explore  biotic community 

Director Linda Russo founded EcoArts on the Palouse in 2017. She was recently named a Community Engaged Scholar Fellow at Washington State University, where she has taught in the English Department for over a decade and currently serves as the Director of Creative Writing. Her work as a poet, editor, teacher and poetics scholar explores the forces that shape understandings of land and biotic community. "I am honored to work with students to create ways to understand our relationship to the land, water, and other species on the Palouse. They are the heart of this living project."

Andy Connot is in the final semester of their fourth year at Washington State University studying English and Philosophy, and in pursuit of an Editing and Publishing Certificate. Growing up in Seattle, they’ve had the opportunity to scour the west coast and discover a fondness for the natural world. The sea is the home of their heart. They are researching and writing about the wildlife living within the rivers of the Palouse as an addition to the EcoArts project.

Joel Kemegue is a third-year English major with a focus in Creative Writing from Bellevue, Washington. He has been interested in reading and writing since the 5th grade. When he is not writing he’s usually watching movies, playing video games, and complaining about both. His EcoArts project explores how we view the ecosystems through a series of poems and a Highlight Article on the Plant Poems Project. He joined EcoArts on the Palouse to practice and explore the relationship between nature and writing, as well as to learn more about the natural environment of the Palouse.

Lizzy Kizer is a Junior at Washington State University, double majoring in Psychology and English and minoring in Criminal Justice. Born and raised in Salem, Oregon, Lizzy has always found herself drawn to explore the vast landscapes that surround her both in her hometown as well as in her new home on the Palouse. “I was drawn to EcoArts because despite the knowledge I have about the world around me, I feel as though there's always more to learn and more to appreciate in nature. I feel as though EcoArts is an important project here on campus and I couldn't be more excited to be a part of it!”

Annelise Wagner is a senior studying English with a focus in Rhetoric and Professional Writing. Originally from Newport Beach, California, she has deep respect for the nature around her, especially the ocean. Annelise consistently supports efforts in keeping the beaches near her home clean and protecting the wildlife that reside along the coast through organizations like Surfrider Foundation and 4Ocean. She hopes to further expand her creative and rhetorical writing skills and promote awareness of the nature of the Palouse while working on the EcoArts project. Annelise says, “Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we’re really just guests here. We need to stop and look around once in a while and understand we should be more courteous to a world that will be here long after we’re gone.” 

Anna K. Young's Highlight Article is currently featured on EcoArts; she is also an arts contributor. She is a summa cum laude graduate of WSU (BA English ‘21) and an MFA candidate in creative writing at Western Washington University. Alongside a forthcoming novella with Running Wild Press, she will be featured in Cutleaf Literary Journal, Sheila-Na-Gig’s online poetry journal, and Mortal Magazine in 2022. Her latest work appeared in Crack the Spine’s “The Year” anthology in 2019.