The Future Keepers

The poems in The Future Keepers honour ecosystems and the custodians of future ecologies. They navigate the poet’s own embodied experiences of change and succession – of family, community and place. From the research scientists, gardeners, birds and plants of Kings Park, to the activism and ecosystems of the Beeliar Wetlands, to the poet’s own inherited landscapes, these poems evoke mutuality and exchange in speaking of the gifts we receive from being open to encounters with other species, and the reciprocity that these gifts imply.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

‘Chinna’s strong work urges us to look deeply into nature and ecology, and navigates us between the past, the present and the possible futures we are all responsible for.’ WritingWA

‘The Future Keepers is a paean to the environment … poems talk of Chinna’s fear of ageing as a childless woman, the loss of a parent, and solastalgia. The term was coined to describe the acute mental distress caused by a rapidly diminishing natural environment. Something Chinna’s poetry beautifully expresses, time and time again.’ Fremantle Herald

‘The poems revolve around an intensely personal exploration of identity and environment … [Chinna’s] images force the reader to contemplate the world around them with more depth and concern as they become aware of how important the future is for all of us.’ Westerly Magazine

‘Its intensely personal lens on ecology is also deeply attentive … the poems are particularly enjoyable because of the water-clear vision of Chinna’s writing.’ Plumwood Mountain