For ARTS 3993, Stephen Alexander conducted research throughout Spring 2026 for Dr. Dale Tracy, a faculty member in the English Department. In the first half of this interview, Stephen asks Dale questions about her research project. In the second half, Dale asks Stephen about his experience as a research assistant.

Part One

Stephen Alexander: Has the idea of writing a paper surrounding ecopoetry and contemporary poetry been a passion of yours for a long time? Or, do you find yourself being inspired by this specific Call for Papers? Are there any insights you would be willing to share about your thought process when looking for a Call for Papers?

DT: I’ve been attending ACCUTE (the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English) for more than a decade, so I was ready to be inspired by the CFP for its upcoming conference, where I can catch up with the colleagues from all over who I get to see once a year. When I saw Robert Stacey’s panel “Poetry of Infrastructure/Poetic Infrastructures,” I thought of Renée Sarojini Saklikar’s epic fantasy in verse in which “the seasons are themselves portals to time travel” (Bramah and the Beggar Boy, xix). I started by asking myself how that alignment of (imagined) infrastructure with natural cycles can help me think about the electrical grid, transit systems, and communication networks that Saklikar’s poems also include.

SA: Ecopoetry has many definitions. Do you find yourself inspired by a guiding definition from a peer in the field? Or do you have a personal definition of ecopoetry? If so, could you share it?

DT: I tend to learn from individual poems because I understand each poem to offer a theory or model that I can follow. Though I find myself thinking about precise details while leaving categories loose, I do find John Shoptaw’s definition to be useful. He says ecopoetry concerns literal (not only figurative) nonhuman nature and displays ecocentric values.

SA: What do you feel is the foundational mantra or understanding behind ecopoetry? Is ecopoetry an act of environmental activism, or something even more complex?

DT: Your question is fitting because the poetry I’ll be speaking about at the conference has an interest in mottos. Renée Sarojini Saklikar’s epic fantasy in verse has a character whose motto is “Let all evil die and the good endure.” Sakilkar’s book series is called The Heart of This Journey Bears All Patterns. Since poetry offers carefully patterned lines that can sometimes be pithy statements, I’m wondering how an explicit motto connects to the kind of guidance lines of poetry more generally offer.

I think ecopoetry is too diverse to have a single mantra or motto, but I do think that the patterns of environmental thinking that it offers and inspires should be lived out with other people for them to contribute to a practice of activism. I wouldn’t say that ecopoetry is more complex than environmental activism, but I would say that it is one way of being part of a complex, collective effort toward a better future.

SA: The tone of ecopoetry has shifted over time as scholars have lightened their tone, avoiding the doom-and-gloom approach to the current state of the environment. Why is that? When you are crafting your writing, does tone play a large role in your writing? If so, why?

DT: In their introduction to The Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators, Jennifer Atkinson and Sarah Jaquette Ray explain that “the ‘information deficit’ assumption of most environmental messages, which maintains that people and systems will change when enough climate facts are heard, is a myth” (1). To make change, experts of all sorts understand the significance of spreading not just information but hope—and inviting people to be part of making that hope. KPU’s own Climate+ Challenge (for which I was a Fellow) took this tone with a focus on “Taking Action, Fostering Hope.”

Our trouble isn’t in finding the solutions we need but in working together to enact those solutions. We need cultural change. As a poet, as a scholar, and as a teacher, I do think about the perspective I’m offering so that I can do my best to be part of that cultural change. My scholarly writing has changed since early in my career, in that I usually begin now with a personal story illustrating why I care about the argument and what led me to trying to figure it out. My poetry has always had a foundational tone of delight, whatever else it is doing.

SA: Do you find inspiration in Indigenous knowledge of ecology when looking at ecopoetry, or do you rely on scientific data to inspire your work? Or do you find yourself finding a healthy balance between the two knowledges?

DT: In Rueben George’s memoir about his part in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation resistance to the Trans Mountain Pipeline, he says, “there is nothing inherently evil about oil” (192); he explains, “[o]il has a spirit” to “be honoured and celebrated. But our spiritual law tells us that when you overindulge in the unique qualities of something, bad consequences follow” (192-193). Leanne Betasamosake Simpsons writes, in Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead, “Human worlds that are fractal, adaptive, non-linear and iterative, resilient and transformative, interdependent and decentralized, all move towards more possibilities for life” (Simpson 188). Your question about healthy balance made me think about this need to shift from this dependence on oil to live in non-fixated ways that promote life. You can probably see that in the conference paper I’ll be connecting George’s comments about evil with Saklikar’s character’s motto about good and evil. Simpson helps me to think about how “good” might mean “more possibilities for life” in contrast to how not honouring possibilities for life leads to “bad consequences,” as George explains.

SA: Is there something in your life, whether from childhood or adulthood, that has inspired you to focus on ecopoetry? Or do you find yourself worried about future generations and hoping to inspire change through your work and words?

DT: My philosophy for living is to be committed and responsible in what I’m doing and then stay open and curious about what happens next. Living like this makes opportunities come my way, including ones I wouldn’t have expected. I don’t mean that I focus on ecopoetry randomly—ecopoetry fits with everything about me. I could list dozens of things that inspired me to write and study ecopoetry (including, yes, worry about the future and a desire to help make the most beautiful one we can make), but, if I look back at what led me here, I see two moments. One, right after I completed my PhD and was working as a sessional in 2013, I saw a poster inviting applications to be part of a collaborative project examining environmental issues through theatre, as part of Tracey Guptill’s graduate work in Environmental Studies at Queen’s University. I participated in that year-long project with students, faculty, and members of the community, and it has been shaping my thinking ever since. Two, around the same time, Patricia Robertson, acting as poet-in-residence at the public library, suggested I attend Bruce Kauffman’s regular poetry open mic event. I made lifelong friends and became part of a poetry community, which gave me a new relationship to poetry. I realized that poems are a way to get to know other people. The core of my answer here is that ideas come about through sharing experiences with other people, so those experiences are what I might best call the inspiration for what I’m doing now.

Part Two

DT: I know that you have a project in mind that you’d like to pursue in a master’s program after you finish at KPU. Does the research you’re doing for my project connect at all to yours?

SA: Although there is no direct correlation between my prospective project and Dr. Dale Tracy’s upcoming article, I realized how valuable and intense research can be at the next level. When meeting with Dr. Tracy, I quickly understood that my undergraduate research skills could use some work. While talking with Dr. Tracy, I soon realized that writing and researching at the next level were quite intensive. So, even though my prospective work and Dr. Tracy’s upcoming article are not similar, I realize how infectious Dr. Tracy’s passion for her work is; it has inspired me and made me realize I share that passion for discussing my cultural liminality in Canada. I feel that working in this research position has given me insight into how I must work towards my own prospective work.

DT: What would you say about your experience to students who are thinking about applying for a research assistant opportunity?

SA: I was nervous about accepting a role as a research assistant because, even though the title is self-explanatory, I had no idea what my workload would look like week to week. However, as with anything, an individual will begin to adapt. I soon realized how to manage and allocate my time for research. My advice: learn to be comfortable with the unknown, take the plunge and experience something entirely new. It is okay to be nervous about the unknown, but do not let it stop you from new experiences. In the future, I would love to be a research assistant again.

DT: What would you say about your experience to faculty members who are thinking about offering a research assistant opportunity?

SA: Being understanding and flexible are essential traits for any faculty member considering offering a research assistant position. Even though I am in my last years of undergrad and have extensive experience researching my own topics, it is extremely unusual to research for someone else. I found myself questioning my own capabilities, but I realized all I had to do was ask for help and guidance. Also, flexibility is essential. When I began this research position, I did not know how many sources were acceptable per week, but Dr. Tracy’s flexibility allowed me to find my own sources at my own pace, as my sources varied from week to week.

DT: How was researching for someone else similar to and different from researching for your own coursework? Has doing this research made you think in new ways about your own writing?

SA: I found it completely different, and I wanted to know whether Dr. Tracy would find this source helpful. However, what I realized was Dr. Tracy’s ability to view all sources as valuable, which made me wonder whether my research technique was far too stringent. Through research meetings with Dr. Tracy, I soon realized how intensive the research process was, and that research can be about both quality and quantity. Through Dr. Tracy’s guidance, I have found a complete shift in my approach to research and sources, aiming to adopt a more mature and refined approach.

DT: Did you learn anything from this experience that you think you will use in your broader life, outside of coursework? What do you think you will take away from this experience?

SA: I found out from this process how good it is to step outside one’s comfort zone. Originally, I was hesitant to accept this position, and the early stages were quite confusing to navigate, but once I realized how helpful Dr. Tracy was, all my doubts were put to ease. I soon realized how interesting academia can become by just saying yes. For instance, in the past, I would never have agreed to be part of this interview because I would have been too nervous to step outside my comfort zone. However, through the research assistant program, I decided to take the plunge and say yes. Through this research assistant position, I have seen a drastic shift in my mindset, learning that new opportunities, while scary, offer a unique adventure.

Works Cited

Atkinson, Jennifer and Sarah Jaquette Ray, eds. The Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators: How to Teach in a Burning World. U of California P, 2024.

George, Rueben, with Michael Simpson. It Stops here: Standing Up for Our Lands, Our Waters, and Our People. Allen Lane, 2023.

Guptill, Tracey. “When I Get There.” AnARC Theatre.  https://www.anarctheatre.com/when-i-get-there.

Saklikar, Renée Sarojini. The Heart of This Journey Bears All Patterns: Bramah and the Beggar Boy and Bramah’s Quest. Nightwood, 2021 and 2023.

Shoptaw, John. “Why Ecopoetry?” Poetry, vol. 207, no. 4, 2016, pp. 395–408. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44015972. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.

Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead. Alchemy, 2025.