Interpreting Nature in Australia Through Poetry: A Personal Anthology Written Within the Erosion Caldera of Northern New South

My Independent Study Project (ISP) involved traveling within the erosion caldera of northern New South Wales, mainly WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and writing environmental poetry about the places where I lived and worked. I began by researching past Australian environmental poets so that I could have a strong basic understanding before commencing my own writing. I lived in four different locations within the erosion caldera and strove to form a strong sense of place that is reflected in my poetry. Ultimately, I produced an anthology of poems that capture my responses to the natural environments that I experienced. This project was important to do because I interpret my surroundings by writing about them and the process of writing environmental poetry led me to form a deep connection with nature. I hope to communicate the bonding I formed with the natural environment by sharing with others the poems I wrote. For this project, I concentrated on balancing my experiences—working on farms, exploring my natural surroundings, observing nature—with writing poetry about these experiences, which ultimately led to an anthology of nature poems. This anthology of nature poems documents my changing relationship with my environment and thus illustrates the deep connection I formed with nature