Wildfires and the Power of Poetry

Cymene returns to the pod at long last (yay!) and we discuss recent events and how climate science probably caused wildfires and bears to happen. Then (13:17) Robert Savino Oventile joins the podcast to share his new collection of poems, The Canyon, the proceeds from which support the rebuilding of the Eaton Canyon Nature Center destroyed by the Eaton Fire and which for maximum positive synergy can be purchased from the wonderful Pasadena independent bookstore, Vroman’s (link here). In the conversation, Robert talks about his long relationship to Eaton Canyon and his experience during this January’s devastating Eaton Fire which destroyed thousands of structures in the Altadena area of Los Angeles. We talk about ecological relationality, symbiosis, and the influence of object-oriented ontology upon the project. We close with the importance of walking slowly and what folks can do to be better stewards of places like Eaton. If you want to learn more about the wonders of Eaton Canyon please look at the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy and My Eaton Canyon, a website by and for Eaton Canyon enthusiasts put together by Edgar McGregor and Phil Hopkins.