Category Archives: ecopoetry

Amani Shroff is a junior in high school with a deep passion for poetry. She enjoys using writing as a platform to inspire thought and connection. Her work has been featured in The Telling Room, Weight Journal, and The Nature of Our Times, among others. She won Best of Show for her essay “Our Voice,Continue reading “Amani Shroff”

In 2024, Skyline College Learning Commons hosted a series of Earth Week events inspired by the anthology Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States. Activities included a nature walk, campus clean-up, art exhibit, readings, and a group poetry exercise. “Dear Human, Dear Earth” is a collaborative poemContinue reading “Dear Human, Dear Earth”

A Filoli Vegetable Garden Activity facilitated by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Emerita Aileen Cassinetto, 15 September 2022 VEGETABLE GARDEN FIELD NOTES Activity: Describe Filoli’s vegetable garden through the 5 senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Name: ________________  Date: __________ Name a vegetable you see in the garden: ________What color is it: _______Name oneContinue reading “Vegetable Garden Field Notes”

“The Future Is Poetry” is a filmed roundtable co-produced by Aileen Cassinetto and Midpen Media Center as part of Cassinetto’s San Mateo County Youth Ecopoetry Project supported by The Academy of American Poets, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the County of San Mateo. This project was also one of 56 initiatives at the intersectionContinue reading “The Future Is Poetry”

Chloe Chou is the 2022-23 Daly City Youth Poet Laureate and the 2022-23 South San Francisco Youth Poet-in-Residence. A South City resident, she is currently a freshman at Westmoor High School in Daly City. Her passions are coding and writing. In her free time, she likes to make mixtapes! In 2020, she published a book calledContinue reading “Chloe Chou”

Part cento, part sensory poem with lines from “all the good girls go to hell” by Billie Eilish, “Feels Like Summer” by Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover, and the UN Climate Report. This collaborative poem was crafted during a workshop facilitated by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto in partnership with Menlo Park Library,Continue reading “Dear Earth, Dear Billie Eilish”

“My name is Iris Li and am a high school junior. I have been writing as a hobby since elementary school. I enjoy using my pieces to express my opinions on social issues. After participating in the Daly City Youth Poet Laureate for two years now, I look forward to taking part in writing forContinue reading “Iris Li”

Sophie Mateja (she/her) is a poet, editor, climate activist and high school student. Her work has been praised by critics for its “evocative language and deep insight,” taking first prize at numerous local competitions in the past two years. She was declared a finalist in the Palm Beach Poetry Festival’s ekphrastic poetry contest and wasContinue reading “Sophie Mateja”

Cassandra Bousquet is 18 years old. She enjoys knitting, reading, spending time in nature, and participating in theatre and chorus. She has been writing all her life and hopes to be a successful author in the future. Cassandra is a recent graduate of the Youth Climate Ambassador program put on by San Mateo County’s OfficeContinue reading “Cassandra Bousquet “

A sanctuary for healing and building connections for all people, Filoli boasts “654 acres of beauty nestled along the slopes of California’s coastal range… which includes a nature preserve with 5 distinct ecosystems.” In acknowledging Filoli’s role in ecology and conservation and as an arts and cultural hub, it is important to also highlight howContinue reading “Haiku at Filoli “