear: / Unbar the door and walk outside! / The real tiger waits you there; / His golden eyes shall be your guide.

—A. D. Hope, from “Tiger”

Today, libraries and museums have the opportunity to redefine themselves, to embrace knowl-edge as a community asset, and to recognize their expansive and dynamic contribution to public value when they work in concert rather than isolation.

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Throughdiscussionof fourof themain themesdiscussed in theIMLSGuide,thischapterexamineshowtheLanguage of Conservation projectprovides both inspiration and a vehicle for re-envisioning the publicvaluecreatedbylibraries,museums,andotherculturalinstitutionsincollaboration.

Thefourthemesare:

• ChangingDefinitions&RolesofMuseumsandLibraries

• ShiftsinPower&Authority

• Museums&Librariesasthe“ThirdPlace”

• NewModels&StructuresforCollaboration

Changing Definitions & Roles of Museums and Libraries

Humanities at the Zoo

Contemporaryzooshaveemergedasmuseumsofconscience,de-votedtoasharedglobalmissiontobecomethevoiceandadvocatesforanewageofenvironmentalconservation.Theyseektousetheirvastaudi-encetoengendernewsocialnormsofbehaviorthatwillsupportmoresustainablechoicesbythegeneralpublic.TheIMLSGuideincludedadiscussionofhowmuseumscanaddress,andreconcile,theneedsoflocalcommunitiesandtheemergingandevolvingworldofglobalknowledge.Zooshavebeenaheadofthiscurve,largelybecauseoftheirinvolvementintwocriticalconservationmovementsthathavetakenplaceataglobalscale:internationalcooperationonthedevelopmentofzooandaquar-iumbreedingprogramsweredesignedtoensuretheviabilityofzooandaquariumpopulationsfortheforeseeablefuture,andtheConventionon International Trade in Endangered Species effectively banned theextractionofspeciesfromthewild.Asproponentsoftheprotectionofendangeredspecies,zoocollaborationshavemovedwellbeyondtheis-sueofspeciesbreedingtorecognizeasharedglobalmissiontopromotesustainabilityandenvironmentalconservation.Zooshavetriedtopro-motethisabstractconceptofmoresustainableindividualbehaviorthatcanbenefitwildlifesurvival,forbetterorworse,asakeystoneintheirscience learninggoals. Indeed,unlikeothermuseumtypes,zooshaveaggressivelypursuedcollaborationsandsharedtacticssothoroughlythattheyoperatemorelikefranchisesthanindividualinstitutions.


So heavy / is the long-necked, long-bodied heron, / always it is a surprise / when her smoke-colored wings // open / and she turns / from the thick water, / from the black sticks // of the summer pond, / and slowly / rises into the air / and is gone.

—Mary Oliver, from “Heron Rises from the Dark, Summer Pond.”

inconcertwiththemanyvoicesandworldviewsofthepublicstheyserve,creatingnewpartnershipsandpracticesthatplacetheseinstitutionsasvitalcentersofcommunitylife.”Today,librariesandmuseumshavetheopportunitytoredefinethemselves,toembraceknowledgeasacommu-nityasset,andtorecognizetheirexpansiveanddynamiccontributiontopublicvaluewhentheyworkinconcertratherthanisolation.

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startingtoexplore,andthisprojectrepresentsafirststeptowardunder-standingthesynergiesbetweenthesetwohistoricallydifferentgroups.

Thereare,however,missionconflictsbetweeninstitutional typesthatemergedinthisprojectthatmayoffersomeinsightintowhatthefutureholdsforcommunityculturalinstitutions.Oneunderlyingcausemaybethehistoricaldistinctionmadebetweenlibrariesandtheirmu-seumcounterparts.Politicaldiscourseoverthepast40yearshasplacedmuseumssuchaszoosinthecategoryof“paidattraction,”increasinglytransferring theburdenof support tophilanthropyanduser fees,onthe assumption that entertainment dollars can support this aspect ofculture.Incontrast,librarieshaveremainedimmunefromtheassump-tionsthatunderpinthecritiquesleveledatfee-for-servicepublicsectoroperations.Librarymissionsgenerallyassumethatfreeaccessisessentialtotheirwork,evenwhiletheirpublicfundingdwindles.Manylibrarieshave turned to secondary revenue streams including event rental andfoodservices,butretaintheircoreprinciplethatprogramsandaccesstoknowledgemustremainfreefortheirusers.Althoughlibrariesmayfacefierceoppositiontotheirdeterminationtocontinuetoprovidefreeac-cess,allbutafewmuseumshavelostthebattlesforthefundingnecessarytosupportfreeaccess.Bothmaypromoteaccesstoknowledge,buttheoperatingassumptionsof these twocultural institution typesdivergedlongago.Astheyconsidertheirsharedgoalsandsynergies,thepolitical/economicnarrativethatlinksuserfeestoknowledgeaccesswillrequiredirect attentionbymuseumsand libraries alike.More importantly, ifknowledgeandculturalengagementareattheheartofbothinstitutions,thenfuturemuseumsandlibrarieswillneedtoconfront,head-on,theeconomicargumentthatrestrictsaccesstothoseattheupperendoftheincomepyramidinAmerica.

Thisprojectsoughttodemonstratethatzoosandlibrariesshareacommonvisionregardingaccesstoknowledgethatcanovercometheirhistoricalseparation.Whilezooshaveaninstrumentalgoalofinstillingconservationvalues in theirusers and libraries’ goals are centeredonhelping users understand the principles of authenticity and authorityininformation,theseinstitutionsshareacommonculturalgoal.Thisprojectsuggeststhateffortstobreakdowntheassumptionsthatdividethesetwofieldsofculturalworkcancreategreaterpublicvalueasusersmovefreelybetweentheinformationofferedthroughthecollaboration.Thefutureofzoosandlibrarieslies,inpart,inidentifyingandnurtur-ingwhattheyshareasfacilitatorsofknowledgeproductionandengage-ment—overcoming,ratherthancontrasting,howtheirfacilitiesachievetheseoutcomes.

Giventheirsharedinternationalmission,thechallengeforzoosistobringthiscollaborativespiritandpracticehometotheirlocalcom-munities, supporting thisgeneraleffortamong theircommunitypeerculturalinstitutionsintheprocess.Hereinliestheopportunityforhu-manitiesinstitutionssuchasPoetsHouse.Culturalinstitutionsdevotedtosupportingdiscourseandculturalexplorationhavelonghistoriesofsupport.Fromexperimentaldanceandtheatertopoetryreadinginpub-licplaces,theseinstitutionshaveworkedtirelesslytoengagethepublic.Butengagingwithmuseumsofanotherkind—akeypartofthemecha-nismofthisproject—isaneweffort,stillintheexperimentalstage.FromourfirstexperimentsattheCentralParkZooin2005,thecollaboratorsonthispublicationtookthefirsttentativestepstowardimagininghowtofindanentrypointforpoetryinthezoo.Butwedeterminedthatfaint-

hearted small signs and readingswerenotsufficienttotestthepowerofmetaphortotransformaplaceandtheexperienceofthatplace.Werec-ognizedthattotrulyenactthemodelofzoosashumanitiesinstitutions,wewouldneedtocolonizethevisitorex-perience,tolayseedsthroughouttheparkthatcouldsparktheimaginationandchangevisitors’conversation.Tothisend,weaskedthatthebuildingsandotherspacesthemselvesbegiven

avoice,thatnooksandcranniesbecomeinterpretiveexperiences,andthatthepoet-scholarsbeempoweredtosupport,enhance,create,andprovokevisitors’emotionalexperiencesaspartoftheoverallgestaltofthevisitratherthanastand-aloneexhibition.

Knowledge Work

Librariansandtheirprimarysupportersunderstandthattheirin-stitutionsseektoconnectuserstoknowledge,tohelpusersdevelopskillsforenhancingtheirlifeexperience.Whilethismaybecommondiscourseamongthelibrarycommunityandtheirfrequentusers,theperceptionsfromoutsidethelibrarycommunityhavenotnecessarilykeptpacewiththeactualdirectiontheseinstitutionshavetaken.Museumprofession-als, likethegeneralpublic,maynotbefullyawareofthetransforma-tionshappeningwithinlibraries,noroftheassetsavailabletothelibraryprofessionalswhohelpthemachievetheirknowledgegoals.Attendingtosuchissuesispartoftheparadigmshiftthatmuseumsandlibrariesare

We recognized that to truly enact the model of zoos as humanities institutions, we would need to colonize the visitor experience, to lay seeds throughout the park that could spark the imagi-nation and change visitors’ conversation.

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other cultural institution—as their reference for venues for social ex-changeofinformation,butwesuggestwiththisprojectthatthesuiteofculturalinstitutionsfrequentedbyusersfromvariousbackgroundsandforvariousreasonscanrepresentacommunity’s thirdplace,amigra-tory and place-based forum that manifests during events and seasonalprograms in different buildings or institutions to pursue knowledgeexchangeonacommontopic.Thismigratorycommunityconversationcanchallengeourassumptionsaboutthesolitudesorbranddistinctionsbetweentypesofculturalinstitutions,whetherlibrary,zoo,orothertypeofmuseum,andcaninformorremindusthatallculturalinstitutionsinacommunityareparticipantsincivicdiscourse,makingupathirdplacecomprisedofmany(bothdiverseandunified),whereopinionsandideascanbedebated,discussed,andshaped.

New Models & Structures for Collaboration

TheIMLSGuideasserts,“Newmodelsandstructuresforcollabo-rationamongmuseumsandlibrariesandotherorganizationscanworktodevelopeffectivesolutionstotheeconomic,social,andenvironmen-talchallengesofthe21stcentury.”TheLanguage of Conservationexperimentsuggestsanewmodelforlearningincommunitiesthatrecognizesand,indeed,valuestheinterdependenceofculturalinstitutionsineachoth-er’sfateandfuture.Weproposedthatpoetsandstorytellersbringto-getherhistoricallydivergent institutions topursueadvancementofanideawithinacommunityandtocatalyzeacommunityconversation.Bysharingauthoritywithaprovocateur,orprovocateurs,inourcasepoetsfromoutsideofacommunitywhohavedevotedtheirlivestodescrib-ingconditionsaroundthegrandchallengesofourtime,thecommunitydevelopsnewknowledge.Thecollaborativestructureofthisprojectsug-geststhateachcommunityhasitsownknowledgetraditionandthateachinstitutionwithin that communityholdsauniqueperspectiveon thattradition.We suggest that in sharingauthority across institutions andintroducingacatalyst,thecommunity/cityitselfbecametheunitofstudyinthisproject,andthatthinkingasacity-culturecanoffernewperspec-tivesonwhatthefutureofmuseumsandlibrariesmayhold.

Conclusion

Inthefaceofachallengingeconomicclimate,librariesandmuse-umshavetheopportunitytoredefinethemselves,toembracethepursuitof knowledge as a collaborative cultural effort, and to recognize theiruniquecontributiontothediscoursesatplay.TheLanguage of Conservationprojectprovidesexcitinginsightsintothelargerdiscussionsurrounding

Shifts in Power & Authority

The IMLS discussion guide acknowledged that traditional powerstructuresrelatedtotransmissionofknowledgefromtheinstitutiontotheuserhavedissolvedover thepast fewdecades.Asdiscussedabove,collaboration often brings together institutions with different struc-tures,cultures,andapproachestotheirdailywork,andthesediversionsinpracticecanpresentchallengestothesenseofauthorityeachinstitu-tionmaintainsthatmaynolongerberelevanttotheirusers.Itisnowcommonlyunderstoodthatbothlibrariesandmuseums,includingzoos,representplaceswhereknowledge is shared 1) amongusers and2) inboth directions between institution and users. This project extendedthisunderstandingbysuggestingthatknowledgeisalsobuiltatacom-munitylevelwhenusersengageinthisdialogueatmorethanoneinsti-tution,andthatthisknowledgeconstructionisenhancedwhentwocul-turalinstitutiontypespursuesimilar(thoughnotnecessarilyidentical)questionsinconcert.Also,thisprojectsuggeststhatthefreeexchangeof professional skills and knowledge between two historically separateinstitutionscancreateanenhancedknowledgeworldinthecommunity.

TheLanguage of Conservationprogramsheldatlibrariesandtheinstal-lationsandprogramsatzooswerenotintendedforcomparison.Rather,this project proposed that there are synergies for users experiencinghowpowerandauthority canbereflected inmultiple institutions. Inprovidinguserstheopportunitytoexploreathemeacrossinstitutions,theseprogramsalsobroughtthequestionofauthoritybothtotheindi-vidualusers(who,itisassumed,holdtheultimateauthorityovertheirownlearning)andtothecommunityitself.Indeed,thefindingsfromthesestudiesmayonlyhavetouchedthesurfaceofwhatispossiblewhenculturalinstitutionsshareeffortsatsurfacinginformation,engaginginadialoguewithotherinstitutionsabouthoweachnegotiatesandpro-motesaccesstoinformation.

Museums & Libraries as the “Third Place”

AnotherthemepursuedinthisprojectasanexpansionoftheIMLSGuideonthefutureoflibrariesandmuseumsistheconceptthatmuse-umsrepresenta“thirdplace”—asafezoneforthepursuitofknowledgebymanymembersofacommunity,aplacewherediscussionscanarise,andacommonconcourseforsharingperspectivescanbeencouraged.Thisprojectchallengestheassumptionthatindividualmuseumsorlibrariesalonearea“thirdplace,”suggestinginsteadthattheseculturalinstitu-tions together represent a more common “third place.” That is, manyscholarsandpractitionershaveusedonefacility—museumorlibraryor

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SectionIVEVALUATION

thefutureoftheseandotherinvaluableculturalinstitutions.Theproj-ectsoughttoexpandthinking,notonlyaboutconservationmessaging,but, more, about how free-choice learning is not an individual pur-suit,nor thepurviewofabrandofmuseumor library,butratheranemergentculturalcommunitymovement,resident inamultiplicityofvenues.Andasknowledgesharingmigratesintonewmediaformatsinhomesandinstitutions, thesevenueswillbecomemoreentwinedandboundaries between them less apparent and even unnecessary. Thisprojectdemonstratesthatworkingtogether,museumsandlibrariescanovercomeeconomicdeprivationandcansupportvibrantdemocraticde-batethatwilldefinehowthecountryhopestorespondtotheimmensechallengesitfaces.

References

Pastore, E. (2009). The Future of Museums and Libraries: A Discussion Guide (IMLS-2009-RES-02). Washington, D.C.: Institute of Museum andLibraryServices.

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JohnFraser,Ph.D.Co-PrincipalInvestigator&JessicaSicklerEvaluator

Evaluating Success: The Why, What, and How of Evaluation in the Language of Conservation

Introduction

TheLanguage of Conservationisanexperimentwiththreegoals:tode-terminehowhumanitiesprogrammingcanexpandoraltertheexperi-enceofzoo-going;todeterminehowconservationpoetryprogramsres-onatewithlibraryusers;andtochallengehow new museum/library collaborationsalter thinking in thecultural community.Irrespectiveofthepopularityofthesepro-grams, the learning that is at the centerof this experiment challenges traditionalassumptions about what zoo experiencescan do, uncovers assumptions that havelimitedcollaborationsinthepast,andfindsnewoptionsforextendinglibraryprogramsbeyondtheirwallsandintocommunitiesthatmaynotnecessarilybereachedthroughtraditionalavenues.

Evaluationisnotnewtolibrariesorzoos.Bothhavesoughttomea-suretheirachievements;however,theseachievementsarecharacterizedindifferentways.Bothinstitutionshavemoralstructuresinwhichtheyworkandaspirationsfortheirusersthatlookdifferentwhenplacedsidebyside.Zoosseektoengenderaconservationethicinsociety,toimpactattitudesandbehaviorinordertohelppeopletolivesustainablywiththenatureonwhichpeopledepend.Librariesseektosupporttheadvance-ment of knowledge in society, to provision thinkers with reliable andtrustworthyresources,andtohelpbuildabettersocietybysupportingtheequitableexchangeofideasandmovementofinformationthrough-outtheircommunities.Toundertakeevaluation,itisimportanttorec-ognizethattheoutcomesofanycollaborationmustmeetthemissions

Brookfield Zoo

A’ae’va, A’ae’va, / Ni’stsista’na’ e’wova’shima’nists, / Ni’shiva’tama’ni. To the earth, to the earth. / He has renewed our life, / He has taken pity on us.

—Cheyenne, translated by James Mooney

To undertake evaluation, it is important to recog-nize that the outcomes of any collaboration must meet the missions of both collaborators.

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degreetowhichtheprojectachieveditsoutcomesforzoovisitorsandli-braryprogramattendeesandtodocumentthecollaborativeprocessthattookplacewithineachcity.

Althoughwe leave the resultsof the summativeevaluation to thenextchapter, thisbackgroundprovides thecontext forunderstandingtheroleofevaluationintheLanguage of Conservation projectanditspoten-tialroleinother,similarprojects.Inordertodocumentachievementof its replication goals,evaluation was essen-tial. Beyond that, as theproject’s collaboratorsdeveloped their ever-increasing commitmentto the project, the col-laboration,andtheben-efitstheysoughttobringtotheirpatronsandcommunities,theybecameinvestedandinterestedinseeingevidenceofthispublicimpact.Effortstounderstandprojectimpactwereofpracticalandstrategicvaluetozooandlibrarypartners.Wefeelthatevaluationservesmanyimportantpurposesinthistypeofproject;inthisessay,wepresentanoverviewofstepsandprocessesforthinkingaboutevaluationofsuchareplicationproject.

What to Evaluate? Defining Goals and Outcomes

Acriticalfirststepindeterminingwhattoevaluateiscarefullyar-ticulating the goals andoutcomes that theproject setsout to achieve.Thestandardsforsuccessneedtobeclearlyestablishedbeforetheycanbe evaluated. Not only is this step critical to evaluation, it is also animportantstepforthedevelopmentoftheprojectasawhole,particu-larlyinacross-institutionalcollaborationsuchastheLanguage of Conser-vation. As described in earlier chapters, one of the most essential andvaluablepartsofthisprojectforcollaboratorswastheopportunityattheoutsetforallpartnerstoestablishacommonvisionoftheproject,itsgoals,andwhattheycouldachieve.Thisstepallowedprojectteamstofeelgroundedinasharedunderstandingofthebigpictureofwhattheprojectsoughttoachieve(itsgoals),aswellasestablishingtheconcrete,measurableoutcomesthatwouldresultforpublicaudiences.

Outcomes (also called impacts) are “benefits to people: specifi-cally, achievementsor changes in skill, knowledge,attitude,behavior,condition,orlifestatus”(IMLS,2010).Outcomesareachievedbytheaudience(s)targetedbyaprogram.Theseaudiencesmaybepublic(e.g.,

ofbothcollaborators.Inthiscase,thesewerebroadlythatthelibraries’missionsandthezoos’missionswereenhancedinnewwaysthatbenefit-tedbothusergroupsandtheorganizationswithwhomtheyinteracted.

During project conception, project developers often imagine anumber of ways in which a project will contribute value to individu-alsandcommunitiesservedbytheproject.Evaluationhelpsinstitutionsandstaffarticulatethoseanticipatedvaluesandimpactsandthenmea-surethedegreeandthenatureofthoseimpactsinthefinalimplementa-tion.Evaluationprovidesevidenceanddocumentationoftheproject’sachievements.Itprovidesresourcesandtoolsthatcandemonstratetherelevanceoftheprojectanditsactivitiestointernalandexternalstake-holders.

Beyondoutcomes,evaluationcanalsohelpsupportand improvepractice within an institution. Evaluation provides a project with in-formation on the experiences, learning, and responses of those whoexperienceaprogram.Understandingtheseuserperspectives throughcarefulevaluationcanallowaninstitutiontobetterunderstanditscon-stituentsandusethatinformationtomakedata-drivendecisionsabouthowbesttoservetheiraudiencesandachievethegreatestimpactintheareasofinterest.Inlinewiththis,evaluationcanprovideagreatdealofinsighttoincreaseandbroadenunderstandingofaudience.

Background

InthinkingaboutevaluationinthecontextoftheLanguage of Conser-vationproject,itisimportanttounderstandthegenesisoftheproject.Asnotedinearlierchapters,theprojectsetouttotestwhetherresultsof an initial experiment to install conservation-themed poetry at theWildlifeConservationSociety’sCentralParkZoocouldbereplicatedinothercommunities.AfterthefirstLanguage of Conservationprojectwassuc-cessfullycompleted,questionswereraisedaboutwhetherthismodelwastransferrabletoothercitiesaroundthecountryorifitrepresentedananomalyoftheNewYorkCityenvironment.Fivepartnercitiessignedonforthischallenge,believingthattheLanguage of Conservationcould“playinPeoria”or,rather,inBrookfield,Jacksonville,LittleRock,Milwau-kee,andNewOrleans.

AstheprojectwasanefforttoreplicatetheCentralParkZoomodel,thequestionsguidingevaluationintheLanguage of Conservationalsofocusedonmeasuringtheproject’ssuccessagainsttheresultsestablishedintheinitialexperiment.Theoverarchingquestionwas,By replicating the original evaluation, would the results of visitor outcomes be the same or different in these five cities as was found at Central Park Zoo?Theevaluationwasalsoexpandedtoassessthe

This process of defining audiences and outcomes is valuable because it allows a team to ensure that everyone is clear about the purpose of the project and that outcomes are integrated into the thinking, planning, and overall project design.

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ratherthansite-specific,projectoutcomes.However,aswereviewtheexhibits and programs at the five partner institutions, it is clear thatindividualcitiesdevelopedindependent,community-basedperspectivesontheseoverarchinggoals.Asother institutionsseek toreplicate thisproject in other cities, we would encourage them to articulate a site-specificsetofoutcomesandevaluationstrategy,targetedtocommunity-basedinterestsandgoals,withtheabovestatementsprovidingastartingpointforthatprocess.

Formative Evaluation

Evaluating the achievement of outcomes is a primary purpose ofsummative evaluation, discussed in more detail in the next section.However,thereisanotherphaseofevaluationthatzoos(inparticular)inthistypeofprojectmightconsider:formativeevaluation.Formativestudiestestamock-up,prototype,orpilotversionofthefinalproducttogatherdatatoaiddecision-makingaboutfinalimplementation.Fre-quentlythistypeofstudyfocusesonusability,comprehension,and/orachievementofspecificlearninggoals.WithinsuchaprojectastheLan-guage of Conservation,formativeevaluationmayhavegreatestvalueforzoosandpoetsastheymakedecisionsaboutplacementanddesignforpoetrydisplays.IntheexperienceoftheCentralParkZooandseveralpartnerswithin the replicationproject, itwasuseful to createpapermock-upsofdesignedpoetrysigns(atfull-scale)andplacethemintheintendedlocations.Thisallowedforevaluationfromprofessionaland/orvisitorperspectives.Thedesignandzoostaffcanmakeaprofessionalassess-mentaboutbothreadability(i.e.,colorcontrast,fontsize,sight lines)andoverallaestheticappearance(i.e.,blendinginorstandingoutfromthe exhibit or environment). These professional perspectives can besupplemented,ifappropriate,byevaluationinwhichvisitorslookatorinteractwiththemock-updisplaysandprovidefeedbackonreadability,placement,ordesign,dependingonthequestionsofgreatestconcerntotheteam.

Inexhibitdevelopmentinzoos,aquariums,andmuseums,forma-tiveevaluationisoftenusedtotestreadabilityandvisitorcomprehen-sionofinterpretivecopy.ItisworthnotingthatsuchastrategyshouldbeusedwithcareinaprojectsuchastheLanguage of Conservation.Byitsna-ture,poetryselectionhasadifferentpurposeandcommunicationrolethantraditionalinterpretivesignage,whichchangesthegoalandscopeofanyformativeevaluationaswell.Inthemodelandreplicationofthisproject,noformativestudiesofvisitor comprehensionofpoetrywereused.Rather,theprojectteammadeaconsciousdecisiontoletthecollabora-

zoovisitors,programattendees,libraryusers,communitymembers)ortheymaybeprofessional(e.g.,zoostaff,librarystaff,institutionallead-ership).Clarifyingthespecificaudience(s)thatwillbeimpactedisanimportantstepwhendefiningtheprojectoutcomes.Thisprocessofde-finingaudiences andoutcomes is valuablebecause it allows a team toensurethateveryoneisclearaboutthepurposeoftheprojectandthatoutcomesareintegratedintothethinking,planning,andoverallprojectdesign.There arenumerousonline resources to guide and support aprojectteamindefininggoals,audiences,andoutcomes—afewofwhicharelistedintheresourcelistfollowingthischapter.

Inthisnationalreplicationproject,theLanguage of Conservation proj-ect leaders sought to achieve the following outcomes with public andprofessionalaudiences:

AfterexperiencingLanguage of Conservation installationsinzoos,zoo visitors will demonstrate:

• increasedconservationthinking,language,andconnection toself.

• positiveattitudestowardpoetryuseinthezoo.

• increasedperceptionofpoetryasaccessible.

AfterexperiencingLanguage of Conservationprogramminginli-braries,library users will:

• showinterestinexploringpoetryandlibraryresources.

• appreciateconservationthinkinganditsconnection totheirlives.

AfterparticipatinginthecollaborativeLanguage of Conservationproject,library and zoo partners will demonstrate:

• increasedawarenessoftheprogrammaticpotentialof collaborationandsharingresourcesandexpertise.

• increasedcommitmenttopartneringwithothercultural institutionstobuildaudiencesandservecommunities.

• newdesignideasandapproaches,andacommitmentto includingtechniquessuchaspoetryinstallationsinfuture exhibitsandprograms.

These examples are somewhat broad as outcome statements; thiswas intentional in that theevaluationsought toexamineoverarching,

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Outcomes-based evaluation planning resources can help guidetheprocessofdefiningindicatorsandplanningwhatevidencewillbestdemonstratethesuccessoftheproject.

Methods for Measurement: Examples from the Language of Conservation

Many different methods can be used to measure achievement ofoutcomes,eachfordifferentpurposesandwithdifferentstrengthsandweaknesses.Often,usingmultiplemethodscanprovideacomplemen-tarybalanceandofferthemostrobustanswerstoevaluationquestions.Tobeginthinkingaboutevaluatingaprojectsuchasthis,weprovideabriefreviewofthemethodsusedandtherationalesfortheevaluationofzooexhibitsintheLanguage of Conservationproject.Thetwomethodsusedwere1)anopen-ended,structuredinterviewwithvisitinggroups,and2)aclosed-endedquestionnaireforindividualvisitors;allwereadmin-isteredattheexitofthezoo,aftervisitorshadtheopportunitytofullyexperiencethezooandpoetry.

Wechosetouseopen-endedinterviewstoallowvisitorstoexpresstheirexperiences,thoughts,andmemoriesofthezoovisitintheirownwords.Oneoftheoutcomesoftheprojectfocusedonthevisitors’lan-guageusedtodescribetheirthinking,andhowthatlanguagemighthavechangedafter thepoetrywas installed.The interviewwas themethodused by Condon (2005) in the model project’s evaluation, and wesoughttoreplicateherstudyandresults.Thisinterviewwasbrokenintotwo major components: 1) addressing the overall zoo experience andconservationthemes;and2)questionsfocusedspecificallyonthepo-etry.Thequestionnaire-basedmethodwasaddedasanewelement inthe2009-2010studyinanefforttoprovideanadditional,standard-izedmeasureofvisitors’responsestoconservationthemesandpoetryinthezoo.ThisquestionnairecontainedaseriesofLikert-typescales(e.g.,Strongly Agree; Agree; Undecided; Disagree; Strongly Disagree) thatcorrespondtotheframeworkoffiveConservationThinkingCategoriesestablishedinthe2005study;italsocontainedclosed-endedquestionsaboutvisitors’ feelingsabout thepoetryandwhether itaddedto theirvisit. These methods—interviews about the zoo experience, interviewsaboutthepoetry,andquestionnairesmeasuringconservationthinkingandpoetryresponse—weremeanttocomplementoneanothertoanswertheguidingevaluationquestionsfortheproject.

Following is a summary of the results of these studies, outlininghowqualitativedatawerecodedintoaconceptualframeworkofConser-vationThinkingCategories,sothatevaluatorscoulddeterminechanges

tionbetweenpoet-in-residenceandzoostaffmakedecisionsaboutthefinalpoetryselection,withthesetwopartnersconsideringissuesofartis-ticmeritandaccuracyofinformation.Goalsforvisitorswerenotabout“comprehension”butaboutaffectiveconnectionwhenexperienced incontext.Inthesecases,achoicewasmadetogathervisitorfeedbackonlytoaddressquestionsofreadabilityandvisibilityofdesignchoices.

Summative Evaluation: How Do You Know if it Worked? Defining Indicators of Success

Whentheprojectiscompleted,theroleofsummativeevaluationistomeasuretheachievementoftheproject’sstatedoutcomes.Thiscanincludeunderstandingvisitors’overall response to thepoetryorpro-gram,andtheirsatisfactionwiththeexperience,anddeterminingwhichpoemsweremostnoticedormemorable.Thisphaseshouldaddresstheprojectleadershipteam’skeyquestionsabouthowtheprojectworkedinitsfinalimplementation.Asemphasizedearlier,whendocumentingthesuccessofaproject,itisimportanttoexamineitagainstthegoalsandoutcomessetatthestartoftheproject’sdevelopment.Anothertooltoguidethisprocessisidentifyingindicatorsofsuccessthatarelinkedtotheprojectoutcomes.Essentially,outcomesaretheresultsorchangeaprojectsoughttocreateforitsaudiences,andindicatorsarethespecificattributesorqualities youmeasure toprovideevidence that those in-tendedresultsoccurred.Aswithoutcomes,itisoftenadvisabletoestab-lishindicatorsattheoutsetoftheproject.Thequestiontoconsideris:IfweachieveoutcomeX,whatevidencewillweseethatithasoccurredinmembersoftheaudience?

AsanexamplefromtheLanguage of Conservationreplicationproject,oneoutcomewasZoo visitors will demonstrate positive attitudes toward poetry use in the zoo.Forthatoutcome,indicatorsidentifiedatthestartoftheprojectincluded:

• #and%ofvisitorswhoreportseeingandreadinganyofthe poetryinthezoo.

• #and%ofvisitorswhohavereadanypoetryreportenjoying thepoetry.

• #and%ofvisitorswhohavereadanypoetryreportthatthe poetryenhancedoraddedtotheirvisitinsomeway.

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Outcomes-Based Evaluation

Resource List

BasicGuidetoOutcomes-BasedEvaluationforNonprofitOrganizationswithVeryLimitedResources.http://managementhelp.org/evaluation/outcomes-evalua-tion-guide.htm

InstituteofMuseumandLibraryServicesOutcomesToolkit.http://imls.gov/research/evaluation_resources.aspx

InstituteforMuseumandLibraryServices.Outcome Based Evaluation Overview.http://www.imls.gov/applicants/outcome_based_evaluations.aspx

AssociationofSpecializedandCooperativeLibraryAgencies.Volume24,2002.www.ala.org/ascla/archives/contentlistingbykey/outcomesba-sedeval/outcomesbased

Outcomes-Based Evaluation (OBE) Overview.UtahStateLibrary.http://library.utah.gov/grants/lsta/evaluation.html

thatoccurredinthepatternsandratesofconservationthinkingwithintheseconceptualcategories.Thisrigorouscodingprocessallowedustoquantitativelyanalyzequalitativedata,whilepreservingandbenefitingfromtherichnessofvisitors’languagetodescribetheirzooexperience.Additionally,wepresenttheresultsofthequestionnairedata,andevi-denceofchangesinperceptionofthezoobaseduponthesestandard-izedmeasures.WehopetheseresultsanddescriptionsofourevaluationprocesswillprovideusefulexamplesandsparkthinkingaboutrelevantoutcomesandindicatorsforaprojectsuchastheLanguage of Conservation.

References

Condon,K.(2005).Evaluation Report:The Language of Conservation: Central Park Zoo Poetry Project.Bronx,NY:WildlifeConservationSociety.

Fraser,J.,Gruber,S.,&Condon,K.(2007).Exposingthetouristvalueproposition of zoos and aquaria. Tourism Review International, 11(3), 279-293.

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JessicaSickler&ErinJohnsonEvaluators

Outcomes Achieved through the Language of Conservation: Evaluation Results

Introduction

AnimportantaspectoftheLanguage of Conservationprojectwasitsde-signasareplicationproject.PoetsHouseanditszoo,library,andpoetpartnersfromaroundthecountrysoughttotestwhetherthemodelde-velopedintheoriginalpartnershipbetweenPoetsHouseandtheWild-lifeConservationSociety(WCS)attheCentralParkZoocouldbesuc-cessfullyreplicatedinothercitiesandlibrary-zoopartnerships.Tothatend,theprojectwasstronglyguidedbytheexperience,documentation,andevaluationthatwereundertakenintheoriginalLanguage of Conservationproject.Asdescribedelsewhereinthisvolume,aprimaryactivity thattook place was the careful selection, design, and placement of poetryexcerptsthroughoutexhibitsandgroundsofthefivezoopartners.Itwasanticipatedthattheseexhibitswouldresultinpositiveoutcomesforzoovisitorswhoencounteredthepoetry,includingincreasedconservationthinkingandapositiveresponsetopoetryanditsrelevancetothezooexperience.Specifically,theoutcomesdefinedforthisaudiencewere:

AfterexperiencingLanguage of Conservationinstallationsinzoos,zoovisitorswill:

• Showpositiveattitudestowardpoetryuseinthezoo.

• Demonstrateincreasedconservationthinking,language,and connectiontoone’sself.

• Demonstrateincreasedperceptionofpoetryasaccessible.

Toaddresswhethertheseoutcomeswereachieved,theevaluationteamconductedsummativeinterviewswithzoovisitors,guidedbysev-eralcorequestions:


This fall you will taste carrots / you planted, you thinned, you mulched, / you weeded and watered. / You don’t know yet how sweet / they will taste, how yours. / This earth is yours as you love it.

—Marge Piercy, from “Digging in”

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Grandmother, / I watched an eagle soar / high in the sky / until a cloud covered him up. / Grandmother, I still saw the eagle / behind my eyes.

—Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, “I Watched an Eagle Soar”

allowvisitorstoexpressintheirownlanguagetheideas,concepts,andthemesthatwerepartoftheiroverallzooexperience.Thequestionnairewasaddedtothisapproachasastandardizedmeasureoftheidentifiedoutcomesfromtheoriginalstudy.

Data were collected in two phases: prior to poetry installation(Summer/Fall2009)andafterpoetryinstallation(Summer/Fall2010).Effortsweremadetocollectdataateachzooduringperiodsoftypicallyhighvisitation(i.e.,summerforMidwesternvenues;fallforSouthernvenues).Interviewsandquestionnaireswerecollectedattheexit,toal-lowvisitors the fullopportunity tohaveexperienced the zooandpo-etry.Evaluationtargetedthegeneralvisitorandvisitorswererandomlyselectedtoparticipate.Visitorsincludedinthestudycouldbevisitingaloneoringroups,withorwithoutchildren.However,inordertoef-fectivelyfacilitateagroupinterview,groupseligibletoparticipatewerelimitedtosixpeople.Additionally,atleastonepersoninthegrouphadtobeanadult (appearing tobe18orolder)andonlyadultswere in-vitedtocompletetheself-administeredquestionnaire.Children(17andyounger)couldbeapartofthegroupforinterviews.AtBrookfieldZoo,a pre-screening question was used during post-installation interviewstoensurethatrespondentshadvisitedtheGreat Bear Wildernessexhibit,theonlylocationwithinthezooinwhichpoetrywasinstalled.Refusalstoparticipationwerenotedonarefusallog.

• Towhatextentwasthepoetryseenorreadbyzoovisitors overall?

o Whichpoemsorinstallationsweremostrecalledby visitors?

• Didvisitorsshowpositive,negative,orneutralattitudes towardtheuseofpoetryinzoos?Why?

• Wasthereanoverallincreaseinconservationthinkingafter poetrywasinstalled?

o Weretheredifferencesbetweenspecificcategoriesof conservationthinking?

• Weretherechangesinvisitors’perceptionsofpoetryafter poetrywasinstalled?

• Weretheredifferencesacrossthefivesites?

The evaluation was designed in large part as a replication study,seekingtounderstandtheresultsof thepartnercities’ installations incomparableways to the evaluationofCentralParkZoo’s efforts.As aresult,evaluationandmeasurementofoutcomesusedsimilarguidingquestions, methods, and conceptual frameworks as those used in theCentralParkZooevaluation.

Methods

Thereplicationstudyusedproceduresandinstrumentsascloseaspossible to theoriginalLanguage of Conservation studyat theCentralParkZoo(Condon,2005;Fraser,CondonandGruber,2007).Somemodi-ficationsweremadewhendeemedextremelynecessaryandcautionwastaken to assure that study integrity was maintained. The replicationstudyemployed themethodthatwasdeemedmostuseful in thepriorstudy:open-endedstructuredexitinterviewsconductedintwocondi-tions (before and after poetry was installed in the zoo). In addition,evaluatorsdevelopedaself-administeredquestionnairetomeasuresim-ilaroutcomes,withquestionsbasedupontheconceptsuncoveredintheoriginalqualitativestudy.Thesetwomethodswereselectedstrategicallytoproviderobustandcomplementarydata.Theopen-endedstructuredinterview was selected to directly replicate Condon’s method, and to

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Table1.Conservation-thinkingcategoriesandcodedescriptions:Comparisonofthetwostudies

Open-ended Face-to-face Structured Interview

Atotalof152groupscompletedinterviewsduringthepre-instal-lationphase(approximately30perinstitution),withanoverallrefus-al rateof54%.During thepost-installationphase, approximately30groupsperzoocompletedthefullinterview.Inordertoobtainalargersample focusedon feedbackabout thepoetry installations specifically,researchers conducted an additional set of brief interviews that ad-dressedonlythepoetry-relatedquestionswithapproximately15groupsperinstitution.Intotal,228groupscompletedinterviewsduringpost-installation,withanoverallrefusalrateof60%.

Asastructuredinterview,questionswereaskedsequentially,with-out being rephrased. Clarifying questions were used when necessary.Interviewersdidnotmentionthattheinterviewswereaboutthepoetryinstallations in thezoosuntil theendof the interview.The interviewguideadheredcloselytotheinstrumentdevelopedbytheCentralParkZooevaluators,usingopen-endedquestionsandpromptstoelicitvisi-torconversationaboutwhat they thought,discussed,andexperiencedduringtheirzoovisit.Post-installation,questionswereaddedtodirectlyassesstheirexperiencewiththepoetryandtheiropinionsaboutitanditsinfluenceontheirzooexperience.

Inorder toquantify the conservation thinkingexhibitedby visi-tors,CentralParkZooevaluatorsdevelopedcodingcategoriesbasedonfivecategoriesofconservationthinkingidentifiedbyprojectpartnersaslikelytobeimpactedbytheinclusionofpoetry.Toapplytheconceptualframeworkdevelopedintheearlierproject,wefurtherdevelopedtheseconservation-thinking categories and created a detailed coding rubricthatoperationalizedthemintermsoftheresponsesheardininterviews(seeTable1).Ourcodingprocessallowedforsomequantitativeanalysisof the interview data using a similar overall approach to the originalstudy,butwechosetoincreasethedetailofthecodingsystemandtouseadifferentstatisticalapproachforassessingsignificance(i.e,tocomparepre/postnumberof references rather thanexaminepercent increase/decrease).Asaresult,whiletheresultshereareconsideredincontrasttotheoriginalresultsfoundatCentralParkZoo,thenecessaryvariationincodingandanalysisapproachprecludeadirectcomparison.

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Results

Use and Recall of Poetry Installations

Consistentwith thefindings fromtheoriginal studyat theCen-tralParkZoo,notallparticipantsidentifiedtheinstallationsaspoetry,insteadofferinginformationthatconfirmedtheirawarenessofthein-stallations and their content. The exit interviews and questionnairesshowedahighrateofrecallofthepoetrybyvisi-tors at all five partner zoos (see Table 2). Typi-cally,between70%and95%ofvisitorssampledreported that theydid recall seeingpoetrydur-ing their visit. The one exception was amongtheinterviewsatBrookfieldZoo,where60%ofrespondents recalled seeing the poetry; howev-er,resultsof theexitquestionnairesweremuchhigherat80%.TheseratestendtobesimilartoorhigherthantheusageratesthatwerefoundintheCentralParkZoostudy,where70%ofvisitorsrecalledseeingpoetry.

Table2.Visitorrecallofpoetryandspecificpoemsfrominterviews(I)andquestionnaires(Q),byzoo

*Percentageisonlyofthosewhodidrecallseeingpoetry.

Inaddition,ofthosewhorecalledseeingpoetryinstallations,alargenumberwerealsoabletoidentifyoneormorespecificpoemsorloca-tionsthattheyrecalled(rangingfrom82%to92%ofthosewhohadseenpoetry).TheserateswereonparorslightlyhigherthanwhatwasfoundintheCentralParkZoostudy.Visitorsalsotendedtorecallafairlywidevarietyofthepoemsondisplayateachzoo,althoughthesevariedmorebetween zoos, rangingbetween23%of allpoems (atBrookfield) and58%ofallpoems(atJacksonville)(seeTable3).Whenexaminingwhichpoemsandlocationsvisitorswereabletorecallspecifically,itwasevidentthatseveralfactorsseemedtoincreasevisitorrecallofspecificpoems:

Closed-ended Self-administered Questionnaire

Atotalof221individualscompletedquestionnairesduringthepre-installation phase (approximately 45 per institution), with an overallrefusalrateof51%.Duringthepost-installationphase,356individualscompletedquestionnaires (approximately70per institution),withanoverallrefusalrateof50%.

Alargepartofthequestionnairewasaseriesofscalesdevelopedtomeasurethefivecategoriesofconservationthinkingfromtheoriginalproject(seeTable1).Onescalewascreatedforeachcategory,withitemsdevelopedbaseduponthecategorydefinitionsfromthe2005report.Resultsconsistoftheaveragescoresgiventoaseriesofitemsratedona7-pointscale,where1indicated“didn’tthinkaboutthisatall,”and7in-dicated“thoughtaboutthisagreatdeal.”Thescaledevelopmentprocessincludedexpertreviewforconstructandfacevalidity,pilottestingforreliabilitywithzoovisitors,andfinalrevisionoftheitems.Inaddition,thequestionnaireincludedmeasuresofconnectednesswithnature,us-ingtheInclusionofNatureinSelf(INS)scale(Schultz,2002);attitudestowardpoetrygenerally;attitudestowardpoetryuseinthezoo;environ-mental concernandbehaviors;anddemographiccharacteristics.Datawereanalyzedquantitatively, includingexaminationofdistributionofresponsesandcentraltendency.Statisticalcomparisonsweremadebe-tweenpreandpostdata,whereappropriate(ANOVA).


Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling...

—Walt Whitman, from “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun”

Brookfield Jacksonville Little Rock Milwaukee New Orleans

I Q I Q I Q I Q I Q

Recalled seeing poetry

60% 80% 73% 78% 93% 90% 78% 81% 78% 72%

Identified a specific poem or location*

82% -‐-‐ 91% -‐-‐ 83% -‐-‐ 92% -‐-‐ 86% -‐-‐

Yonah Sichrovsky Tuesday, September 25, 2012 1:14:49 PM ET d4:9a:20:fe:93:fe

Typically, between 70% and 95% of visitors sampled reported that they did recall seeing poetry during their visit.

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levelsofnoticingorrecallingspecificpoems.Authors includingHenryDavidThoreau(Brookfield),AnneFrank (Jacksonville),EmilyDickinson,andLangstonHughes(both NewOrleans)wereamongpoemsmostrecalledatthese locations.CentralParkZoofindingsalsonotedfamiliarityas afactorforrecall.

• Connection with Place: RecallofpoetryattheAudubonZoo, inNewOrleans,suggestedadifferentreasonforrecalling poetry,whichwasaspecificpoem’sconnectionwiththeregion. TwoofthepoemsmostfrequentlyrecalledwerebyLangston HughesandwereabouttheMississippiRiverandthelevees. Whilemultiplefactorslikelycameintoplaywithrecallofthese poems(theywerebothinsomewhatunconventionallocations andwerefromawell-knownAmericanauthor),severalvisitors mentionedtheconnectionoftheseworkstotheNewOrleans area,particularly“MississippiLevee.”

• Brevity, Memorability, and Rhyme:Anotherfactorthatplayed intovisitorrecallatonezoowasofthepoem“Snake,”byCharles Ghinga,attheJacksonvilleZoo.Thispoemisbriefandhasa

strongmeterandasimplefour-linerhymescheme:“Snakesare clever,/Snakesarefast,/Ifyouseeone/Letitpass.”Asaresult ofthisfeature(aswellasitsplayfuldesignandinstallation), visitorswereablenotonlytorecallseeingthispoem,butsome

wereabletofullyreciteit.Thiswasparticularlyaccessibleforfamilyvisitorsandchildren.BrevityandmemorabilitywerealsocitedintheCentralParkZoostudyaskeyfactorsforvisitormemory.

Thesefindingssuggestsomefactorsinexhibitiondesignandselec-tionofpoetryandexcerptsthatmaypromotealargernumberofvisitorsto takenoticeof an individualpoem.Thatisnottosay,however,thatthesestrategiesaretheonlyonesthatshouldbeusedinreplicatingaprojectsuchasthis.Thefindingsshowedthatabroadrangeofpoemsandinstallationswererecalled by visitors, representing thefulldiversityof installationstrategies.Thefactorshighlightedabovearethosethatseemtoinfluenceattentionbyagreaternumberofvisitors,butshouldnotbetheonlyfactorscon-sideredinpoetryselectionorinstallationdesign.

• Placement and Design:Acrossthezoos,astrongfactorthat playedintovisitorrecallseemedtobetheplacementand/or designofthepoetryinstallations.Ininstanceswherezooshad usedunconventionalplacementtechniques,visitorsoften recalledthosepoems.Thiswasparticularlytrueforoverhead placementofsignsinraftersorbeamsofapathwayorgazebo(as inLittleRock,Milwaukee,andNewOrleans),whichwerenot onlyunconventional,butrequiredmovementtoreadinfull. Otherunconventionalplacementsordesigns,suchasonthe sidewalk(atBrookfield),aropeshapedintothewords(Little Rock),orcarvedintoalargeboulderintwolanguages(New Orleans)alsoweresuccessfulatcatchingalargeproportionof visitors’attention.ThisechoedafindingfromCentralPark Zoo,wherevisitorsexpressedappreciationfornovelplacement ofpoetry(includingonrafters,benches,andstairs).


Xi huel om pehua / ti cuicanitl / Ma oc xocon tzotzona / moxochihuehueuh. / Ma ic xi quimahuiltia / in tepilhuan / in cuauhtin in ocelo. / Cuel achic tiquitolanehuia. Make your beginning, / you who sing. / May you beat again / your flowered drum. / May you give joy / to my lords, / the eagles, the jaguars. / Briefly we are here together.

—Nahuatl, translated by David Damrosch

• Author Familiarity: Atseveralofthezoos,therewasevidence thatfamiliaritywithanauthormayhavesupportedstronger

The findings showed that a broad range of poems and installations were recalled by visitors, representing the full diversity of installation strategies.

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Across the five zoos, visitors articulated that the poetry added totheirzoovisitexperienceinthreekeyways,allofwhichrelatedtotheoverallprojectgoals.Moststrongly,between24%and40%ofvisitors(dependingonthezoo)notedthatthepoemsrelatedtoormadethemthinkaboutconservationthemesandideas.Second,between19%and42%ofvisitorsfeltthatthepoetryaddedsomethingnoveltozoosignage,notingthedifferenceintone,language,and approach of the poetry to typicalfact- and information-based signage.Finally,between13%and38%ofvisi-torsnotedthatthepoetrychangedthequalityoftheirzooexperienceinsomeway, prompting a slower, thoughtful,or more reflective experience. These ratings and positive sentimentswereextremelyconsistentacrossthefivezoos,suggestingthatpoetrymaybeperceivedasapositiveadditioninmanycontextsandcommunities.

Inaddition,interviewsandanecdotalreportsfromzoostaffhigh-lightedthatasmallersubsetof individualsexpressedthesesentimentsinverystrongterms,strongerthanthemajorityofrespondents,feelingthat the poetry was an extremely valuable addition to their zoo expe-rience.This indicated thatwhile thepoetrywas generallypositive formanyvisitors,itprovidedevengreateroruniquebenefitanddepthforsomeindividuals.Someexamplecommentsfromvisitors:

“IdidseetheThoreauquoteatthebearexhibit.…Yeah,itmakesyoustopandthink.AndIthinkit’s—youneedtohavemorethanjust information, other people’s reflections and thoughts on theanimals.Youknow, itmademethinka littlebitdifferently, too.Justmaybethestatisticsandsoon[intraditionalzooexhibits]…Ihadn’tseenanythinglikethatbeforehere,Idon’tthink.WhereIwalkedintoanexhibitandtherewasa—kindofanintroductiontoit,somethingartisticlikethat.Ithoughtthatwasnice.Ratherthanjust,youknow,apictureoftheanimalandanarrow.”(Male,Adult,BrookfieldZoo)

“Iguessseeingthosegivesme,itprocessesinmybrain,becauseIknow that Iappreciate the languageof it.And itprobablymakesmethink,youknow,maybeevenalittlemoreoutloud.Like,‘Oh,Ididn’tthinkofthatbeforethatway’orjustnewwaysoflookingatthings.”(Male,Adult,MilwaukeeCountyZoo)

Table3.Percentandfrequencyofallpoemsondisplaythatvisitorsspecificallyidentifiedininterviews

Attitudes toward Poetry in the Zoo

Justasthepoetryinstallationswereconsistentlyobservedandre-called,resultsfrominterviewsandquestionnairesrevealedthatthema-jorityofvisitorslikedthepoetryandsawitasapositiveadditiontotheiroverallzooexperience.Ininterviews,around70%ofgroupsateachzooindicatedthattheylikedtheinclusionofpoetryatthezoo,andveryfewgroups(3orfewerateachzoo)indicatedthattheydislikedthepoetry.Similarly,inexitquestionnaires,visitors’attitudestowardpoetrywerealsoveryhigh,withbetween46%and75%ofvisitorsstronglyagreeingthatpoetrywasappropriate,relevant,understandable,enjoyable,andapositiveadditiontotheexperience(seeTable4fordetails).

Table4.Percentofvisitorswhoindicatedstronglypositiveattitudesaboutpoetryinthezooinquestionnaires

“I think it does emphasize the interaction and the in-terrelationship that people have with animals and with wildlife.”

Brookfield Jacksonville Little Rock Milwaukee New Orleans

% Count % Count % Count % Count % Count

Number of poems recalled

23% 9 58% 15 40% 21 37% 20 47% 16

Yonah Sichrovsky Tuesday, September 25, 2012 1:23:28 PM ET d4:9a:20:fe:93:fe

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Humans as Wildlife Stewards

Amonkeyisweavingathreadofinsatiablelustsonthemarginsofmorning:hetopplesapollen-fall,startlestheviolet-flightofthebutterfly…

—Pablo Neruda, from “Some Beasts” Ben Belitt, translator

“Withthebutterfly[poem],youneedtotakecareoftheair…andwiththelevee[poem],youneedtotakecareofthewatersupply….”(Fe-male,Adult,AudubonZoo)

Human Benefit from Wildlife

AndnowIamholdingthatstillnesstogiveitbacktoyou,becausethetruthissomuchoftheworldisbrokenandIwanttobepartofitshealing.

—Alison Hawthorne Deming, from “In Spring: Drift Creek”

“Ithinktheonethatwasthehealing,youknow.AnditmademethinkofAnneFrank,thatoneparticularly,whenshewouldstareoutatthebigoaktree.Anditmakesmeappreciateboththebeautyofnatureandhowitcanbehealingandtherapeutic.”(Female,Adult,JacksonvilleZooandGardens)

Interconnectedness with Nature

AtomfromatomyawnsasfarAsmoonfromearth,asstarfromstar.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson, from “Nature”

“I think itdoes emphasize the interactionand the interrelation-shipthatpeoplehavewithanimalsandwithwildlife.Thatyou’reseeingtheimpactit’shadondifferentculturesbecauseyoucanseethatthey’recomingfromNativeAmerican;from,youknow,somewell-knownAmericanauthors;from,Ican’tevenrememberallthedifferentsources,butthat…thenaturalworld,animals,andpeo-pleareallwoventogetherinawebthatinteracts.”(Female,Adult,MilwaukeeCountyZoo)

Conservation Thinking and Language

Amajorquestionoftheevaluationwastodeterminethedegreetowhich the poetry installations influenced visitors’ conservation think-ingandlanguage,lookingbothattheexplicitconnectionsvisitorsmadebetweenthepoetryandconservationideasandlookingforevidenceofanoverallshiftinvisitors’conversationsorthinking(unrelatedtothepoetry)frompre-topost-installation.

Explicit Connections between Poetry and Conservation

Atmostofthezoosinthisproject,halfofvisitorgroupswhoreadpoetryduring theirvisitexplicitly indicated that theyhaddrawncon-nectionsbetweenthepoetrytheyreadandthemesofconservationand

the natural world. The two excep-tions were zoos where nearly half(42%)orone-thirdofvisitorsmadethis connection. When describingthenatureoftheconnectionsmade,visitorsacrossthezoostendedtotalkaboutthreethemesconsistently:hu-manresponsibility toactaswildlifestewards,humanbenefitfromwild-life, and human interconnected-nesswithnature.Theseresultswere

similartotheCentralParkZoostudy,inwhichCondonreportedthat“visitorscommentedthatthepoetry‘broughtit[conservation]out,’ex-pressedwhatthezooistryingtodo,madethemthink,thinkdifferently,orseethingsfromadifferentperspective…”(2005,p.3).

At most of the zoos in this project, half of visitor groups who read poetry during their visit explicitly indicated that they had drawn connections between the poetry they read and themes of conser-vation and the natural world.

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sawthemselvestowardthemiddleoftheINSscale,andthattherewerenosignificantchangesfollowinginstallationofthepoetry.

Thesefindingsshowsomesimilaritiesandsomeapparentcontrastswith theconclusions fromtheoriginal study. In that study, itwasre-ported that there was a 21% increase in overall number of conserva-tioncommentsandincreasesbetween36%and48%inthecategoriesof Wildlife Stewardship, Human Impact on Wildlife, and Humans asPartofNature.Inthepresentstudy,similarlevelsofpre-to-postper-centagechangewerefoundtothosereportedfortheCentralParkZoo.However, the statistical analysis used in the present study to comparepre and post comments found minimal evidence of those differencesbeingstatisticallysignificant.Itisimportanttoacknowledgethatsomemethodological factorsmaybeatplayhere, including the furtherde-velopmentofthecodebookthatwascompletedforthisstudy,aswellasthedifferenceinapproachforpartoftheanalysis.WhenlookingatthepercentagemeasuresdevelopedfortheoriginalCentralParkZoo,theresultsappeartobesimilar.

Attitude toward Poetry

Finally,thisevaluationexploredtheadditionalquestionofwheth-er the installation resulted in any change in visitors’ overall attitudestoward poetry, irrespective of the poetry installations within the zoo.Questionnaireresponsesatmostzoosindicatedtherewaslittlechangeinvisitors’attitudesaboutpoetry,withaverageratingsshowinganeutralattitude(mostratingswerebetween2.5andthe3.0neutralmidpoint)inbothpreandpost.Atonlyonezoo,AudubonZoo(NewOrleans),was there a significant increase in attitudes toward poetry, with aver-ageratings increasing froma slightlynegative2.44 toamoreneutral2.90.Thisresultsuggeststhatthemerepresenceofpoemsandpoemexcerptsinexhibitsdoesnot,onitsown,haveanimpactonmoregen-eralizedpersonalfeelingsaboutpoetry.Giventhatfindingsalsoshowedmanyvisitorsdidnotidentifytheinstallationsspecificallyas“poems,”butoftenas“quotes”or“sayings,”thisfindingisnotsurprising.Whenlookingattheseattitudesinconcertwithvisitors’perceptionsthatitwasappropriateandrelevant forpoetry tobe includedin thezoo, it sug-geststhatvisitorsmaybewelcomingtopoetryinanappliedcontext(i.e.,relatedtointerpretingthezooandconservation),whilebeinglesscom-fortablewithitasanabstractsubjectarea.

“Itsays‘Fromafar,’andthenitsays,‘Asmoonfromearth,asstarfrom star,’ and that made me think about what the meaning was… Itmademethinkthatweareall—youknow,we’reallthings.We’renotanydifferent.”(Child,LittleRockZoo)

Implicit Change in Conservation Thinking

Theotherapproachusedtoassessconnectionswastolookforevi-dence of change, from pre- to post-installation, in the types of con-servation themes that emerged in visitors’ conversations about their

zoovisits and in their ratingsofthingstheythoughtaboutduringavisit.Onthewhole,therewererelatively few statistically signifi-cant changes found in the ways

visitorstalkedabouttheirzooexperienceorratedtheideastheythoughtaboutduringtheirvisit,whenmeasurednumericallyasopposedtoasapercentageof comments.Overall, visitors commentedvery frequentlyonseveralofthefivekeythemes,mostnotably:HumanResponsibilityasWildlifeStewards;HumanImpactonWildlife;andHumanBenefitfromWildlife(primarilypsychological/personalbenefits).Thesethemesseemtobeverystronginthegeneralzooexperienceandwerereiteratedincommentsspecificallyrelatedtothepoetry,butwerenotobservedtoincreaseordecreasesubstantiallyfromthehighlevelsthatexistedpriortopoetryinstallationatmostofthezoos.

Whenlookingatthequestionnairedata,mostzoosshowednosig-nificantchangesinratingsofconservationthinkingmeasures.Twozoosshowedchangesinsomefactors—BrookfieldZooshowedincreaseinrat-ings in three areas and Audubon Zoo showed increases in two areas.Amongquestionnairerespondents,significantincreasesinratingswerefoundinthreeofthefiveconservationcategories:HumanBenefitfromWildlife(bothzoos),HumanImpactonWildlife(Brookfield),andHu-manResponsibilityasWildlifeStewards(Brookfield),andHumansasaPartofNature(Audubon).Additionally,oneofthesecategories(HumanBenefitfromWildlife)alsoshowedasignificantincreaseinthefrequen-cyofcommentsmadebygroupsafterpoetryinstallation(Brookfield),whichwasprimarilyattributabletoanincreaseincommentsrelatedtoemotionalaffinityforanimals.

UsingtheInclusionofNatureinSelf(INS)scale(Schultz,2002),we sought toassesswhether thepoetry installationsmighthave influ-enced the degree to which individuals viewed themselves as intercon-nectedwithnature.Findingsshowedthatacross thefivezoos,visitors

“It made me think that we are all—you know, we’re all things. We’re not any different.”

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Conclusions

ThisevaluationindicatesthattheLanguage of Conservationprojectwassuccessful in achieving several of its intended goals, primarily by en-hancingtheexperienceofzoovisitors,whosawandenjoyedthepoetryandfeltitaddedsomethingpositiveandnoveltotheirvisit.Inaddition,thosewhoreadthepoetryoftendrewassociationsbetweenwhattheysawandthemesrelatedtoconservation,humanresponsibility,andhumaninterconnectedness with nature, explicitly understanding the messagethatthepoetrywastryingtocommunicate.Thewidespreadrecallofthepoetrybyvisitors,combinedwiththestronglypositiveresponsetotheinstallationsandstrategyofusingpoetryinthezoo,weresomeofthemostcompellingoutcomesoftheproject.

Although theexplicitmeasuresofconservationconnectionswerestrong,theimplicitconnections—inotherwords,theoveralltone,con-versation,andthinkingaboutazoovisit—didnotshowthesamelevelofchangeaswasshowninthepreviousstudy.Thiswaspartlybecausemanyoftheconservationthemeswerealreadystronginvisitors’mindsandconversationsaboutthezoobeforepoetrywasinstalled.Thepo-etry, inmanyways, seemed tounderscore conversations thatwere al-readytakingplace.Thislookatimplicitchangesthroughsuchanopenandwide-ranginginterviewreflectedthecomplexsocial,cognitive,andphysicalexperienceofanyzoo(ormuseum)visit.Takentogether,itcanbeconcludedthatpoetryprovidedanenhancementto theoverallzooexperience for most visitors, complementing, but not overwhelming,theexperiencesandmessagesthatarealreadycoretotheinstitution.

References

Condon,K.(2005).Evaluation Report: The Language of Conservation: Central Park Zoo Poetry Project.Unpublishedreport.NewYork:WildlifeConservationSociety.

Kals,E.,Schumacher,D.&Montada,L.(1999). Emotionalaffinityto-wardnatureasamotivationalbasistoprotectnature.Environment and Be-havior,31(2),178-202.

Meyers,R.B.(2002).Aheuristicforenvironmentalvaluesandethicsandapsychometricinstrumenttomeasureadultenvironmentalethicsandwillingnesstoprotecttheenvironment. Doctoraldissertation,TheOhioStateUniversity.


When despair for the world grows in me / and I wake in the night at the least sound / in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, / I go and lie down where the wood drake / rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. / I come into the peace of wild things / who do not tax their lives with forethought / of grief. I come into the presence of still water. / And I feel above me the day-blind stars / waiting with their light. For a time / I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

—Wendell Berry, “The Peace of Wild Things”

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SectionV

NOTES ON NATURE POETRY

Schultz, P. W. (2000). Empathizing with nature: The effects of per-spectivetakingonconcernforenvironmentalissues. Journal of Social Issues,56(3),391-406.

Schultz,P.W.(2002).Inclusionwithnature:Understandingthepsy-chologyofhuman-natureinteractions.InP.Schmuck&P.W.Schultz(Eds.), The Psychology of Sustainable Development. Boston: Kluwer AcademicPublishers.

Sickler,J.,Fraser,J.,Gruber,S.V.,Boyle,P.,Webler,T.,&Reiss,D.(2006). Thinking about Dolphins Thinking, WCS Working Paper No. 27.NewYork:WildlifeConservationSociety.

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Poets Respond to the Canon of Nature Poetry


When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy, / And the dimpling stream runs laughing by; / When the air does laugh with our merry wit, / And the green hill laughs with the noise of it; // …Come live & be merry, and join with me, / To sing the sweet chorus of “Ha, Ha, He!”

—William Blake, from “Laughing Song”

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Poetry: A Catalyst for Building Vital Communities

A museum is a good place to be quietly subversive on behalf of the land.

—Terry Tempest Williams

Whatifpoetsreceivedacalltotruly fulfill the dream of a canon that could stop hearts, change minds, and inspire global responsibility? Afterall,asasocialscientistwrotetome,the dark smithy of the soul needs to find a voice, to give those who are seriously depressed about witnessing the 6th great extinction a small wisp of hair to grab on to, some language to help us say what we all feel.

Ifscientistssentusthatcalltoaction,howwouldwerespond?Since 2004 I have gathered writing from around the world for

scientists,interpretativespecialists,andmillionsofreaders—fromMe-dievalriddles,tothetalesoftheWolofPeopletranscribedbySenega-lesepoetBiragoDiop,totheelephantballetsandsealionobservationsof Modernist Marianne Moore—writing that celebrates the sacrednessbetweenspecies.Thesepoems, spanningcenturiesandcultures,wereselected to inspire visitors to imagine a sustainable future for all lifeonearth.Theyexploretheplaceofanimalsinculturalimagination,asthoseanimals,asourceofrespect,wonder,andmeaning,arethreatenedwithdisappearancefromtheearth.

WhenwefirstenvisionedtheLanguage of Conservation,itwasasanin-stallationofconservationpoetry,butbranchinglaterallyIimaginedwemight, not unlike the Wildlife Conservation Society, one of our firstsponsors,sendoutrootsthatwouldbringbacknutrientsfromaroundtheearthtofeedaradicalnewcanon.Ienvisionedthatwemightcollab-oratewithwildlifebiologistsatWCSfieldstationsinfifty-twocountries,scientistsworkingonthegroundtomakediscoveriesthathelpestablishandprotectthesustainabilityofimportantwildlifecorridorsaswellasthetribesandspecieswithinthem.Iamstillhopefulthatthatmightoc-curwithinmylifetime.

Recognizingthatourprimarygoalwastofind,withinashortpe-riodoftime,poemsthatcouldfeedashiftingcommunityofmillionsofvisitorseachyear,Ideterminedthatwecouldstillstimulatelateralgrowth


She seems / unnatural by nature— / too vivid and peculiar / a structure to be pretty, / and flexible to the point / of oddity. Perched on / those legs, anything she does / seems like an act. Descending / on her egg or draping her head / along her back, she’s / too exact and sinuous / to convince an audience / she’s serious.

—Kay Ryan, “Flamingo Watching”

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JonathanBlunkPoet,Biographer

Where We Must Look for Help: Nature and Poetry

The crow, the crow, the spider-colored crow,The crow shall find new mud to walk upon. —Robert Bly, from “Where We Must Look for Help”

Fromthebeginning,thecraftofpoetryinNorthAmericahasbeenconcernedwithrecognizingandarticulatingboththeintimacyanddis-tancethatexistbetweenthehumanandnaturalworlds.Ofcourse,thisisnottheprovinceofpoetryalone.MelvilleandThoreauwereengagedinthissameimperative:tocometotermswith—orfindwordsfor—ourparticular place in nature. Our literary inheritance is in large part aproduct of two disparate views of this relationship: a thoughtful andforward-lookingappreciationofourresponsibilityascaretakersoftheenvironment,exemplifiedbythebeliefsoftheindigenouspeoplesoftheAmericas,incontrastwiththesingle-mindedarroganceandexploita-tionthatcomefromafaithinhumanreasonasthehighestgood,whichenabledthedepredationsoftheIndustrialRevolutionandmoderncapi-talism.

When Melville set sail from Nantucket and when Thoreau firstheard the encroachment of the railroad upon the silence at Waldenpond—indeed, when Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were exam-iningnature in theirowndistinctiveways—this fundamentaldisparityalreadylayatthecoreofourliterature.Formillennia,languageartshaveturned tonatureas the source formetaphorand imagery—naturehasalwaysbeenthegroundofourunderstandingandtheultimatepointofreference.InWesternculture,theseparationofthehumanspherefromthenaturalworldaftertheEnlightenmentcastnatureassomethingalienandapart,adangertobesubjugatedoraresourcetoprofitfrom.IntheUnitedStates,thisdivisionbecamepartofourhistoryandexperience,asevidencedbyphrasessuchas“thetamingoftheWest.”

But thepast seventy yearshavebrought aprofound change.Therealityof atomicdevastationand theescalating threat to theenviron-mentposedbyhumanindifferencehavealteredthewaywethinkabout

byengagingnationallyandinternationallyknownpoetsandtranslatorswhoworkedinservicetothenaturalworld.RepresentingtheLanguage of Conservation,Iinvitedthemtohelpusshapeabibliographythatcouldbesharedwithlibrariesandtheirpatrons.Toprovidefocusforthisgath-eringofbooks,we invitedpoets andeditorsChrisMerrill andFrankStewart,becauseoftheirworkwithinternationalcommunities,tospeaktotheirideaofacanon,and,becauseofthebreadthofherwritingacrosstraditionsofpoetry,weinvitedAnnieFinch.IamdeeplygratefultoJon-athanBlunkforhisdiscussionofouruniquelyAmericanunderstandingofnatureinpoetryandtoAlisonHawthorneDeming,oneofourpoets-in-residence, for bringing to the fore Camille Dungy’s extraordinaryanthology,Black Nature.

LeeBriccettiofPoetsHouseandDr.Wharton,thenattheWildlifeConservationSociety(WCS),envisionedthatacollaborationbetweenscienceandpoetrymightenhancewildlifeexhibitsattheCentralParkZooinNewYorkCity.ThroughtheCentralParkZooproject,Dr.JohnFraserofWCSandhis teamof researchersdiscovered that theuseofpoetryininstallationsmadezoovisitorsdramaticallymoreawareoftheimpacthumanshaveonecosystems.

Poetrycallsintoquestionwhatitmeanstobehuman;itexpandstheimaginationofacultureandsuggestswaystobecomemorehumane

and more deeply engagedwith the world. Zoos andaquariums represent someofthemostpopularculturalinstitutions in cities acrossthe United States, attract-ingmillionsofvisitorseachyear.Duringrecentdecades,zooshavebecomeoneofthe

most important forces in environmental education, conservation ofbiodiversity, animalwelfare,andglobal sustainability.Combining theexpertiseofthescienceandeducationcommunitieswiththedeepcon-versationsandrelationshipsPoetsHousehaswovenbetweenpoetsandreadersinlibrariesandotherpublicspacesintheU.S.,wewereabletocollaboratejoyouslyandformanimatedpartnershipsbetweenzoologicalcentersand libraries, torespondto theclarioncallof thosescientistswhoaskustohelphumanvisitorsimagineasustainablefutureforallculturesandwildlifeonearth.

Poetry calls into question what it means to be human: it expands the imagination of a culture and suggests ways to become more humane and more deeply engaged with the world.

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closelyobservedmomentsofepiphanyandrejuvenation.In1949,RobertBly,thenanundergraduatestudentofArchibald

MacLeish, brought a burlap sack into a Harvard classroom and letlooseawildbarnowl.Blyadmittedthathisdesperateattempttoforcesomething real into the discussions of poetry among his teacher andclassmates—John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, and Frank O’Hara amongthem—hadbeenpromptedbytheirpreoccupationwithurbanlifeandreportageabout theWarto theexclusionofanythingremotelyrelatedtothenaturalworld.Adozenyearslater,Blypublishedhisfirstbookofpoems,Silence in the SnowyFields,indeliblycapturingtheprairiesofwesternMinnesota.

Fromalongcareerofpolitical,social,andenvironmentalengage-ment, one of Bly’s most important books is News of the Universe: Poems of Twofold Consciousness,ananthologyfirstpublishedbyTheSierraClubin1980.ThecollectionincludesasequenceofintroductoryessaysbyBlythathelpsetinhistoricalcontexttheoverlapofpoetryandecologyfromthe18thcenturytothepresent.Thereisperhapsnobetterplacetobe-gintryingtocomprehendthesharedterrainofpoetryandthenaturalworld.Featuringtranslationsfrommanyerasanddiversecultures,withabroadrangeofAmericanandglobalpoets, theanthologyremainsalandmarkresource.

OneessentialaspectoftheLanguage of Conservationistheimplicitac-knowledgmentthatchangemustbefosteredattheleveloflocalcommu-nities.WhenwethinkofpoetsinNorthAmericawhohaveplacedthisrecognitionattheheartoftheirwork,therealwaysexistsanunmistak-able loveforaparticularenvironment.ConsidertheNewEnglandofRobertFrostandHaydenCarruth;theCaliforniacoastlineofRobinsonJeffersandRobertHass;theMichiganwoodsofTheodoreRoethkeandJimHarrison;ElizabethBishop’sNovaScotiaandBrazil,orDerekWal-cott’sSt.Lucia—eachof thesepoets inhabit specific,knownworldsofnaturethatnourishtheirart.

Thedepthofknowledgeindividualpoetsbringtotheirworkisaproductofintensefocusuponaprecisegeography—thefloraandfaunathatinspiretheirwords.Thisparticularitymatters.Asreaders,wethriveon richness of imagery and sharply drawn details, and in this residesthepotentialforpoetrytoalterourunderstandingofwhoweare.JohnHaines’evocationsoftheAlaskanwildernessandW.S.Merwin’sdevo-tiontotheislandsofHawaiimakeclearthattheclarityofregionalpo-eticvisionsoffermodelsforengagingmorecompletelyandconsciouslywiththeparticularplaceswherewemakeourlives.Theoncedismissiveterm“regionalpoetry”cannolongerbeusedtolimitawriter’scraftor

natureandhowwegaugeourpersonalsenseofobligationtopreserveaglobalfuture.Itisnowpossibletopointtoatimebeforeandatimeaftertheseinescapabletruths;wenolongerhavetheluxuryofignoringourstewardshipoftheplanetandthevarietyoflifeuponit.

The Language of Conservation, as a community-based collaborationbetween poets, libraries, and zoos, sets out a vital agenda, namely tohelpindividualsgraspthenecessityofpreservingthegiftsofournatu-ralworldthroughasenseofpersonalresponsibility.Overthepastfewgenerations,poetsallovertheglobehaverecognizedtheurgencyofar-ticulatingthisunderstandingandbecomeincreasinglycommittedtoef-fectingchange in theway thatmattersmost—within theconsciousnessandthroughthewillofindividuals.

Turningtothegenerationof1960—poetswhosematureworkac-knowledgestheunmistakablerealityofanenvironmentunderthreat—wecanseehowthisimperativehasinformedlifetimesofpassionatewriting.ItisnocoincidencethattheworkofRachelCarsonfirstgainedworld-widenoticeatthistime.GarySnyder—inspiredbytheexampleofKen-neth Rexroth, the ancient traditions of Chinese and Japanese poetry,and Native American beliefs—deserves praise for building his art andlife on principles of environmental stewardship at the local level. Anessentialrecentadditiontohislife’sworkisthedocumentaryfilmandcompanion publication, The Etiquette of Freedom, which present his com-pelling dedication to nature. In similar ways, Wendell Berry, WilliamStafford,AnnieDillard,RobertFrancis,andDeniseLevertoveachofferimportantexamplesintheirlivesandtheirartforanyonedeterminedtomaintainaconsciousdevotiontotheenvironment.

Many other poets of the generation of 1960, including JamesWrightandRobertBly,havediscoveredtheirpersonalartisticvisionsinrelationtothenaturalworld.AsayoungteenagerinOhio,Wrightbe-cametransfixedwhenhefirstreadapoembyWilliamBlakedisparagingthefilthy18th-centuryThamesincontrasttotheimaginedutopiarepre-sentedbytheOhioRiver.ThatpoemendswithBlake’ssurprisingbeliefthat“theOhioshallwashhisstainsfromme.”Instead,fromthebanksoftheOhioinhishometownofMartinsFerry,Wrightwitnessedthestarkrealityofariverhorriblypollutedbyfactoriesandhumancommerce.Thoughsurroundedbythedevastationofstripminesandruinedlives,WrightcametograspthenecessityofcenteringhisartuponsouthernOhioandherpeople.Byembracinghisnativeplace,Wrightachievedhismaturepoeticvoice. The Branch Will Not Break,publishedin1963,becameoneofthedecade’smostinfluentialcollectionsofpoetry.ThesequenceisanimatedbyWright’s rediscoveryof joy innatureandstuddedwith

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AnnieFinchPoet,Scholar

Notes on the Canon of Nature Poetry

ItwasEnglishRomanticismthatsetthetoneforwhatmanyreadersintheU.S.nowthinkofas“naturepoetry”:asolitarypoetmovedbyanexperience innature to reflecton thehumancondition.Keats’ “Odeto a Nightingale” (written in mourning for his beloved brother) andShelley’s“OdetotheWestWind”remainpowerfulpoemsinthisgenre.ContemporaryromanticpoemssuchasMaryOliver’s“WildGeese”stillreachreadersusing the samebasicapproach.AmoremeditativekindofRomanticpoem,suchasRobertFrost’s“Birches”or“SpringPools,”LornaDeeCervantes’“Emplumada,”orWendellBerry’s“ThePeaceofWildThings,”appealmoretothought;inallsuchpoems,naturegainsvalueinrelationtotheinsightsandemotionsitprovidesforthelonehumanbeing,thepoet.

Simultaneously with Romantic nature poetry, another strand ofnaturepoetrydeveloped,whichcanbecalledSentimentism.Sentimen-tistnaturepoemsuseanoppositeapproachfromRomanticnaturepo-ems.Ratherthanbeingbasedinnatureanddrawingahumanemotionfromit,theyarebasedinahumanemotionanduse natural images to express it. EdnaSt. Vincent Millay’s “I shall go backagaintothebleakshore,”SaraTeasdale’s“Water Lilies,” and Langston Hughes’“I’ve Known Rivers” are explicit abouttheemotiontheyareexpressing;inapoemsuchasLorineNiedecker’s“IRosefromMarshMud”orPattiannRogers’“TheHummingbird:ASeduction,”theemotionismoreimplied.InalloftheseSentimentistnaturepoems,justasinRomanticnaturepoems,thenaturalimageryisthefoundationofthepoem.

Inathirdstrandofnaturepoetry,thehumanpartofthestoryiscompletelyenvelopedinnaturalimagery,expressedonlyinthepushandmoodofthelanguage.ThistypeofpoemcanbecalledtheMysticalna-turepoem.Mysticalnaturepoemscanbecalmandobjective in tone,suchasElizabethBishop’s“TheMoose,”GarySnyder’s“MountainsandRiversWithoutEnd,”orthetraditionofhaikubyJapanesepoetssuchas

ambition.Rather,itmustbeunderstoodasoneofthemostimportantelementsintheaccomplishmentoftheart.

TheLanguage of Conservationprojectisanexpressionofhope,onethatpointsawayforwardandencouragesanunderstandingofhowecologi-calcustodianshipbeginswithindividualsandwithdeeplypersonalshiftsinconsciousnessandperspective.Thisiswherewemustlookforhelp:atthemostintimatelevelofindividualawareness.Onlywhensuchprivatecommitmentsachieveacriticalmassofunifiedpublicvisioncantheveryrealthreatstoexistencebegintorecede.Poetryisuniquelyeffectiveatcreatingtheconditionsforsuchcrucialreflection,makingpossiblesub-tleyetprofoundchangesinperception.Asacommunity-basedexampleofcollaborationandlocalinitiative,theLanguage of Conservation providesapositive,inspiringmodelfortheworkthatliesbeforeus.

Little Rock Zoo

Treat Earth well / It was not given you by your parents / It was loaned to you by your children.

—Kenyan Proverb

The potential of na-ture poetry for the new ecological era that is now upon us has barely begun to be explored.

172 173

AlisonHawthorneDemingPoet-in-Residence,JacksonvilleZooandGardens

A Brief Comment on “The Nature Canon”

The“naturecanon,”ifoneexistsincontemporarypoetry,hasbeentoo narrowly defined for my tastes. The foundational poets are wellknown:W.S.Merwin,GarySnyder,WendellBerry,MaryOliver,Pat-tiannRogers...witharespectfuldabblingintoNativeAmericanpoetryandoraltradition—andcertainlyaddingintheotherpoetsinvolvedinthisproject.ChrisMerrill’santhologyThe Forgotten Languagerepresentsawonderfulwideningofthefield.Andanewgenerationofexperimental-istshasshakenthingsup:JonathanSkinner,JulianaSpahr,andForrestGander,tonamejustthree.Butthisremainsadisturbinglymonochro-matic“canon”foraneraduringwhichmulti-ancestralinfluenceshave,ingeneral,changedthefaceofAmericanliterature.Forme,themostexciting development in recent years is Camille Dungy’s magnificentanthology Black Nature, a historical compendium of works by African-Americanpoetsthatchangesforeverthenotionthat“naturewriting”istheprovinceofthewhiteprivilegedclass.Ithinkthisisthebeginningofagreatopeninginthisfieldduringwhichweredefinethis“canon”sothatitreflectsamuchricherrangeofculturalexperienceandaestheticvision.

BashoandIssawhichinfluencedhim.Theycanbenarrative,asinEarleBirney’s“Bushed.”Ortheycanbemorepassionateandlyrical,suchasJoyHarjo’s“SheHadSomeHorses”orGerardManleyHopkins’“TheWindhover”or“BinseyPoplars.”Anexperimentalveinofpoetrycanusepartialorfracturedsyntaxtoimplythemystical,pre-rationalpowerofnature,suchasLorineNiedecker’spoemsorthoseofJonathanSkinner.

The potential of nature poetry for the new ecological era that isnowuponushasbarelybeguntobeexplored.Somenewavenuesthatespeciallyexcitemeare“placenaturepoetry”—apoetrythatconnectsuswiththenatureofeveryplaceweare,includingurbanaswellas“natu-ral”places, suchasTimSeibles’ “Fearless”; “socially consciousnaturepoetry,”whichusesthewholenessofnatureasareferencepointtoraiseawarenessofhumanitybeingoutofbalance,asinJeanToomer’sCane;and“channelingnaturepoetry,”whichgivesvoicesbacktothenaturalcreatureswehave forgottenhow tohear,as in JoannaMacyandJohnSeed’s“TowardsaCouncilofAllBeings.”Myownworkhasexploredthepowerof“ritualnaturepoetry,”poemsthatenactaspiritualconnectionwithnatureandcanbespokenaloudorsharedinagrouptocommemo-rate the equinoxes, solstices, and other moments in the wheel of theturningyear.Allofthesenewerkindsofnaturepoetrycouldbegroupedtogetheras“TransformativeNaturePoetry.”Transformativenaturepo-etryinvitesustolearndeeplyfromnatureinanewway:notlearningaboutourselvesbywayofnatureasinRomanticandSentimentistnaturepoetry;notlosingourselvesintheexperienceofnatureasinMysticalna-turepoetry;butfindingourselvesagainashumanswithinnature,bothincommunityandasindividuals,andintheprocessdiscoveringour-selvestransformedintoliving,afterall,inacompassionate,aware,andsustainablerelationofrespectfulinteractionwithourgreatestteacher,ourmostnecessarysustenance,andourstrongestinspiration.

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Liuhashadanenormouseffectinhishomecountry.

Thelifeofonenaturalist... Letthenutcracker’scryawakendeath Letthestonetigergnawattheflesh Letthewinternightburythesoul

AnotherTaiwanesepoet,WalisNorgan(b.1961),anaboriginaloftheAtayalmountaintribe,writesfromanindigenousperspective,andisamongdozensofotherpoetsofthefirstrankfromTaiwan.Assoonasalistbegins,sadlytoomanywritersareleftoff.WhereareChenLi,YangMu,andothersIamembarrassednottohavenamed?

InsouthernSichuanProvince,theminorityYipeoplehavemain-tained,sofar,arelativeautonomywithintheChinesesystem.ThepoetAku Wuwu (b. 1964), of the Nuosu branch of the Yi, writes in bothhisnativelanguageandinChinese.Akuisgroundedinashamanisticculture,and,asathoughtfulprotectoroftheendangeredepistemology,place,andlanguageoftheNuosu,understandshistroublingpositioninregardtoChineseminoritypoliciesandglobalizationingeneral.

InTibet,weshouldknowthepoetsDhondupGyal,LhagyalTsher-ing,Dpa’dar,JuKalzang,andMeizhuo.

InFrenchPolynesia,theindigenouspoetLouisePeltzerisasubtleandcompassionatethinkerandkeeperofthemythicrootsandmean-ingsoftheTahitianlanguage.Herprolificworksshouldbebetterknowninternationally.

Andifthere’sanyroomleftintheshortspaceI’vebeenallotted,IwouldaddtoourhypotheticallistthreepoetsfromCanada.FromthefarWest,RobertBringhurstandJanZwicky,andfromthefarEast,DonMcKay.CriticallyacknowledgedinCanada,theyshouldbeonanyone’sNorthAmericanlistofseriouslyengaged“naturepoets.”

Whenyouthinkintenselyandbeautifully,somethinghappens.Thatsomethingiscalledpoetry.Ifyouthinkthatwayandspeakatthesametime,poetrygetsinyourmouth.Ifpeoplehearyou,itgetsintheirears.Ifyouthinkthatwayandwriteatthesametime,thenpoetrygetswritten.Butpoetryexistsinanycase.Thequestionisonly:areyougoingtotakepart,andifso,how?

—Robert Bringhurst, The Tree of Meaning: Thirteen Talks

Alanguageisasortoflifeform,likeadiscontinuousanimalorasymbioticplant.Dead,itisliketheintricatetestofaseaurchinorthe

FrankStewartPoet,ProjectAdvisor

The Canon of Nature Poetry in the Twenty-first Century: A Perspective from the Mid-Pacific

IntworecentissuesofManoa: A Pacific Journal of International Writing,Bar-ryLopezandIcollectedinternationalliteratureabout“reconciliation”amongthehumanandnon-humanecologies.WebeganbyprintingaspeechtotheUnitedNationsin2000byOrenLyons—OnondagaFaithKeeper,TurtleClan.“Leadersoftheworld,Ibringyouamosturgentmessage,”Lyonsbegan.“Theiceismeltinginthenorth!”Attheendofhisbriefandpowerfulappeal,Lyonsconcludedbysaying,“TherecanbenopeaceaslongaswewagewaruponOurMother,theEarth.Respon-sibleandcourageousactionsmustbetakentorealignourselveswiththegreat lawsofnature.Wemustmeet thiscrisisnow,whilewestillhavetime...Aswespeak,theicecontinuestomeltinthenorth.”

IhavenodefinitionforthetermNaturePoetryandwouldbalkatconceivingofalistcomprisinganythinglikeacanonforthefuture.ButifIampressed,Iimaginesuchalistwouldincludewritingthatdisplayedfouraspects,amongothers:thesenseofurgencyarticulatedbyOrenLy-ons;anearth-centricempathy;anethicalimaginationprofoundenoughto visualize what now seems impossible: coherence or consilience (touseE.O.Wilson’sterm)amongdiverseepistemologies;andamaporsetofdirectionsforadestinymorehopefulthantheonewenowface.Aspoetry,thewritingonmylistwouldhavetotouchthepartofusun-cloudedbytoomuchoftherationalthinkingthathasmadeasadmessoftheworld,toomuchsubjectivity,toomuchobjectivity,toomuchmentaltourismfromthesafetyofaparticularworldview.Iwouldhopethepo-etsonmylistwouldnotbetheremerelybecausetheyloveanimals,butbecausetheyareconcernedwiththepainfulbusinessofkeepingalivetheintegrityanddignityofalltheentangledecologiesoftheplanet.

BecauseI’vebeenaskedtothinkaboutinternationalpoetry,IwillmentionjustafewpoetsoutsidetheU.S.thatmightfitmyhypotheticallist—andwhomay,becauseofgeographyorlanguage,notbeonanyoneelse’slistonthisoccasion.

InTaiwan,LiuKexiang(b.1957)isaprolificpoetandadvocateforawarenessofthebiosphere,largeandsmall.Inover40books,includingchildren’sbooks,guidebooks,maps,scientificessays,novels,andpoetry,

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ChristopherMerrillPoet,ProjectAdvisor

The Canon of Nature Writing?

Acanonofnaturewritingisdifficult,ifnotimpossible,toimag-ine,forthesimplereasonthatnatureinitsmultiplicitydefiessystemsoforganization,shortofLinnaeantaxonomy,thatcannotaccountforitsvariety.Exclusionhasbeenthewatchwordofcanon-makingsincethetimeoftheChurchFathers;andifrecentscholarlybattlestoexpandtheliterarycanonhavefosteredalargerunderstandingofwhatconstitutesanauthenticrepresentationofourwalkinthesunitisalsotruethattheBookofNature is toovastandintricateforanyonetoreadinitsentirety,itsvol-umesrangingfromaboriginalchants toliteratureinamultitudeoflanguagestothelatestscientifictreatise;thewordsfortheearththatquickenthespiritoverfloweveryimaginablecontainer.Howtoassembleacollectionoftextsjudgedtobemasterpieces,poemsandfictionsandessaysdistinguishedbytheirenduringliteraryvalueandtheirattentiontothefateoftheearth?

Onewayistostartsmall.Gatherwritingsfromagivenplace—everyecosystemdemandsitsowncanon—spellsandcharms,storiesandstud-ies,versesandvisions,whicharticulatesomeaspectofthewholeandfirethesenses.Topayattentiontooneplace,togivevoicetoitsfloraandfauna,mayinspirenewregardforallthethingsoftheearth.

AnotherwayistoadoptthemethodologythatthePolishNobellau-reateCzeslawMiloszdevisedforUnattainable Earth,abookthatincludeshisownpoemsandavarietyofothertexts—translationsofpoemsbyWaltWhitman and D. H. Lawrence, prose inscriptions by Charles Baude-laireandPaulValéry,lettersfromfriends,meditationsonreligiousandphilosophical matters. He notes that in addition to writing poems inoneperiodofhislifehealso“livedamongpeople,wasfeeling,think-ing,gettingacquaintedwithothers’thoughts,andtriedtocapturethesurroundingworldbyanymeans,includingtheactofthepoem,butnotonly.”Heasks:

Whynotincludeinonebook,alongwithmyownpoems,poemsbyothers,notesinprose,quotationsfromvarioussourcesandevenfragmentsoflettersfromfriendsifallthesepiecesserveonepur-pose:myattempttoapproachtheinexpressiblesenseofbeing?

lifelessshellofacrab.Alive,itisaworkingformofintelligence,apartoftheintellectualgenepoolwhichhastakenonspecified,localizedform.Itisnot,asmanyofmycolleaguesintheliteraturebusinessliketosay,themotherofpoetry.Poetryhasnothingessentialtodowithlanguage.Languagejusthappenstobethetraditionalmeans—buthardlytheonlyavailablemeans—bywhichpoetryistouched,inwhichitistemporarilycaptured,andthroughwhichitisserved(or,asweallknow,sometimesdisserved).

Butifpoetryhasnothingquintessentialtodowithlanguage,whatdoesithavetodowith?Ithastodo,foronething,withtheotherformsofattention.WhenIsaythatcolonialAmericancultureseemstomein-sentient,thisiswhatIhaveinmind.Forallthescientists,poets,schol-ars, and trainedobserversofall kinds,all theprofessionalattention-payerswehave inwesternsociety,attentionispreciselywhatseemstobeabsentfromourdailylives.“Breathethroughyourfeet”isagentler,more informative, less self-centered, and less frustrated form of thewell-knownadjuration,“Payattention.”Itdoesn’tmeanpayattentiontome;itjustmeanspayattention.

Ifindsustenancenowforthatarchaicsenseofintegritymoreamongnaturaliststhanamongpoets,moreinbrokencountrythaninsocialor-der,morewithmarmotsandgreatblueheronsthanwithhumanbeings.Ihopethatmypoems,likethoseofthePresocratics—andlikethetalesofWalterMcGregoroftheQaiahllanas,andthegreatpoemofLucre-tius—arenotabouthumanbeingsexclusively,butabouttheworld,andaboutthepainfulbusinessoflovingandlivingwiththeworld.Breathingthroughthefeet,whilethecolonialculturekeepstearingtheairwithitshands.

Butspeechisinitsoriginsasetofsocialgestures,andamanwhoturnshisbackuponhisfellowssevershimselffromthewellspringsoflanguage….

—Robert Bringhurst, Pieces of Map, Pieces of Music

... the words for the earth that quicken the spirit overflow every imaginable container.

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Book Lists

Little Rock Zoo

I walk by the river

—Traditional Tsimshian Song

Whynotdothesamefornaturewriting?AskpoetsconcernedwiththedegradationofthenaturalworldtocompiletheirownversionsofUnattainable Earth. Here is what might go into mine: an e-mail from afriendontheislandofParosprovidingmewiththeGreeknamesofthelocalolives;reflectionsonJohnAshbery’sabilitytorenderthejumbleofperceptionscommontoanurbanlandscapethroughthejuxtapositionofoverheardbitsofconversationandimagesfromthestreet;andversesfromSaint-JohnPerse’sWinds,whichIrereadnotlongagoonahikeupStrawberryCanyon,inBerkeley,inthetranslationofHughChisholm:

Thesewereverygreatwindsoverallthefacesofthisworld,Verygreatwindsrejoicingovertheworld,havingneithereyrienor

restingplace,Havingneithercarenorcaution,andleavingus,intheirwake,Menofstrawintheyearofstraw.…Ah,yes,verygreatwindsover

allthefacesoftheliving!

Andmore:poems,andpassagesfromessays,andlinesfromwritersthroughtheages,inasmanyliterarytraditionsasIcandiscover,allintheserviceoftheunattainableearth.

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ReginaldHarrisPoetryintheBranchesCoordinator,PoetsHouse&MarshaHowardformerPoetryintheBranchesCoordinator,PoetsHouse

The Language of Conservation Book Lists

The“canon”ofnaturepoetryisperhapsbetterdescribedasawideprairie, an open sky, or an expanse of ocean stretching with promisetowardthehorizon.Poeticworkaboutnaturestretchesacrosstime,andacrossnationalandculturalorethnicboundaries.Wheneverandwher-everpoetshavewritten,theyhaveexploredtheconnectionsbetweenhu-manityandthenaturalworld.

These book lists offers a small sampling of this rich and variedwork. Developed by Poets House to assist librarians with collectiondevelopment,mostoftheworksarereadilyavailableforpurchase,al-thoughsomemoredifficulttofindtitleshavebeenincludedbecauseoftheirhistoricalimportance.

BeginningwithalistofthepoetsandtheirworkusedinLanguage of Conservation installationsatthefivezoosacrossthecountry,wehaveat-temptedtooffertolibrarians,educators,andpoetryloversanoverviewofthefield.Worksthatappealtoyoungreadersarenotedbyasterisks.

Sources for the Zoo Installations

Corresponding sites are noted as follows:BK(Brookfield Zoo),JX(Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens),LR(Little Rock Zoo),MW(Milwaukee County Zoo),andNO(Audubon Society - New Orleans).

Alcosser,Sandra.“WhatMakestheGrizzliesDance.”Except By Nature.St.PaulMN:GraywolfPress,1998.BK

Anonymous.“MagicWords,”translatedbyEdwardField.News of the Universe: Poems of Twofold Consciousness.RobertBly,editor.SanFrancisco:SierraClubBooks,1995.JX

Little Rock Zoo

when i was a child / i was a squirrel a bluejay a fox / and spoke with them in their tongues / climbed their trees dug their dens / and knew the taste / of every grass and stone / the meaning of the sun / the message of the night

—Norman H. Russell, Cherokee, from “The Message of the Rain”

182 183

Brooks,Gwendolyn.“BigBessieThrowsHerSonintotheStreet.”Blacks.ChicagoIL:ThirdWorldPress,1991.BK

Buson,Taniguchi.“SpringBreeze,”translatedbyHaroldG.Hender-son.An Introduction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Basho to Shiki.GardenCityNY:Doubleday/Anchor,1958.MW

Carman,Bliss.“AVagabondSong.”Poetry II: Literary Heritage,R.StanleyPeterson,editor.NewYorkNY:Macmillan,1962.MW

Chapman,Robin.“Dancers.”Abundance.HalifaxPA:CiderPress,2009.MW

Clifton,Lucille.“breaklight.”Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980.RochesterNY:BOAEditions,1987.MW

Daniel,John.“CommonGround.”Common Ground.LewistonID:Con-fluencePress,1988.LR

Davies,W.H.“Leisure.”The Complete Poems of W. H. Davies.LondonUK:JonathanCape,1963.MW

Deming,AlisonHawthorne.“InSpringDriftCreek.”Genius Loci.NewYorkNY:PenguinBooks,2005. JX

Deming,AlisonHawthorne.“WorksandDays.”Rope.NewYorkNY:PenguinBooks,2009.JX

Dickinson,Emily.[“AnarrowFellowintheGrass”].The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson.ThomasH.Johnson,editor.NewYorkNY:BackBayBooks,1976.LR

Dickinson,Emily.[“Bee!I’mexpectingyou!”].The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson.ThomasH.Johnson,editor.NewYorkNY:BackBayBooks,1976.MW

Dickinson,Emily.[“CivilizationSpurnstheLeopard!”].The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson.ThomasH.Johnson,editor.NewYorkNY:BackBayBooks,1976.NO

Anonymous.“MakeYourBeginning,YouWhoSing,”translatedbyDavidDamrosch.The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Volume C: The Early Modern Period,DavidDamrosch,editor.WhitePlainsNY:Longman,2004.NO

Apotheker,Alison.“WhyISaidJellyfish.”Slim Margin.CincinnatiOH:WordPress,2008.MW

Auden,W.H.“Woods.”Collected Poems.NewYorkNY:RandomHouse,1976.BK

Awoonor,Kofi.“Awakening.”Breast of the Earth: A Survey of the History, Culture, and Literature of Africa South of the Sahara.GardenCityNY:Anchor,1975.LR

Basho,Matsuo.“[ACaterpillar…],”translatedbyRobertHass.The Es-sential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa, RobertHass,editor.HopewellNJ:EccoPress,1994.LR

Berry,Wendell.“PrayersandSayingsoftheMadFarmer.”The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry.WashingtonDC:Counterpoint,1998.MW

Berry,Wendell.“ThePeaceofWildThings.”The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry.WashingtonDC:Counterpoint,1998.JX, MW

Berry,Wendell.“TotheUnseeableAnimal.”The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry.WashingtonDC:Counterpoint,1998.BK

Blake,William.“AuguriesofInnocence.”The Complete Prose and Poetry of William Blake,DavidV.Erdman,editor.NewYorkNY:Anchor,1997.MW

Blake,William.“LaughingSong.”The Complete Poetry and Prose of William Blake,DavidV.Erdman,editor.NewYorkNY:Anchor,1997.NO

Borges,JorgeLuis.“TheOtherTiger.”Dreamtigers,MildredBoyerandHaroldMorland,translators.AustinTX:UniversityofTexasPress,1964.MW

Bourque,Darrell.“OldWomanFishingfromtheBridge.”The Blue Boat: Poems.LafayetteLA:CenterforLouisianaStudies,2004.NO

184 185

Gyodai.[“Thefallingleaves/fallandpileup;therain/beatsontherain”],translatedbyHaroldG.Henderson.An Introduction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Basho to Shiki.GardenCityNY:Doubleday/Anchor,1958.MW

Haines,John.“AndWhentheGreenManComes.”News from the Glacier: Selected Poems 1960-1980.MiddletownCT:WesleyanUniversityPress,1982.MW

Haines,John.“ToTurnBack.”Winter News.MiddletownCT:WesleyanUniversityPress,1966.LR, MW

HanShan.“ColdMountainPoems,”translatedbyDavidHinton.Mountain Home: The Wilderness Poetry of Ancient China.NewYorkNY:NewDi-rections,2005.JX

Hansen,Tom.“Jump-RopeRhyme.”Falling to Earth: Poems.Rochester,NY:BOAEditions,2006.MW

Harjo,Joy.“EaglePoem.”In Mad Love and War.MiddletownCT:WesleyanUniversityPress,1990.BK

Harjo,Joy.“Remember.”She Had Some Horses.NewYorkNY:Thunder’sMouthPress,1983. MW

Harjo,Joy.“Transformations.”Harper’s Anthology of Twentieth-Century Native American Poets,DuaneNiatum,editor.NewYorkNY:HarperOne,1988.JX

Harrison,Jim.“AGeo-Bestiary.”The Poets Guide to the Birds,JudithKitch-enandTedKooser,editors.TallahasseeFL:AnhingaPress,2009.MW

Hashin.[“Noskyatall;/noearthatall/andstill/thesnowflakesfall...”],translatedbyHaroldG.Henderson.An Introduction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Basho to Shiki.GardenCityNY:Doubleday/Anchor,1958.MW

Henson,Lance.[“ImpressionofStrongHeartSong”].The Remembered Earth: An Anthology of Contemporary Native American Literature,GearyHobson,editor.AlbuquerqueNM:UniversityofNewMexicoPress,1980.LR

Dickinson,Emily.[“Hopeisthethingwithfeathers”].The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson.ThomasH.Johnson,editor.NewYorkNY:BackBayBooks,1976.BK, NO

Dinesen,Isak(akaKarenvonBlixen-Finecke).[“Theeagle’sshadowrunsacrosstheplain”].Out of Africa.NewYorkNY:RandomHouse,1938.MW

Doty,Mark.“Visitation.”Sweet Machine.NewYorkNY:HarperCollins,1998.NO

Field,Barron.“Kangaroo,Kangaroo!”Field’s First Fruits of Australian Poetry.SydneyAustralia:EdwardsandShaw,1819.MW

Fisher,Aileen.“TheWorldAroundUs.”Sing of the Earth and Sky: Poems about Our Planet and the Wonders Beyond.HonesdalePA:BoydMillsPress,2001.LR

Florian,Douglas.“TheOwl.”Zoo’s Who: Poems and Paintings.OrlandoFL:HarcourtChildren’sBooks,2005.JX

Francis,Robert.“BlueWinter.”Collected Poems 1936-1976.AmherstMA:TheUniversityofMassachusettsPress,1976.MW

Frost,Robert.“DustofSnow.”The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged,EdwardConneryLathem,editor.NewYorkNY:HenryHolt,1969.MW

Ghigna,Charles.“Snakes.”Animal Trunk: Silly Poems to Read Aloud.NewYorkNY:H.N.Abrams,1999.JX

Gibran,Kahlil.The Prophet.NewYorkNY:Knopf,1923.JX

Glaser,MichaelS.“ThePresenceofTrees.”Between Earth and Sky: Our Inti-mate Connections to Trees,NaliniNadkarni,editor.BerkeleyCA:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2008.MW

Glück,Louise.“October.”Averno.NewYorkNY:Farrar,Straus&Gir-oux,2006.JX

Grennan,Eamon.“ColdComfort”and“WhatMatter.”Matter of Fact: Poems.St.PaulMN:GraywolfPress,2008.MW

186 187

Jackson,HelenHunt.“October’sBrightBlueWeather.”Poems.BostonMA:RobertsBrothers,1892.MW

Jacobik,Gray.“Flamingos.”The Poets Guide to the Birds.JudithKitchenandTedKooser,editors.TallahasseeFL:AnhingaPress,2009.MW

Jeffers,Robinson.“CarmelPoint.” The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers, Volume 3. TimHunt,editor.PaloAltoCA:StanfordUniversityPress,1991.NO

Jeffers,Robinson.“TheAnswer.”The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers. TimHunt,editor.PaloAlto,CA:StanfordUniversityPress,1988.BK

Jeffers,Robinson.“Vulture.”The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers. TimHunt,editor.PaloAlto,CA:StanfordUniversityPress,1988.JX

Johnston,Tony.“TheSeaisOurMother.”TheTreeThatTimeBuilt:A Celebration of Nature, Science and Imagination, MaryAnnHobermanandLindaWinston,editors.NappervilleIL:SourcebooksJabberwocky,2009.LR

Kinnell,Galway.“InFieldsofSummer.”The Avenue Bearing the Initial of Christ into the New World: Poems 1953-1964.BostonMA:MarinerBooks,2002.NO

Kinnell,Galway.“UndertheMaudMoon.”The Book of Nightmares.BostonMA:HoughtonMifflin,1971.BK

KobayashiIssa.[“Therespringpasses/asway,aswinglook!onthe/moorland,thegrasses!”],translatedbyHaroldG.Henderson.An Intro-duction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Basho to Shiki. GardenCityNY:Doubleday/Anchor,1958.MW

Lanier,Sidney.“TheMarshesofGlynn.”Poems of Sidney Lanier.WilliamHayesWard,editor.CharlestonSC:BiblioBazaar,2009. NO

Lawless,Gary.“EarthPrayers.” Poems for the Wild Earth.NobleboroME:Blackberry,1994.LR

Lawless,Gary.“TreatEachBearastheLastBear.”Grrrrr: A Collection of Poems about Bears,C.B.Follett,editor.SausalitoCA:ArctosPress.BK

Herbert,Zbigniew.“TotheRiver,”translatedbyAlyssaValles.The Col-lected Poems 1956-1998.NewYorkNY:EccoPress,2008.NO

Hesse,Hermann.“Adagio,”translatedbyJamesWright.Hermann Hesse: Poems.NewYorkNY:Farrar,Straus&Giroux,1970.MW

Hesse,Hermann.“Sometimes,”translatedbyRobertBly.News of the Uni-verse: Poems of Twofold Consciousness.SanFranciscoCA:SierraClubBooks,1995.BK, JX, NO

Heyrick,Thomas.“OnanIndianTomineios,theLeastofBirds.”New Oxford Book of Seventeenth-Century Verse,AlastairFowler,editor.NewYorkNY:OxfordUniversityPress,2002.NO

Hikmet,Nazim.“ThingsIDidn’tKnowILoved,”translatedbyRandyBlasingandMutluKonuk.Poems of Nazim Hikmet.NewYorkNY:Persea,2002.NO

Hirshfield,Jane.“LakeandMaple.”After: Poems.NewYorkNY:Harper-Collins,2006. BK

Hogan,Linda.“ElkSong.”Savings.MinneapolisMN:CoffeeHousePress,1988.MW

Hope,A.D.“Tiger.”Collected Poems 1930-1970.SydneyAustralia:AngusandRobertson,1972. LR

Hopkins,GerardManley.“Inversnaid.”Poems and Prose.W.H.Gardner,editor.NewYorkNY:Penguin,1953.MW, NO

Hughes,Langston.“AprilRainSong.”The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes.ArnoldRampersad,editor.NewYorkNY:Vintage,1995.MW

Hughes,Langston.“BlueBayou”and“MississippiLevee.”The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes.ArnoldRampersad,editor.NewYorkNY:Vin-tage,1995.NO

Hughes,Langston.“TheNegroSpeaksofRivers.” The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes.ArnoldRampersad,editor.NewYorkNY:Vintage,1995.JX, NO

188 189

Merwin,W.S.“Witness.”Migration: New & Selected Poems.PortTownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2005.BK

Millay,EdnaSt.Vincent.“Renascence.”Collected Poems.NewYorkNY:HarperPerennial,1981.BK

Moffitt,John.“ToLookatAnything.”The Living Seed.NewYorkNY:HarcourtBraceJovanovich,1961.NO

Momaday,N.Scott.“TheDelightSongofTsoai-Talee.”The Gourd Dancer.NewYorkNY:HarperandRow,1976.LR

Montague,John.“TheTrout.”Collected Poems.Winston-SalemNC:WakeForestUniversityPress,1995.MW

Moore,KathleenDean.“HowlingwithStrangers.”Holdfast: At Home in the Natural World.NewYorkNY:TheLyonsPress,1999.MW

Morley,Hilda.“December.”Art & Nature: An Illustrated Anthology of Nature Poetry,selectedbyKateFarrell.BostonMA:Little,Brown,1992.MW

Mörling,Malena.“Gone.”Astoria.PittsburghPA:UniversityofPitts-burghPress,2006.NO

Murray,Les.“Dreambabwe.”Learning Human: Selected Poems.NewYorkNY:Farrar,Straus&Giroux,2000.MW

Nash,Ogden.“Hippopotamus.”The Life and Rhymes of Ogden Nash,DavidStuart,editor.LanhamMD:MadisonBooks,2000. MW

Neruda,Pablo.“SomeBeasts,”translatedbyAnthonyKerrigan.Neruda: Selected Poems. BostonMA:HoughtonMifflin,1990.MW, NO

Neruda,Pablo.Memoirs,translatedbyHardieSt.Martin.NewYorkNY:Farrar,Straus&Giroux,1977.BK

deNerval,Gérard.“GoldenLines,”translatedbyRobertBly.News of the Universe: Poems of Twofold Consciousness,RobertBly,editor.SanFranciscoCA:SierraClubBooks,1995.JX

Lawrence,D.H.“ALiving.”The Complete Poems,ViviandesolaPintoandWarrenF.Roberts,editors.NewYorkNY:Penguin,1994.NO

Lee,Li-Young.“PraiseThem.”Book of My Nights.RochesterNY:BOAEditions,2001.MW

Lorca,FedericoGarcía.“August,”translatedbyJamesWright. In Praise of Fertile Land: An Anthology of Poetry, Parable, and Story.ClaudiaMauro,editor.SeattleWA:WhitPress,2003.MW

Lorca,FedericoGarcía.“HalfMoon,”translatedbyW.S.Merwin.The Selected Poems of Federico García Lorca.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,1955.BK

Machado,Antonio.“TheWind,OneBrilliantDay,”translatedbyRobertBly.Times Alone: Selected Poems of Antonio Machado.MiddletownCT:WesleyanUniversityPress,1983. JX

Maris,Hyullus.“IAmaChildoftheDreamtimePeople.”A Secret Coun-try: The Secret Australia.LondonUK:JonathanCape,1989.LR

Marvell,Andrew.“TheGarden.”The Complete Poems,ElizabethStoryDonno,editor.NewYorkNY:Penguin,2005.NO

McDonald,Ian.“TheSunParrotsAreLateThisYear.”Selected Poems.OxfordUK:MacmillanCaribbean,2008. JX

Melendez,Maria.“Aullido.”How Long She’ll Last in This World.TucsonAZ:UniversityofArizonaPress,2006.BK, MW

Menashe,Samuel.“TheBareTree.”Niche Narrows: New and Selected Poems.JerseyCityNJ:TalismanHouse,2000.MW

Merwin,W.S.“ALettertoRuthStone.”The Shadow of Sirius.PortTownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2008.LR

Merwin,W.S.“Place.”The Rain in the Trees.NewYorkNY:Knopf,1988.LR

Merwin,W.S.“TheRiverofBees.”Migration: New & Selected Poems. PortTownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2005.JX

190 191

Roethke,Theodore.“TheBat.”The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke.NewYorkNY:AnchorPress,1975.MW

Rogers,Pattiann.“AnimalsandPeople:‘TheHumanHeartinConflictwithItself’.”Firekeeper: Selected Poems, Revised and Expanded Edition. Minneapo-lisMN:MilkweedEditions,2005.MW

Ryan,Kay.“FlamingoWatching.”Flamingo Watching.ProvidenceRI:Cop-perBeechPress,1994.NO

Sakaki,Nanao.“DaylightMoon.”Let’s Eat Stars.NobleboroME:Black-berryBooks,1997.LR

Sandburg,Carl.“PoemsDoneonaLateNightCar.”Chicago Poems.ChampaignIL:UniversityofIllinoisPress,2002.BK

Saner,Reg.“ThisGrizzly.”Poetry Comes Up Where It Can: An Anthology: Poems from the Amicus Journal 1990-2000,BrianSwann,editor.SaltLakeCityUT:UniversityofUtahPress,2000.MW

Sarton,May.“Metamorphosis.”Collected Poems 1930-1993. NewYorkNY:W.W.Norton,1993.MW

Schweitzer,Albert.“Untilheextendshiscircleofcompassiontoalllivingthings…”The Philosophy of Civilization.NewYorkNY:Prometheus,1987.JX

Shakespeare,William.“thismostexcellentcanopy,theair…” Hamlet, Act II, Scene II. Collected Works.NewYorkNY:ModernLibrary,2007.NO

Shiki,Masaoka.[“Theautumnwind:/formetherearenogods;/therearenoBuddhas”],translatedbyHaroldG.Henderson. An Intro-duction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Basho to Shiki. GardenCityNY:Doubleday/Anchor,1958.MW

Shragg,Karen.“ThinkLikeaTree.”Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees,NaliniNadkarni,editor.BerkeleyCA:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2008.MW

Singer,Marilyn.“RainForest.” How to Cross a Pond: Poems about Water.NewYorkNY:RandomHouse,2005.LR

O’Hara,Frank.“ATrueAccountofTalkingtotheSunatFireIsland.”The Collected Poems of Frank O’Hara.DonaldAllen,editor.NewYorkNY:GrovePress,1971.NO

Oliver,Louis(Littlecoon).“EmptyKettle.”Caught in a Willow Net: Poems and Stories.NewYorkNY:GreenfieldReviewPress,1983.LR

Oliver,Mary.“HeronRisesfromtheDark,SummerPond.”What Do We Know: Poems and Prose Poems. CambridgeMA:DaCapoPress,2003.NO

Oliver,Mary.“SleepingintheForest.”Twelve Moons.BostonMA:Little,Brown,1979.BK, LR

Oliver,Mary.“TheSummerDay.”The Truro Bear and Other Adventures. Bos-tonMA:BeaconPress,2008.JX

Patchen,Kenneth.“TheSnowIsDeepontheGround.”Selected Poems.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,1957.MW

Piercy,Marge.“DiggingIn”and“ToBeofUse.”Circles on the Water: Se-lected Poems of Marge Piercy.NewYorkNY:AlfredA.Knopf,1982.MW

Plath,Sylvia.“IAmVertical.” Collected Poems.NewYorkNY:HarperPe-rennial,1992.BK

Porchia,Antonio.“Eventhesmallestofcreatures…”Voices: Aphorisms,translatedbyW.S.Merwin.PortTownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2003.BK

Ransom,W.M.“StatementonOurHigherEducation.”Carriers of the Dream Wheel: Contemporary Native American Poetry,DuaneNiatum,editor.NewYorkNY:HarperandRow,1975.LR

Ravikovitch,Dahlia.“TheSoundofBirdsatNoon,”translatedbyMar-ciaFalk.Hovering at a Low Altitude: The Collected Poems of Dahlia Ravikovitch. NewYorkNY:W.W.Norton,2009.LR

Roethke,Theodore.“TheWaking.”The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke. NewYorkNY:AnchorPress,1975.MW, NO

Roethke,Theodore.“Snake.”The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke.NewYorkNY:AnchorPress,1975.NO

192 193

Wagoner,David.“Lost.”Traveling Light: Collected and New Poems. ChampaignIL:UniversityofIllinoisPress,1999.BK, LR, MW

Wordsworth,William.“ThePrelude.”The Major Works.StephenGill,edi-tor.NewYorkNY:OxfordUniversityPress,2008.JX

Yasui.“TheWildGeeseLeave,”translatedbyHaroldG.Henderson.An Introduction to Haiku: An Anthology of Poems and Poets from Basho to Shiki.GardenCityNY:Doubleday/Anchor,1958.MW

Poetry Collections

Asterisks (**) denote titles for younger readers.

Abbs,Peter,editor.Earth Songs: A Resurgence Anthology of Contemporary Eco-Poetry. DevonUK:GreenBooks,2003.

Alarcon,FranciscoX.andMayaChristinaGonzalez,illustrator.**Ani-mal Poems of the Iguazu / Animalario del Iguazu. SanFranciscoCA:Children’sBookPress,2008.

Alcosser,Sandra.A Fish to Feed All Hunger.BoisieID:AhsahtaPress,1993.

Alcosser,Sandra.Except by Nature. Minneapolis,MN:GraywolfPress,1998.

Ali,TahaMuhammad.So What: New and Selected Poems, 1971-2005, trans-latedbyPeterCole,YahyaHijazi,andGabrielLevin.PortTownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2006.

Baker,David.Never-Ending Birds.NewYorkNY:W.W.Norton,2009.

Beachy-Quick,Dan.Mulberry.NorthAdamsMA:TupeloPress,2006

BeiDao.The Rose of Time: New and Selected Poems,EliotWeinberger,editor.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,2010.

Blackaby,Susan.**Nest, Nook and Cranny.WatertownMA:Charlesbridge,2010.

Smelcer,JohnE.“OnFeetofClouds.”The Language Raven Gave Us.Wash-ingtonDC:DelSolPress,2009.BK

Snyder,Gary.“ByFrazierCreekFalls.”Turtle Island.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,1974.BK

Stafford,William.“Assurance.”The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems.St.PaulMN:GraywolfPress,1998.MW

Stafford,William.“InFur”and“LearningYourPlace.” The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems. St.PaulMN:GraywolfPress,1998.LR

Swenson,May.“Motherhood.”Nature: Poems Old and New.BostonMA:HoughtonMifflin,1994.MW

Tagore,Rabindranath.[“Thebutterflycountsnotmonthsbutmo-ments,/andhastimeenough.”].Fireflies.NewYorkNY:TheMacmillanCompany,1928;NewDelhiIndia:Rupa&Co.,2002.MW

Tapahonso,Luci.“ABlessing.”A Radiant Curve: Poems and Stories. TucsonAZ:TheUniversityofArizonaPress,2008.BK

Tranströmer,Tomas.“FromMarch1979,”translatedbyRobinRobert-son.The Deleted World. LondonUK:EnitharmonPress,2006.LR

Tsuda,Margaret.“HardQuestions.”Room for Me and a Mountain Lion: Poetry of Open Space,NancyLarrick,editor.NewYorkNY:Bantam,1975.BK

Uschuk,Pamela.“WolfLecture.”Comeback Wolves.BoulderCO:JohnsonBooks,2005.BK, MW

VanClief-Stefanon,Lyrae.“Leda.”Black Swan.PittsburghPA:Univer-sityofPittsburghPress,2002.NO

VanDoren,Mark.“IfTheySpoke.”Collected and New Poems 1924-1963.NewYorkNY:HillandWang,1963.LR

VirginiaDrivingHawkSneve.“IWatchedanEagleSoar.”Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth,VirginiaDrivingHawkSneve,editor.NewYorkNY:HolidayHouse,1989.MW

194 195

Doty,Mark.Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems.NewYorkNY:HarperPe-rennial,2009.

Dungy,CamilleT.,editor.Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry.AthensGA:UniversityofGeorgiaPress,2009.

Dunn,Sara,editor.Poetry for the Earth: A Collection of Poems from Around the World that Celebrates Nature. NewYorkNY:BallantineBooks,1992.

Fagan,Kate.The Long Moment.CambridgeUK:SaltPublishing,2002.

Felstiner,John.Can Poetry Save the Earth? A Field Guide to Nature Poems. NewHavenCT:YaleUniversityPress,2009.

Finch,Annie.Calendars.NorthAdamsMA:TupeloPress,2003.

Finch,Annie.The Encyclopedia of Scotland.LondonUK:SaltPublishing,2004.

Fleischman,Paul.Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices.NewYorkNY:Harper-Collins,2004.

Fleming,Denise.**In the Small, Small Pond.NewYorkNY:HenryHolt,2007.

Fleming,Denise. **In the Tall, Tall Grass.NewYorkNY:HenryHolt,1995.

Florian,Douglas.**Beast Feast.NewYorkNY:Voyager,1998.

Florian,Douglas.**Insectopedia.NewYorkNY:Voyager,2002.

Florian,Douglas.**Mammalabalia.NewYorkNY:Voyager,2004.

Franco,Betsy,andSteveJenkins,illustrator.**Bees, Snails and Peacock Tails.NewYorkNY:MargaretK.McElderryBooks,2008.

Gander,Forrest.Eye Against Eye. NewYorkNY:NewDirections,2005.

Gander,Forrest.Science & Steepleflower.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,1998.

Bly,Robert.Eating the Honey of Words: New and Selected Poems. NewYorkNY:HarperPerennial,2000.

Bly,Robert.My Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy. NewYorkNY:HarperPerennial,2006.

Bly,Robert.The Winged Energy of Delight: Selected Translations.NewYorkNY:HarperPerennial,2005.

Bosselaar,Laure-Anne,editor.Urban Nature: Poems about Wildlife in the City.MinneapolisMN:MilkweedEditions,2000.

Bracho,Coral.Firefly Under the Tongue: Selected Poems,translatedbyForrestGander.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,1998.

Bringhurst,Robert.Selected Poems.KentvilleNovaScotia:GaspereauPress,2009.

Bruchac,Joseph.**The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land.NewYorkNY:Putnam/Penguin,1998.

Bruchac,Joseph.**Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back. NewYorkNY:Putnam/Penguin,1997.

Bruchac,Joseph.Ndakinna (Our Land): New and Selected Poems. AlbuquerqueNM:WestEndPress,2003.

Carle,Eric,illustrator,andLauraWhipple,compiler.**Eric Carle’s Ani-mals.NewYorkNY:Putnam/Penguin,1999.

Christensen,Inger.Alphabet,translatedbySusannaNied.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,1998.

Collins,Billy,editor,DavidAllenSibley,illustrator.Bright Wings: An Il-lustrated Anthology of Poems about Birds. NewYorkNY:ColumbiaUniversityPress,2009.

Deming,AllisonHawthorne.Science and Other Poems.BatonRouge,LA.LouisianaStateUniversityPress,1994.

Derleth,August.Collected Poems 1937 - 1967.SaxonTechnology1995(AvailablefromAugustDerlethSociety,P.O.Box481,SaukCityWI53583.www.derleth.org)

196 197

Higginson,WilliamJ.The Haiku Seasons: Poetry of the Natural World. BerkeleyCA:StoneBridgePress,2008.

Hillman,Brenda.Cascadia.MiddletownCT:WesleyanUniversityPress,2001.

Hillman,Brenda.Practical Water. MiddletownCT:WesleyanUniversityPress,2009.

Hirshfield,Jane.Come Thief.NewYork,NY:Knopf,2011.

Hirshfield,Jane.Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women. NewYork,NY:HarperPerennial,1995.

Hix,H.L.Legible Heavens.Wilkes-BarrePA:EtruscanPress,2008.

Hogan,Linda.Savings.MinneapolisMN:CoffeeHousePress,1988.

Hollander,John,editor. Animal Poems.NewYorkNY:Everyman’sLi-brary,1994.

Hopkins,LeeBennett,editor.**Hoofbeats, Claws and Rippled Fins: Creature Poems. NewYorkNY:HarperCollins,2002.

Hopkins,LeeBennett.**Sharing the Seasons.NewYorkNY:MargaretK.McElderryBooks,2010.

Inada,LawsonFusao.Drawing the Line.MinneapolisMN:CoffeeHousePress,1997.

Inada,LawsonFusao.Legends from Camp.MinneapolisMN:CoffeeHousePress,1993.

Jarrell,Randall,andMauriceSendak,illustrator.**The Bat Poet. NewYorkNY:HarperCollins,1997.

Jeffers,Robinson.The Wild God of the World: An Anthology of Robinson Jeffers.PaloAltoCA:StanfordUniversityPress,2003.

Keith,Sally.Dwelling Song.AthensGA:UniversityofGeorgiaPress,2004.

George,KristineO’Connel,andBarryMoser,illustrator. **Hummingbird Nest, A Journal of Poems.NewYorkNY:Harcourt,2004.

Gollub,Matthew,andKazukoStone,illustrator. **Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa. NewYorkNY:Lee&Low,2004.

Grennan,Eamon.Out of Sight: New and Selected Poems.St.PaulMN:Gray-wolfPress,2010

Grennan,Eamon.Relations: New and Selected Poems.St.PaulMN:GraywolfPress,1998.

GuCheng.Sea of Dreams: The Selected Writings of Gu Cheng,translatedbyJo-sephAllen.NewYorkNY:NewDirections,2005.

Hamill,Sam,translator.The Sound of Water: Haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa and Other Poets.BostonMA:ShambhalaPublications,2006.

Harley,Avis.**The Monarch’s Progress: Poems with Wings.HonesdalePA:Wordsong,2008.

Harmon,Joshua. Scape. BostonMA:BlackOcean,2009.

Hass,Robert.The Apple Trees at Olema: New and Selected Poems. NewYorkNY:EccoPress,2010.

Hass,Roberteditor,translator.The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa,HopewellNJ:EccoPress,1994.

Hearne,Vicki.Tricks of the Light: New and Selected Poems.ChicagoIL:Univer-sityofChicagoPress,2007.

Heller-Levi,Jan.Once I Gazed at You In Wonder.BatonRougeLA:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,1999.

Heller-Levi,Jan.Skyspeak.BatonRougeLA:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,2005.

Hempel,AmyandJimShephard.Unleashed:Poems by Writers’ Dogs.NewYorkNY:ThreeRiversPress,1999.

198 199

Merrill,Christopher.Brilliant Water.BuffaloNY:WhitePinePress,2001.

Merrill,Christopher.Watch Fire. BuffaloNY:WhitePinePress,1995.

Merwin,W.S.Migration:New and Selected Poems.PortTownsend,WA:Cop-perCanyonPress,2007.

Michael,Pamela,editor.**River of Words: Young Poets and Artists on the Nature of Things.MinneapolisMN:MilkweedEditions,2008.

Mitchell,Stephen,editor.Bestiary: An Anthology of Poems about Animals.NewYorkNY:HarperCollins,2005.

Moldaw,Carol.The Lightning Field. OberlinOH:OberlinCollegePress,2003.

Mosley,Ivo,editor.Earth Poems: Poems from Around the World to Honor the Earth.NewYorkNY:HarperCollins,1996.

Mu,Yang.No Trace of the Gardener: Poems of Yang Mu,translatedbyLawrenceR.SmithandMichelleYeh.NewHavenCT:YaleUniversityPress,1998.

Muldoon,Paul,editor.The Faber Book of Beasts.LondonUK:FaberandFaber,1997.

Nanao,Sakaki.Let’s Eat Stars.NobleboroME:BlackberryBooks,1997.

Nelson,DylanandKentNelson,editors.Birds in the Hand: Fiction and Poetry About Birds.NewYorkNY:NorthPointPress,2005.

Nelson,Marilyn.**Carver: A Life in Poetry.HonesdalePA:FrontStreet,2001.

Nelson,Marilyn.The Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems. BatonRougeLA:LouisianaStateUniversityPress,1997.

Niatum,Duane,editor.Carriers of the Dream Wheel: Contemporary Native Ameri-can Poetry.NewYorkNY:HarperandRow,1975.

Kinnell,Galway.A New Selected Poems.NewYorkNY:MarinerBooks,2001.

Kinnell,Galway. Strong Is Your Hold. NewYorkNY:MarinerBooks,2008.

Klink,Joanna.Raptus.NewYorkNY:PenguinBooks,2010.

Lambeth,LaurieClements.Veil and Burn.ChampaignIL:UniversityofIllinoisPress,2008.

Larios,Julie.**Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary. BostonMA:Harcourt,2006.

Larrick,Nancy,editor.Room for Me and a Mountain Lion: Poetry of Open Space.NewYorkNY:M.Evans&Co.,1974.

Lewin,Betsy.**Animal Snackers.NewYorkNY:Holt,2004.

Lewis,J.Patrick.**Swan Song: Poems of Extinction.MankatoMN:CreativeEditions,2003.

Maddox,Marjorie.**A Crossing of Zebras: Animal Packs in Poetry. HonesdalePA:Wordsong,2008.

Maloney,Dennis,editor.Dreaming the Miracle: Three French Prose Poets: Max Jacob, Jean Follain, Francis Ponge,WilliamKulikandBethArcherBrombert,translators.BuffaloNY:WhitePinePress,2002.

McClatchy,J.D.,editor.The Four Seasons: Poems. NewYorkNY:Every-man’sLibraryPocketPoets,2008.

McClatchy,J.D.,editor.On Wings of Song: Poems about Birds.NewYorkNY:Everyman’sLibrary,2000.

McKay,Don.Field Marks: The Poetry of Don McKay.WaterlooOntario:Wil-fridLaurierUniversityPress,2006.

Merrifield,KarlaLinnandRogerM.Weir.The Dire Elegies: 59 Poets on Endangered Species of North America. KanonaNY:FoothillsPublishing,2006.

200 201

Roehl,Renee,andKellyChadwick,editors.Decomposition: Fungi-Inspired Poems. SandpointID:LostHorsePress,2010.

Rogers,Pattiann.Firekeeper: Selected Poems. Minneapolis,MN:MilkweedEditions,2005.

Rothenberg,Jerome,editor.Technicians of the Sacred: A Range of Poetries from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania, Second edition, Revised and Expanded. BerkeleyCA:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1985.

Ruddell,Deborah.A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems.NewYorkNY:MargaretK.McElderryBooks,2009.

Schlegel,Rob.The Lesser Fields. Ft.CollinsCO:CenterforLiteraryPub-lishing,2009.

Shvarts,Elena.Birdsong on the Seabed.NorthumberlandUK:BloodaxeBooks,2008.

Sidman,JoyceandBethKrommes,illustrator.**Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. BostonMA:HoughtonMifflin,2006.

Sierra,Judy,andJoseAruegoandDeweyAriane,illustrators.**Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems.NewYorkNY:Voyager,2003.

Sierra,JudyandBarneySaltzberg,illustrator.**There’s a Zoo in Room 22. NewYorkNY:Voyager,2004.

Singer,MarilynandMeiloSo,illustrator.**Footprints on the Roof: Poems About the Earth. NewYorkNY:Knopf,2002.

Snyder,Gary.Mountains and Rivers Without End. WashingtonDC:Counter-point,2008.

Snyder,Gary.No Nature: New and Selected Poems.NewYorkNY:Pantheon,1993.

St.John,David.Study for the World’s Body: New and Selected Poems.NewYork,NY:HarperPerennial,1994.

Stewart,Frank.By All Means.BerkeleyCA:ElLeónLiteraryArts,2003.

Noda,Takayo.**Dear World.NewYorkNY:PenguinPuffin,2004.

Nye,NaomiShihab.**Honeybee: Poems & Short Prose. NewYorkNY:Harp-erCollins,2008.

Nye,NaomiShihab.**A Maze Me: Poems for Girls. NewYorkNY:Harper-Teen,2005.

Nye,NaomiShihab.**This Same Sky. NewYorkNY:Aladdin,1996.

Nye,NaomiShihab.You and Yours.RochesterNY:BOAEditionsLtd.,2005.

Oliver,Mary.Evidence.BostonMA:BeaconPress,2009.

Oliver,Mary.New and Selected Poems, Volume Two. BostonMA:BeaconPress,2003.

Pack,RobertandJayParini,editors.Poems for a Small Planet: A Bread Loaf Anthology.LebanonNH:UniversityPressofNewEngland,1993.

Peacock,Molly. Cornucopia: New and Selected Poems. NewYorkNY:Norton,2004.

Peacock,Molly.The Second Blush.NewYorkNY:Norton,2008.

Prelutsky,Jack,editor,MeiloSo,illustrator.**The Beauty of the Beast: Poems from the Animal Kingdom.NewYorkNY:Knopf,2006.

Prelutsky,Jack,PeterSis,illustrator.**Scranimals. NewYorkNY:Harp-erTrophy,2006.

Riordan,MauriceandJohnBurnside,editors.Wild Reckoning: An Anthology Provoked by Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.LondonUK:CalousteGulbenkianFoundation,2004.

Rios,Alberto.The Dangerous Shirt: Poems.TownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2009.

Rios,Alberto.The Theater of Night: Poems.TownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2005.

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Nonfiction

Adams,Cass,editor.The Soul Unearthed: Celebrating Wildness and Personal Re-newal Through Nature.NewYorkNY:Penguin,1996.

Anderson,Lorraine,editor.Sisters of the Earth: Women’s Prose and Poetry About Nature. NewYorkNY:Vintage,2003.

Baker,David.Never-Ending Birds. NewYork:W.W.Norton,2009.

Bass,Rick. Wild Marsh: Four Seasons at Home in Montana.BostonMA:Hough-tonMifflinHarcourt.2009.

Beavan,Colin.No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process. NewYorkNY:Farrar,Straus&Giroux,2009.

Benyus,Janine,andJuanCarlosBarberis,illustrator.**Beastly Behaviors: A Zoo Lover’s Companion: What Makes Whales Whistle, Cranes Dance, Pandas Turn Som-ersaults, and Crocodiles Roar: A Watcher’s Guide.BostonMA:AddisonWesley,1993.

Beveridge,WilliamI.B.The Art of Scientific Investigation.CaldwellNJ:Black-burnPress,2004.

Bringhurst,Robert.The Tree of Meaning: Language, Mind, and Ecology. BerkeleyCA:Counterpoint,2006.

Bryson,Scott.Ecopoetry: A Critical Introduction.SaltLakeCityUT:Univer-sityofUtahPress,2002.

Carpenter,Jill,editor.**Of Frogs and Toads: Poems and Short Pieces FeaturingAmphibians.BostonMA:IonePress,1998.

Carroll,David.Following the Water: A Hydromancer’s Notebooks. BostonMA:HoughtonMifflin,2009.

deWaal,Frans.Our Inner Ape: A Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are. NewYorkNY:RiverheadBooks,2006.

Deming,AlisonHawthorne.Writing the Sacred Into the Real.MinneapolisMN:MilkweedEditions,2001.

Sze,Arthur.The Gingko Light.PortTownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,2009.

Sze,Arthur.The Redshifting Web: New & Selected Poems. PortTownsendWA:CopperCanyonPress,1998.

Tam,Reuben.The Wind-Honed Islands Rise: Selected Poems of Reuben Tam. Hono-luluHI:ManoaBooks/UniversityofHawaiiPress,1996.

Tapahonso,Luci.Radiant Curve: Poems and Stories. TucsonAZ:UniversityofArizonaPress,2008.

Updike,John,andTrinaSchartHyman,illustrator.**A Child’s Calendar. NewYorkNY:HolidayHouse,2002.

vandenHeuvel,Cor.The Haiku Anthology.NewYorkNY:W.W.Norton,2000.

VanDoren,Mark.Collected and New Poems 1924-1963. NewYorkNY:HillandWang,1963.

Waldman,Anne.Manatee / Humanity.NewYorkNY:PenguinBooks,2009.

Wuwu,Aku.Tiger Traces: Selected Nuosu and Chinese Poetry by Aku Wuwu,trans-latedbyMarkBender.ColumbusOH:ForeignLanguagePublications/OhioStateUniversityPress,2006.

Yang,Jeffrey.An Aquarium.St.PaulMN:GraywolfPress,2008.

Yang,Jeffrey,editor.Birds, Beasts, and Seas: Nature Poems from New Directions. NewYorkNY:NewDirections,2011.

Yolen,Jane. **A Mirror to Nature: Poems About Reflection. HonesdalePA:Wordsong,2009.

Yolen,Jane,andJasonStemple,illustrator.**Wild Wings: Poems for Young People.HonesdalePA:BoydsMillsPress,2003.

Zwicky,Jan.Songs for Relinquishing the Earth.LondonOntario:BrickBooks,1998.

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Keith,Sally.Dwelling Song.AthensGA:UniversityofGeorgiaPress,2004.

Kricher,John.The Balance of Nature: Ecology’s Enduring Myth. PrincetonNJ:PrincetonUniversityPress,2009.

Leopold,Aldo.Sand County Almanac.NewYorkNY:OxfordUniversityPress,1989.

Lopez,Barry.The Vintage Lopez.NewYorkNY:Knopf,2004.

McEwen,ChristianandMarkStatman,editors.The Alphabet of the Trees.NewYorkNY:Teachers&WritersCollaborative,2000.

McKibben,Bill,editor.American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau.NewYorkNY:LibraryofAmerica,2008.

McLuhan,T.C.The Way of the Earth: Encounters with Nature in Ancient and Con-temporary Thought.DarbyPA:DianePublishing,1998.

Merrill,Christopher,editor.The Forgotten Language: Contemporary Poets and Nature.LaytonUT:GibbsSmithPublishing,1991.

Molland,Judy.**Get Out!: 150 Easy Ways for Kids & Grown-ups to Get into Nature and Build a Greener Future.MinneapolisMN:FreeSpiritPublishing,2009

Nabhan,Gary.Cross-Pollinations: The Marriage of Science and Poetry.Minneapo-lisMN:MilkweedEditions,2004.

Nabhan,Gary.Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture, and Story.WashingtonDC:Counterpoint,1998.

Nicholls,Steve.Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery. Chi-cagoIL:UniversityofChicagoPress,2009.

Rasula,Jed.This Compost: Ecological Imperatives in American Poetry. AthensGA:UniversityofGeorgiaPress,2002.

Rogers,Pattiann.Dream of the Marsh Wren: Writing As Reciprocal Creation.Min-neapolisMN:MilkweedEditions,1999.

Sage,C.J.,editor.And We the Creatures.AptosCA:DreamHorsePress,2002.

Derleth,August.In the Course of My Walks.MadisonWI:BorderlandBooks.2009.

Dillard,Annie. Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters. NewYorkNY:HarperPerennial,1988.

Doty,Mark.The Art of Description: World into Word.Minneapolis,MN.Gray-wolfPress,2010.

Eckhart,Gene.Mountain Gorillas: Biology, Conservation, and Coexistence.Balti-moreMD:JohnHopkinsUniversityPress.2008.

Elder,John,editor. American Nature Writers, Volumes 1 & 2.FarmingtonHillsMI:GaleMacMillanReferenceUSA,1996.

Elder,John,editor.Imagining the Earth: Poetry and the Vision of Nature.AthensGA:UniversityofGeorgiaPress,1996.

Finch,RobertandJohnElder,editors.Nature Writing: The Tradition in Eng-lish.NewYorkNY:W.W.Norton,2002.

Gander,Forrest.A Faithful Existence: Reading, Memory, and Transcendence. Berke-leyCA:Counterpoint,2005.

Grandin,Temple.Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior.NewYorkNY:MarinerBooks,2006.

Griffin,Susan.Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her.SanFranciscoCA:SierraClubBooks,2000.

Hearne,Vicki.Adam’s Task:Calling Animals by Name.NewYorkNY:SkyhorsePublishing,2007.

Heinrich,Bernd.Ravens in Winter.NewYorkNY:Vintage,1991.

Hirshfield,Jane.Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry.NewYorkNY:HarperPerennial,1998.

Hughes,Janice.Migration of Birds: Seasons on the Wing. RichmondHillOntario:FireflyBooks.2009.

Iijima,Brenda,editor.Eco Language Reader. CallicoonNY:NightboatBooks,2010.

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APPENDICES

Schlegel,Rob.The Lesser Fields.FtCollinsCO:CenterforLiteraryPub-lishing,2009.

Shvarts,Elena.Birdsong on the Seabed. NorthumberlandUK:BloodaxeBooks,2008.

Snyder,Gary.A Place in Space: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Watersheds. BerkeleyCA:Counterpoint,2008.

Snyder,Gary.The Practice of the Wild: Essays.BerkeleyCA:Counterpoint,2003.

Solisti,KateandMichaelTobias.Kinship With Animals.TulsaOK:CouncilOakBooks,2007.

Spring,CindyandAnthonyManousos,editors.EarthLight: Spiritual Wisdom for an Ecological Age.OaklandCA:FriendsBulletinCorporation,2007.

Stewart,Frank.A Natural History of Nature Writing.WashingtonDC:IslandPress,1994.

Stewart,Frank.The Presence of Whales: Contemporary Writings on the Whale. Se-attleWA:AlaskaNorthwest/GraphicArts,1995.

Tobias,MichaelandGeorgiannaCowan,editors.The Soul of Nature: Visions of a Living Earth.NewYorkNY:Continuum,1994.

Tobias,MichaelandJaneMorrison.Sanctuary: Global Oases of Innocence.TulsaOK:CouncilOakBooks,2008.

Tredinnick,Mark.The Land’s Wild Music: Encounters with Barry Lopez, Peter Matthiessen, Terry Tempest Williams and James Galvin.SanAntonioTX:TrinityUniversityPress,2005.

Weston,Chris.Animals on the Edge: Reporting from the Frontline of Extinction. Lon-donUK:Thames&Hudson,2009.

Williams, Terry Tempest. Finding Beauty in a Broken World. New York NY:Pantheon,2008.

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Honorary Board of Advisors

RobertBlyAnnieFinchForrestGanderEamonGrennanRobertHassJanHeller-LeviJaneHirshfieldLawsonInadaGalwayKinnellChristopherMerrillW.S.MerwinMarilynNelsonNaomiShihabNyeMollyPeacockAlbertoRiosDavidSt.JohnFrankStewartArthurSzeLuciTapahanso

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ChuckWikenhauser,Director

MarciaT.Sinner,ZoologicalSocietyofMilwaukeeLittle Rock Zoo

MichaelBlakely,Director

DelbertDawson,FacilitiesOperationsManager;ProjectManager,PoetryinthePark

JjMuehlhausen,WorkControllerTechnician;ProjectAdministrator,PoetryinthePark

SusanAltrui,MarketingandDevelopment

TonyDawson,EngineeringSpecialist

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens*

TonyVecchio,ExecutiveDirector

KelliannWhitney,DirectorofEducation

* Dennis Pate, Director & CEO of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium was Executive Director of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens at the start of this project.

Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo

DanWharton,SeniorVice-PresidentofAnimalPrograms

AlejandroGrajal,SeniorVice-PresidentforConservation,Education&Training

DavidBecker,SeniorManagerofLearningExperiences

AndreCopeland,InterpretiveProgramsManager

CaseySchulke,InterpretiveProgramsCoordinator

AndyMurashige,LeadCreativeDesigner

LIBRARY PARTNERS

New Orleans Public Library; Latter Branch

MissyAbbott,BranchManager

KateMartin,LibraryAssociate

ShelleyMasog,AssistantHeadLibrarian

Project Partners

LEADERSHIP

Lead Principal Investigator (Libraries)

LeeBriccettiExecutiveDirector,PoetsHouse

Co-Principal Investigator (Zoos)

DanWhartonSeniorVicePresidentEmeritus,ConservationScience,ChicagoZoologicalSociety

Co-Principal Investigator (Poets)

SandraAlcosserPoetLaureateofMontana

Co-Principal Investigator (Exhibition Design and Research/Evaluation)

JohnFraserPresident&CEO,NewKnowledgeOrganizationLtd.Formerly Director of ILI – New York

Poets House

JanePrestonManagingDirectorReginaldHarrisPoetryintheBranchesCoordinator

ZOO PARTNERS

Audubon Nature Institute, Audubon Zoo

LarryRivarde,SeniorVice-President/ManagingDirector,AudubonZooandPark

BrendaWalkenhorst,DirectorofEducationandVolunteers

CarolHester,EducationCoordinator

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INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

Poets Houseisanationalpoetrylibraryandliterarycenterthatinvitespoetsandthepublictostepintothelivingtraditionofpoetry.Ourliteraryprogramsandresourcesdocumentthewealthanddiversityofpoetry,cultivateawideraudiencefortheart,andstimulatepublicdia-logueonissuesofpoetryinculture.Foundedin1985bythelateU.S.PoetLaureateStanleyKunitzandartsadministratorElizabethKray,PoetsHousenowservesmillionsofreadersandwritersofpoetryeachyear.

ChicagoManagedbytheChicagoZoologicalSociety,theBrookfieldZooopenedin1934;amongitshistoricalfirstsareindoormultispeciesexhibits,zoonutritionresidencies,methodsforanimalhusbandry,andmedicalcarethatincludessuccessfulbrainsurgeryforagorilla.Thezoocur-rentlyseesnearlytwomillionvisitorseachyear.

BrookfieldZoopartneredwithtwopubliclibrariesforthisproject:TheRiversidePublicLibrary,whichhasservedthepeopleofthehis-toriccommunityofRiverside,IllinoissincetheGreatDepression;andBrookfieldPublicLibrary,whosemissionistocreateacultural,educa-tional,andinformationalcenterforthecommunity.

New Orleans Oneofthecountry’stop-rankedzoos,theAudubonZoooffersanexoticmixofanimalsfromaroundtheglobe,engagingnaturalhabi-tats,lushgardensandrestingspots,themysticalLouisianaswampandhands-onanimalencounters.Withinnovativenaturalhabitatexhibitsandananimalcollectionrangingfromtheuniquewhitealligatorstotheextraordinarywhitetigers,theAudubonZoohasbecomeoneoftheGulfSouth’sfavoritefamilygatheringspots.

TheNewOrleansPublicLibraryisthepremierculturalinstitutionthatcelebratesandpreservesthecollectivememoryandlivinghistoryofNewOrleans,Louisiana,andtheworld.ThelibraryleadstherecoveryandtheeconomicredevelopmentoftheNewOrleanscommunity,fos-tersthefutureaspirationsofeveryindividual,andprotectstheintellec-tualfreedomanddemocraticdreamsofall.

Milwaukee Public Library

PaulaA.Kiely,Director

JudithGloyer,PoetryLibrarianCentral Arkansas Library System

BobbyRoberts,Director

BettyeFowlerKerns,AssociateDirector

MaribethMurray,AdultProgramsCoordinator

LisaDonovan,Manager,YouthServicesJacksonville Public Library

BarbaraGubbin,Director

KathyLussier,AssociateDirector,CommunityRelationsandMarketing

LisaBuggs,CommunityEducation&EnrichmentProgramSupervisor

American Library Association

MaryDavisFournier,DeputyDirector,PublicProgramsOffice

DeborahRobertson,Director,PublicProgramsOffice

PROJECT CONSULTANTS

Jessica Sickler*SeniorResearchAssociate&ManageroftheLifelongLearningGroup,CenterforResearch&Evaluation@COSIErin Johnson*Principal,E.N.JohnsonAnimation,Editing&Post-ProductionServices

*Formerly with the Institute for Learning Innovation

The Permissions Company, Inc.FrederickT.Courtright

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After130years,theMilwaukeePublicLibrarycontinuestoplayacriti-calroleinthecommunity.ThehistoricCentralLibraryandtwelveneighborhoodbranchesprovideservicestoadiversepopulationofover600,000.Thelibraryoffersafullrangeofserviceswithanemphasisonearlyliteracy,youthservices,outreach,jobs,economicdevelop-ment,adultliteracy,andlifelonglearning.TheWisconsinRegionalLibraryfortheBlindandPhysicallyHandicappedoperatesoutoftheCentralLibrary.WiththehelpoftheFoundationandFriends,MPLoffersspecialprogramssuchastheaward-winningearlyliteracyprogram,Books2Go,adultcomputertraining,andfinancialliteracyprograms.

Little RockTheLittleRockZoohaslongbeenoneofArkansas’greattreasures.Itallbeganmodestlyin1926,withjusttwoanimals—anabandonedtimberwolfandacircus-trainedbrownbear.Today,thezoohasgrowntoincludemorethan725animalsrepresenting200+species,manyontheendangeredlist.Thezooitselfhasbecomeoneofthestate’sgreatesteducationalandconservationresources.

TheCentralArkansasLibrarySystemservesresidentsofPulaskiandPerryCountywithfreeaccesstoinformation,entertainmentandaplacetomeet.Ithaselevenbranchesandamainlibrarycampusthatincludesabookstore,anartgallery,andtheArkansasStudiesInstitute,whichhousesaresearchcollectionofArkansashistorymaterialsandgraduateclassesforstudentsattendingtheClintonSchoolofPublicService.

JacksonvilleFoundedin1914,theJacksonvilleZooandGardensfostersunder-standingoftheinteractionofpeople,wildlife,andtheirenvironmentbycreatingexperiencesthatengagevisitors,providinginnovativeedu-cationalopportunities,andinstillingpassioninthenextgenerationasresponsiblestewardsofthefuture.Itsexhibitsfeatureover1,500rareandexoticanimalsand1,000varietiesofplants.

TheJacksonvillePublicLibrary’svisionstatementissimpleanden-compassing:“StartHere.GoAnywhere!”Itservesadiverseusershipthroughanetworkoftwentyregional,communityandneighborhoodbranchlibraries,aTalkingBooksLibraryforDisabledCustomers,anactiveadultliteracyprogram,andaMainLibrarywhichisthelargestinthestate.ItwasdesignedbyRobertA.M.Sternandisbothplayfulandmonumentalbyturns,furtheringthelibrary’smissiontoconnectpeoplewithideasthatenlighten,inspire,enrich,anddelight.

MilwaukeeTheMilwaukeeCountyZooisaserenehometomorethan1,800mammals,birds,fish,amphibians,andreptileswithmorethan350speciesrepresented.However,theZoohasbecomemorethanthattovisitors.Itisasiteforworkshops,holidaycelebrations,summerconcerts,andfoodfestivals.Recognizedasoneofthecountry’sfinestzoologicalattractions,theMilwaukeeCountyZooservesasaresourcetoeducate,entertain,andinspire.

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focusinhiswriting,especiallythebest-sellingKeepers of the Earth seriesheco-authored.Hehaseditedanumberofhighlypraisedantholo-giesofcontemporarypoetry,includingSongs from this Earth on Turtle’s Back andBreaking Silence(winnerofanAmericanBookAward)andauthoredmorethan120booksforadultsandchildren.HishonorsincludeaRockefellerHumanitiesfellowship,aNationalEndowmentfortheArtsWritingFellowshipforPoetry,theHopeS.DeanAwardforNotableAchievementinChildren’sLiteratureandtheLifetimeAchievementAwardfromtheNativeWritersCircleoftheAmericas.

ALISON HAWTHORNE DEMINGJacksonville Poet-in-ResidenceAlisonHawthorneDemingwasbornandgrewupinConnecticut.SheistheauthorofScience and Other Poems,selectedbyGeraldSternfortheWaltWhitmanAwardoftheAcademyofAmericanPoets,andthreeadditionalpoetrybooks:The Monarchs: A Poem Sequence, Genius Loci,andtheforthcomingRope.Shehaspublishedthreenonfictionbooks,Temporary Homelands, The Edges of the Civilized World,andWriting the Sacred Into the Real.SheistheeditorofPoetry of the American West: A Columbia Anthology andcoeditorofThe Colors of Nature: Essays on Culture, Identity, and the Natural World.DemingreceivedaStegnerFellowshipfromStanfordUniversityandisaProfes-sorinCreativeWritingattheUniversityofArizona.

MARK DOTYNew Orleans Poet-in-ResidenceMarkDoty’sFire to Fire: New and Selected Poems wontheNationalBookAwardforPoetryin2008.Heistheauthorofsevenpreviousbooksofpoemsandfourvolumesofnonfictionprose,includingDog Years,ameditationonthebondbetweenanimalsandhumanbeings,andonthepleasuresandsorrowsoflivingwithdogs.HehasworkedwithgayandlesbianyouthatriskofhomelessnessandwithseniorgayandlesbiancitizensinNewYorkCity,andhastaughtpoetryatmanycollegesanduniversitiesaswellasincommunityprogramsaroundthecountry.HelivesinNewYorkCityandisaprofessorofEnglishatRutgersUniversity.

ANNIE FINCHAnnieFinchistheauthorofseveralpoetrycollections,includingCal-endars and Eve.Twovolumesofprose,A Poet’s Craft andA Poet’s Ear,appearedin2010fromtheUniversityofMichiganPress.ShedirectstheStone-coastMFAProgramattheUniversityofSouthernMaine,wheresheisalsoProfessorofEnglish.

Contributors

SANDRA ALCOSSERCo-Principal Investigator (Poets) / Brookfield Poet-in-ResidenceSandraAlcossersharesthirtyacresintheBitterrootMountainsofMontanawithadwindlingpopulationofbear,moose,elk,andmoun-tainlion.Except by Nature,selectedbyEamonGrennanfortheNationalPoetrySeries,receivednumerousnationalawardsincludingtheJamesLaughlinfromtheAcademyofAmericanPoets.JamesTateselectedA Fish to Feed All HungerfortheAssociatedWritingProgramsSeriesinPo-etry.SheisProfessorofCreativeWritingatSanDiegoStateUniversity.TherecipientoftwoNEAIndividualArtistFellowships,sheservedasMontana’sfirstpoetlaureate.Shehasalsoservedaspoet-in-residenceatGlacierNationalParkand,workingwithPoetsHouseandtheWild-lifeConservationSociety,shewaspoet-in-residenceatCentralParkZoo,theprojectonwhichtheLanguage of Conservationisbased.

JONATHAN BLUNKJonathanBlunkiswritingtheauthorizedbiographyofthepoetJamesWright.Heco-editedWright’sselectedletters,A Wild Perfection. AnessayonJeanValentine’spoetryisincludedinThis-World Company,therecentcollectionofcriticalwritingdevotedtoherwork.Hispoems,essays,andinterviewshaveappearedinvariousjournalsandmagazines.

LEE BRICCETTILead Principal Investigator (Libraries)LeeBriccettihasbeentheExecutiveDirectorofPoetsHousesince1989.Underherleadership,theannualPoetsHouseShowcaseandPoetryintheBranchesweredevelopedandbecamesignatureprogramsofPoetsHouse.ShebringssignificantdevelopmentexpertisetotheorganizationandhascompletedPoetsHouse’scapitalconstructionandfundraisingcampaign,whichhasbroughtPoetsHousetoanewhomeonthebanksoftheHudsonRiverinlowerManhattan,witha60-yearlease.HerworkhasbeenheraldedasbuildingPoetsHousetobeoneofthemostimaginativeinstitutionsinthecountry.

JOSEPH BRUCHACLittle Rock Poet-in-ResidenceJosephBruchaclivesintheAdirondackfoothillstownofGreenfieldCenter,NewYork,inthesamehousewherehismaternalgrandparentsraisedhim.MuchofhiswritingdrawsonthatlandandhisAbenakiancestry.Hislifelonginterestinthenaturalworldhasbeenafrequent

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CHRISTOPHER MERRILLChristopherMerrillhaspublishedfourcollectionsofpoetry,includingBrilliant WaterandWatch Fire.HedirectstheInternationalWritingPro-gramattheUniversityofIowa.

W. S. MERWINW.S.MerwinhastwicereceivedthePulitzerPrizeforPoetry:in1971forThe Carrier of Laddersandin2009forThe Shadow of Sirius.Hisothercol-lectionsofpoetryincludeThe Lice,The Vixen,andMigrations: New & Selected Poems.Alsoawell-regardedessayistandtranslator,in2010MerwinwasappointedtheLibraryofCongress’sseventeenthPoetLaureateConsul-tantinPoetry.HelivesandworksinHawaii.

JANE PRESTONManaging Director, Poets HouseJanePrestonhasoverseentheday-to-dayoperationsofPoetsHousesince1990.HerearlycareerinNewYorkstatelibrariesandherexperi-enceinowningandoperatingherownbusinessesbringtoPoetsHouseyearsoffinancialacumenandmanagerialexpertisethathavehelpedbuildathrivingorganization.

PATTIANN ROGERSMilwaukee Poet-in-ResidencePattiannRogersisapoetwhohaspublished15books,mostrecentlyThe Grand Array, Writings on Nature, Science, and Spirit (TrinityU.Press,2010),Summer’s Company (BroodingHeronPress,2009),andWayfare(Penguin,2008).RogersistherecipientoftwoNationalEndowmentfortheArtsGrants,aGuggenheimFellowship,andaLiteraryAwardfromtheLan-nanFoundation,fivePushcartprizes,andotherawards.Shehastaughtasavisitingprofessoratvariousuniversities,includingtheUniversi-tiesofTexas,Arkansas,andMontana,andWashingtonUniversity.Sheisthemotheroftwosonsandhasthreegrandsons.Sheliveswithherhusband,aretiredgeophysicist,inColorado.

MARSHA L. SEMMELDirector of Strategic Partnerships, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)MarshaL.SemmeljoinedIMLSin2003asdirectorforstrategicpart-nerships.Beginningin2006,shealsoservedasdeputydirectorfortheOfficeofMuseumServices,managingtheagency’sportfolioofgrantprogramsformuseumsofalltypes.Ms.Semmelalsooverseesandco-ordinatesIMLSpartnershipswithotherfederalagencies,foundations,

JOHN FRASER, Ph.D. AIACo-Principal Investigator (Exhibition Design and Research/Evaluation)JohnFraserPh.D.AIAisaconservationpsychologist,architectandeducatorcurrentlyservingasPresident&CEOoftheNewKnowledgeOrganizationLtd,anentrepreneurialthinktankdedicatedtothestudyofhowsocietycomestotermswiththegrandchallengesofourtime.Dr.FraserholdsadjunctfacultypositionsatHunterCollegeCUNYandColumbiaUniversity,isanEarthInstituteResearchScientistatColumbiaUniversity,holdstheCaliforniaAcademyofSciencesap-pointmentasAssociateEditor-OperationsforCurator: the Museum JournalandisaFellowoftheWildlifeConservationSociety.Dr.FraserwastheDirectorILI-NYfrom2008through2011.

REGINALD HARRISReginaldHarris,thePoetryintheBranchesCoordinatorandInforma-tionTechnologyDirectoratPoetsHouse,cametohispresentpositionafter20years’experienceattheEnochPrattFreeLibraryinBaltimore,Maryland.Forthepastdecadehehasalsoworkedextensivelywithliterary-basednon-profitsasatechnologyconsultantandwebsiteman-ager.Hisfirstbookofpoetry,Ten Tongues,wasafinalistfortheLambdaLiteraryAwardandtheForeWordBookoftheYear.

MARSHA HOWARDMarshaHowardbecamethePoetryinTheBranchesCoordinatoratPoetsHousefollowinga35-yearcareerasalibrarianandadministra-toratTheNewYorkPublicLibrary.InheryearsatPoetsHousesheworkedonseveralinitiativeslinkingpoetsandlibraries,thelastofwhichwasThe Language of Conservation.

ERIN JOHNSONErinJohnsonisanartistandscientificillustratorlivingandworkinginHollywood,CA.Specializinginmolecularandcellularanimationsheusesthecuttingedgetechnologyoftheentertainmentindustrytobringsciencetolife.JohnsonhasworkedasaresearchassociateundertakingresearchandevaluationininformalsettingsattheWildlifeConserva-tionSociety,theJohnG.SheddAquarium,andworkedfortheInsti-tuteforLearningInnovation’sNewYorkofficeduringtheLanguage of Conservationproject.

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Acknowledgements

PoetsHouseandtheeditorswishtothankallofthosewhomadethisvolume—andthisproject—possible:allthestaffmembersofzoosandli-brarieswhothrewthemselvesintothework;thepoetsinresidencewholenttheirpassionandcommitment;ouradvisers,whoseguidanceandsupportwasinvaluable;thepoetsandscientistswhopresentedpublicprograms;andallthosewhocontributedworktothisvolume.

WearealsogratefultoJonathanBlunkforendlessroundsofproof-readingandeditorialinsight;ZiporaFriedforartdirection,design,andtypesetting;andFrederickCourtrightofThePermissionsCom-pany.WeareparticularlygratefultoMarshaSemmelandtheInstituteforMuseumandLibraryServicesfortheiressentialsupport.

Ourdeepthankstothosewhocontributeduseoftheirpoetryinthein-stallationsandthosewhograntedpermissiontoreprintinthisvolume.

Permissions

“MagicWords”adaptedbyEdwardFieldfromtheInuit,fromMagic Words(NewYork:GulliverBooks,1998).Copyright©1998byEdwardField.Reprintedwiththepermissionofthetranslator.AdaptedbyEdwardFieldfromaNetsiliktale,astoldtotheArcticexplorerKnudRasmussen.

“Makeyourbeginning,youwhosing”(inEnglishandNahuatl),translatedbyDavidDamrosch,from“SongsoftheAztecNobility”inDavidDamroschetal.,The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Volume C: The Early Modern Period. Reprintedwiththepermissionofthetranslator.

W.H.Auden,excerptfrom“Woods”fromW. H. Auden: Collected Poems,editedbyEdwardMendelson.Copyright1940andrenewed©1968byW.H.Auden.UsedbypermissionofRandomHouse,Inc.

WendellBerry,“ThePeaceofWildThings”andexcerptfrom“PrayersandSay-ingsoftheMadFarmer”fromThe Selected Poems of Wendell Berry.Copyright©1998byWendellBerry.ReprintedwiththepermissionofCounterpoint.

RobertBly,excerptfrom“WhereWeMustLookforHelp”fromEating the Honey of Words: New and Selected Poems.Copyright©1999byRobertBly.Reprintedbypermis-sionofHarperCollinsPublishers.

andnon-governmentalorganizations.ApastboardmemberoftheAmericanAssociationofMuseumsandtheColoradoDigitizationPro-gram,sheiscurrentlyontheboardofArtTable,anationalorganiza-tionforprofessionalwomeninleadershippositionsinthevisualarts.

JESSICA SICKLER, M.S.Ed.EvaluatorJessicaSickler,M.S.Ed.,ledtheevaluationoftheLanguage of Conserva-tionprojectwhilearesearcherattheInstituteforLearningInnovation.SickleriscurrentlySeniorResearchAssociate&ManageroftheLife-longLearningGroup,partoftheCenterforResearch&Evaluation@COSI.Herprofessionalandacademicbackgroundisinmuseumedu-cation,research,evaluation,environmentaleducation,andclassroomteaching.Recentworkhasfocusedonpublicengagementwithscience,citizenscience,andpositiveyouthdevelopment.Previousresearchworkexaminedpublicunderstandingofanimalintelligenceandhowvisitorsdefineenjoyablezoo-goingexperiences.

FRANK STEWARTFrankStewartisprofessorofEnglishattheUniversityofHawaiiinManoa.Heistheauthoroffourbooksofpoetry,includingBy All Means.HeisalsotheauthorofA Natural History of Nature Writing andtheeditorofovertwodozenanthologiesfeaturingcontemporarytranslationsofliteraturefromthroughoutAsiaandthePacific.

DAN WHARTON, Ph.D. Co-Principal Investigator (Zoos)Untilrecently,Dr.DanWhartonservedtheChicagoZoologicalSocietyastheSeniorVicePresidentofAnimalProgramsandConservationScience.Priortothis,Dr.WhartonspentmostofhiscareerwiththeWildlifeConservationSocietyasDirectorofNewYork’sCityZoos,namelytheCentralParkZoo,ProspectParkZoo,andQueensZoo.HebeganhiscareerwithWCSasamammalcuratorin1979.Asamammalogistandpopulationbiologistinterestedinthemanagementofsmallpopulationsinzoos,Dr.WhartonhasworkedextensivelyinestablishingNorthAmerica’scaptivegorillaandsnowleopardpopula-tions,servingaschairmanoftheAZASpeciesSurvivalPlansforthesetwospeciesformorethan15years.Amonghisotherprofessionalactivities,Dr.WhartonwasalsotheExecutiveEditorofthezoosciencejournalZoo Biologyforover12yearsandwasanadjunctscientistandassociateprofessorwiththeCenterforEnvironmentalResearchandConservation(CERC)programatColumbiaUniversity.

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JaneHirshfield,“Maple”fromAfter: Poems.Copyright©2006byJaneHirshfield.ReprintedbypermissionofHarperCollinsPublishers.

LindaHogan,excerptfrom“ElkSong”fromSavings.Copyright©1988byLindaHogan.ReprintedwiththepermissionofThePermissionsCompany,Inc.,onbehalfofCoffeeHousePress,www.coffeehousepress.org.

A.D.Hope,excerptfrom“Tiger”fromCollected Poems 1930-1970.Copyright©1972byA.D.Hope.ReprintedwiththepermissionofHarperCollinsAustralia.

LangstonHughes,“TheNegroSpeaksofRivers,”“MississippiLevee,”and“BlueBayou”fromThe Collected Poems of Langston Hughes,editedbyArnoldRampersadandDavidRoessel.Copyright©1994bytheEstateofLangstonHughes.Usedbyper-missionofAlfredA.Knopf,adivisionofRandomHouse,Inc.,andHaroldOberAssociatesIncorporated.

RobinsonJeffers,excerptfrom“CarmelPoint”fromThe Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers,Volume3andThe Selected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers.Copyright1924,1925,1928,1937,1954andrenewed1949,1953,©1956byRobinsonJeffers.Copyright©1963bySteubenGlass.Copyright©1995bytheBoardofTrusteesoftheLelandStanfordJuniorUniversity.Usedbypermissionofthepublishers,StanfordUni-versityPressandRandomHouse,Inc.

Li-YoungLee,excerptfrom“PraiseThem”fromBook of My Nights.Copyright©2001byLi-YoungLee.ReprintedwiththepermissionofThePermissionsCom-pany,Inc.,onbehalfofBOAEditionsLtd.,www.boaeditions.org.

FedericoGarcíaLorca,“MediaLuna/HalfMoon”fromCanciones (1921-1924).Copyright©HerederosdeFedericoGarcíaLorca.EnglishTranslationbyW.S.MerwinandHerederosdeFedericoGarcíaLorca.Usedwithpermission.

W.S.Merwin,“Place”fromThe Rain in the Trees.Copyright©1988byW.S.Merwin.UsedbypermissionofAlfredA.Knopf,adivisionofRandomHouse,Inc.

LesMurray,“Dreambabwe”fromLearning Human: Selected Poems.Copyright©2000byLesMurray.ReprintedbypermissionofFarrar,Straus&Giroux,LLC.

PabloNeruda,excerptfrom“SomeBeasts”[“Amonkeyisweaving”]fromFive Decades: Poems 1925-1970,translatedbyBenBelitt.Copyright©1994byBenBelitt.ReprintedwiththepermissionofGrove/Atlantic,Inc.Excerptfrom“SomeBeasts”[“Itwasthenightofthealligators”],translatedbyMarkDoty.Reprintedwiththepermissionofthetranslator.

DarrellBourque,“OldWomenFishingfromBridges”fromThe Blue Boat.Copy-right©2004byDarrellBourque.Reprintedwiththepermissionoftheauthor.

JosephBruchac,“Birdfoot’sGrampa.”ReprintedbypermissionofJosephBruchac.KeepersoftheEarth.FifthHousePublishers.

LucilleClifton,excerptfrom“breaklight”fromThe Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton.Copyright©1974byLucilleClifton.ReprintedwiththepermissionofThePer-missionsCompany,Inc.onbehalfofBOAEditionsLtd.,www.boaeditions.org.

AlisonHawthorneDeming,excerptfrom“InSpringDriftCreek”fromGenius Loci.Copyright©2005byAlisonHawthorneDeming.UsedbypermissionofPen-guin,adivisionofPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.

EmilyDickinson,excerptsfrom“AnarrowFellowintheGrass”and“TheBee.”ReprintedbypermissionofthepublishersandtheTrusteesofAmherstCollegefromThe Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson,ThomasH.Johnson,ed.,Cambridge,Mass.:TheBelknapPressofHarvardUniversityPress.Copyright1951,©1955,1979,1983bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege.

DouglasFlorian,excerptfrom“TheOwl”fromZoo’s Who: Poems and Paintings.Copy-right©2005byDouglasFlorian.ReprintedbypermissionofHoughtonMifflinHarcourtPublishingCompany.Allrightsreserved.

CharlesGhigna,excerptfrom“Snakes”fromAnimal Trunk: Silly Poems to Read Aloud.Copyright©1999byCharlesGhigna.Reprintedwiththepermissionoftheauthor.

AlbertGoldbarth,excerptfrom“OrofAnything”fromAlaska Quarterly Review (SpringandSummer1998).Reprintedwiththepermissionoftheauthor.

EamonGrennan,excerptsfrom“WhatMatter”and“ColdComfort”fromOut of Sight: New & Selected Poems.Copyright©2008byEamonGrennan.ReprintedwiththepermissionofThePermissionsCompany,Inc.,onbehalfofGraywolfPress,www.graywolfpress.org.

JoyHarjo,“EaglePoem”fromIn Mad Love and War.Copyright©1990byJoyHarjo.ReprintedbypermissionofWesleyanUniversityPress.

HermannHesse,excerptfrom“Sometimes,”translatedbyRobertBly,fromNews of the Universe: Poems of Twofold Consciousness(SanFrancisco:SierraClubBooks,1995).Copyright©1980,1995byRobertBly.Reprintedwiththepermissionofthetranslator.

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WilliamStafford,excerptfrom“InFur”fromThe Way It Is: New and Selected Poems.Copyright©1980,1998byWilliamStaffordandtheEstateofWilliamStafford.ReprintedwiththepermissionofThePermissionsCompany,Inc.,onbehalfofGraywolfPress,www.graywolfpress.org.

MarilynTaylor,“InTanzania”fromShadows Like These: Poems.Copyright©1994byMarilynTaylor.ReprintedwiththepermissionofWm.CaxtonLtd.

TomasTranströmer,excerptfrom“FromMarch1979,”translatedbyRobinRobertsonfromThe Deleted World.Copyright©2006byRobinRobertson.UsedbypermissionofEnitharmonPress,www.enitharmon.co.uk.

PamelaUschuck,excerptfrom“WolfLecture”fromComeback Wolves.Copyright©2005.ReprintedwiththepermissionofJohnsonBooks.

JudithWright,“Egrets”fromCollected Poems 1942-1970.ReprintedbypermissionoftheauthorandHarperCollinsAustralia.

Nezahualcoyotl,“Coulditbetrueweliveonearth?”fromFlower and Song: Aztec Poems, translated by Edward Kissam and Michael Schmidt.Copyright©1977.ReprintedwiththepermissionofAnvilPressPoetry,Ltd.

NaomiShihabNye,“Famous”fromWords Under the Words: Selected Poems.Copyright©1995byNaomiShihabNye.Reprintedwiththepermissionoftheauthor.

MaryOliver,excerptfrom“HeronRisesfromtheDark,SummerPond”fromWhat Do We Know: Poems and Prose Poems.Copyright©2003byMaryOliver.ReprintedwiththepermissionoftheauthorandDaCapoPress,adivisionofPerseusBooksGroup.

MargePiercy,excerptfrom“Diggingin”fromThe Hunger Moon: New and Selected Poems.Copyright©2011byMargePiercy.UsedbypermissionofAlfredA.Knopf,adivisionofRandomHouse,Inc.

JelaluddinRumi,“Letthebeautywelovebewhatwedo”fromThe Essential Rumi (NewYork:Harper,1995).Copyright©1995byColemanBarks.ReprintedwiththepermissionofColemanBarks.

KayRyan,“FlamingoWatching”fromFlamingo Watching.Copyright©1994byKayRyan.ReprintedwiththepermissionofCopperBeechPress.

RegSaner,excerptfrom“ThisGrizzly”fromPoetry Comes Up Where It Can: An Anthology: Poems from the Amicus Journal 1990-2000,editedbyBrianSwann.Reprintedwiththepermissionoftheauthor.

Sappho,“EveningStar,”translatedbyDianeRayor,fromSappho’s Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women Poets of Ancient Greece.Copyright©1991byDianeRayor.ReprintedwiththepermissionoftheUniversityofCaliforniaPress.

MauriceSendak,excerptfromWhere the Wild Things Are.Copyright©1963byMau-riceSendak.ReprintedbypermissionofHarperCollinsChildren’sPublishers.

RaviShankar,excerptfrom“Crossings.”Copyright©RaviShankar.Usedwithpermissionoftheauthor.

VirginiaDrivingHawkSneve,“IWatchedanEagleSoar”fromDancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth, selected by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve.Copyright©1989byVir-giniaDrivingHawkSneve.ReprintedbyarrangementwithHolidayHouse,Inc.

GarySnyder,excerptsfrom“OneShouldNotTalktoaSkilledHunterAboutWhatIsForbiddenbytheBuddha”and“ByFrazierCreekFalls”fromTurtle Island.Copyright©1974byGarySnyder.ReprintedbypermissionofNewDirectionsPublishingCorp.

poetry in library and zoo collaborations, edited by jane preston

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