Underwater Vents, Pacific Ring of Fire, Courtesy of NOAA

On this week’s episode of For The Wild, we are joined by Craig Santos Perez to discuss parenting and caring in the Anthropocene, the connection between tourism and militarism, Guåhan’s layered history and his most recent book of eco-poetry Habitat Threshold, which intimately explores ancestry, ecological collapse and the ongoing legacy of capitalism, imperialism and colonization. 

Craig Santos Perez is an Indigenous Chamorro poet, scholar, activist, and educator from the Pacific Islander of Guam. He is the author of five books of poetry and the co-editor of five literary anthologies. He is an associate professor in the English department at the University of Hawaiʻi, Manoa. He teaches Pacific Islander literature, creative writing, and environmental poetry.

Craig and Ayana begin the conversation discussing the swelling of emotions many of us continue to experience as we live through times of unstoppable change. Instead of becoming motionless, how can we harness these emotions and channel them into creations that expose injustice? Using language as his vessel, Craig shares the history of his homeland of Guåhan, a place often rendered invisible as an unincorporated territory. We ask Craig about the ongoing militarization of the Pacific and what similarities militarism and tourism have in common when it comes to desecration of place, culture and being? What hides behind the postcard-like depictions of paradise in the Pacific? How can we reframe our understanding of place in a way that both critiques US empire, but doesn’t limit the experience of place to that of US imperialism? Following this trajectory, we explore the hubris of deep-sea mining and the grave impacts it has on the life-giving Ocean for the temporary production of lithium-ion batteries. 

♫ Music by Eliza Edens, Izé Goodfriend, Mary Beth Carolan

Take Action

“There are several Pacific environmental organizations I would like to share with listeners: Prutehi Litekyan, Mauna Kea Fund, Pacific Climate Warriors, Sierra Club Hawaiʻi, and Jo Jikum.” –Craig Santos Perez

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