Peter Abbs

Info:  Is deeply committed to an open and imaginative notion of eco-poetics. He has edited the first Anglo-American anthology of contemporary eco-poetry, Earth Songs. The poems in this anthology testify to the current violation of the natural order, but also affirm the diverse beauty of the earth.

In his preface Peter Abbs writes: The earth is our home. It is where we have come from, the place where we live and have our being. We humans are extraordinary, symbol-makers and city builders, but we still belong with all the other diverse species in a complex web of connection and reciprocity. We are highly creative but, as our history shows, we are also perverse, dangerous and hugely destructive. And it would seem at the moment, mesmerised by the chimera of unending material progress, we are bent on desecrating our natural world and destroying ourselves with it.

Eco-poetics is born out of a sense of this impending disaster and has clear connections with both the Romantic movement and the long pastoral tradition in Western Culture. Its aim is to take the modern insights of ecology deep into the imagination. The poet has to engage with the contending ideas that inform our understanding of time and matter, of biology and consciousness. We cannot disconnect poetry from philosophy, science and ecology, nor the historic moment which it is our fate to live.

Susan Richardson

Info:  Has had a lifelong passion for live performance, the spoken and written word, the natural world and wild places. In her work as poet, performer and educator, she aims to stimulate minds, stir the urge to create and inspire a similar passion in others.

Susan is a passionate believer in the potential of poetry to make a difference, to inspire shifts in perception and create new patterns of thought and experience. To this end, she is committed to writing and promoting poetry with an ecological and / or environmental focus -- ‘poetry for the planet’.

As well as regularly performing her work at environmental events and conferences, she has been featured in a number of ecopoetry journals, both print and online, including Earth Love and Seastories. Her work has also appeared in Dance the Guns to Silence (Flipped Eye Press), an international anthology marking the tenth anniversary of the death of the Nigerian environmental activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa.

The Big Buzz

Info:  Welcome to theBigBuzz, home of theBigBuzz Bard -- prize-winning poet, composer, wildlife photographer and performer Anneliese Emmans Dean from York, England.

I perform my poems in shows, providing inspirational eco-edutainment for adults and for children. My award-winning multimedia show Buzzing! is a fun celebration of garden creepy crawlies in poetry, projected photos and music. My ‘Rhyme and Dine’ evenings celebrate local food. I write eco-musicals, promoting sustainability through creativity. I run workshops to teach the musicals in a morning or a day, and also supply comprehensive teaching packs for you to teach the eco-musicals to your group. I run photography workshops, and poetry workshops linked to the National Curriculum.

My poems are used in projects across Britain. I am a member of Equity and of the National Association of Writers in Education. My photos are used by the Woodland Trust and in the scientific literature, as well as by me in my Buzzing! show, my Buzzing! CD, cards and posters, my calendars and theBigBuzz blog.

The Lilypad List - by Marian Van Eyk McCain

Info:  This inspirational and beautifully crafted little book -- written by a psychotherapist who has personally explored many different forms of simple living -- uncovers those hidden dynamics. Through a skilful blend of explanations, poetic musings, humorous anecdotes and self-help exercises, she leads the reader towards a deeper understanding of the principles of simplicity and the creation of an individually-tailored plan of action. The book also includes other useful resources for the would-be simplifier. " Simple living," Marian says, ".. is delight-filled living." In seven steps, she will take you there.

Marian Van Eyk McCain. BSW (Melbourne), MA, East-West Psychology (C.I.I.S. San Francisco) writes on a number of subjects, including "Wellness," stress-management, psychology, personal development, women's health and spirituality, environmental issues, organic food production and alternative technology.