. . . You gave me . . . What you did not have, and I gave you . . . What I had to give—together, we made . . . Something greater from the difference.
— Alberto Rios, Poet, “When Giving Is All We Have ”
The Journal of Expressive Writing is more than a publication. We aim to be an engaged and supportive community of writers and listeners. We believe that giving our focused attention to each other’s voices, stories, and writing is a generous, necessary act of humanity, repair, and celebration.
Each month, the Journal OPEN MIC will open with a featured author, in addition to 15 pre-reserved spots for writers to read their work. During the OPEN MIC, each writer will read for up to 3 minutes max. All events are FREE to attend and OPEN TO ALL, but you do need to pre-register to attend AND you need to Sign Up ahead of time if you would like to read your work. See both links below. The Journal Open Mic is produced and hosted by Kelly DuMar.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
7:-8:30pm EST
8 Authors from
The Nature of Our Times
Poetry Anthology
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Originally envisioned as a companion to the first U.S. National Nature Assessment and now to the work of United By Nature, The Nature of Our Times: Poems on America’s Lands, Waters, Wildlife, and Other Natural Wonders gathers 210 voices from the arts, ecology, academia, and Indigenous communities from North America giving witness to how nature shapes our lives and how we can shape the future.
Edited by Luisa A. Igloria, Aileen Cassinetto, and David Hassler, the anthology features poems from some of the country’s best-known poets, including Jane Hirshfield, Kimberly Blaeser, Diane Ackerman, Camille Dungy, Naomi Shihab Nye, Arthur Sze, and many more.
The Nature of Our Times is a shared initiative, bringing together the joint efforts of Paloma Press, Poets for Science, United By Nature, and Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University, and is made possible with grant support from the Ohio Arts Council, the San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture and Arts Commission, and the Woodward Foundation. This anthology serves as a companion to the first national assessment of U.S. lands, waters, and wildlife.
More info and purchase links here.
