Ada Limón, the United States Poet Laureate, is helping to ignite a passion for poetry and environmental stewardship among young people. Limón, who holds a MacArthur Genius Fellowship and was named one of Time Magazine’s Women of the Year in 2024, is bringing her art to communities across the U.S., including an upcoming event in Cloverdale, Oregon. Her work—both as a writer and a public figure—has resonated deeply in an age of environmental uncertainty, offering hope and reflection through the power of words.
In a recent interview with Michael Dunne, Limón reflected on her time as the 24th Poet Laureate, a role she has held since September 2022, and her ongoing mission to bring poetry to the forefront of cultural and educational conversations. “Poetry is a vehicle for emotional expression and a tool for transformation, especially for younger generations grappling with the complexities of our times,” she explained.
One of Limón’s major initiatives during her tenure has been the You Are Here project, which highlights the relationship between poetry and the natural world. Through collaborations with the National Parks Service and the Poetry Society of America, Limón has placed original poems by contemporary poets in national parks across the country, urging visitors to connect more deeply with nature and its preservation. The project’s aim is simple yet profound: to encourage attention to the natural world, even as it faces the growing pressures of climate change.
“Poetry has always been a way for people to process complex emotions,” Limón noted. “As we confront environmental crises, poetry helps us hold space for both our grief and our wonder. It reminds us that we are part of something larger, and that in paying attention to the world around us, we find the courage to act.”
Limón’s role as the first Latina Poet Laureate has been particularly meaningful to young people from Latino backgrounds, who now have a prominent figure in the literary world to look up to. “Representation matters,” she said. “Seeing someone from your background achieve something that feels out of reach can spark a new understanding of what is possible.”
Her upcoming visit to Oregon will focus on engaging youth with poetry. When asked about her goals for speaking to young people, Limón shared her belief in the importance of fostering creativity and emotional expression. “Young people today are navigating so many challenges, and poetry gives them a way to articulate their feelings and fears,” she explained. “By reading and writing poetry, they can make sense of the world and their place in it.”
Limón, whose own relationship with poetry began at the age of 15, also emphasized the transformative power of literature during adolescence. She recalled how Elizabeth Bishop’s poem One Art helped her understand heartbreak and the fleeting nature of life. “Poetry has a way of helping us confront our deepest fears and our most profound joys,” she said. “It’s about paying attention to life, and not letting the moments pass unnoticed.”
As Limón prepares for her reading in Cloverdale, she is eager to connect with local youth through her poetry. One of the poems she will share is Startlement, a piece she wrote for the National Climate Assessment, which explores the intersection of human existence and the natural world. The poem, full of reflection and urgency, captures the essence of interconnectedness in the face of climate change.
“It is a forgotten pleasure, the pleasure of the unexpected blue bellied lizard skittering off his sunspot rock, the flicker of an unknown Bird by the bus stop, to think perhaps we are not distinguishable, and therefore no loneliness can exist here, species to species in the same blue air, smoke, wing flutter, buzzing, a car horn coming so many unknown languages to think we have only honored this strange human tongue. If you sit by the riverside, you see a culmination of all things upstream. We now know we were never at a circle center. Instead, all around us, something is living or trying to live. The world says what we are becoming. We are becoming together.”
In reading this poem, Limón reflects the values she imparts through her work: a deep appreciation for nature, an awareness of our shared human experience, and a call to action in response to the climate crisis. For Limón, poetry is not just about artistic expression—it’s about understanding the world and our place in it, urging us to act with empathy and urgency.
As the United States Poet Laureate continues her mission, her influence grows beyond the pages of her poems, reaching communities in profound and inspiring ways. Through her art and advocacy, Limón is ensuring that poetry remains a vital force in shaping the future—one that is informed by both beauty and action.
