“I have, in To 2040, taken that title and spoken to the future people who live in that year . . . seven generations down the line, who look back and say, ‘Why didn’t you stop? Why didn’t you avert? Why didn’t you change? How could you have done this?'” —Jorie Graham
Watch this illuminating conversation between Griffin Trustee Sarah Howe and Jorie Graham, who delves deep into the creation of her 2024 Griffin Poetry Prize-shortlisted collection, To 2040 (Copper Canyon Press). Against the backdrop of unfathomable climate catastrophe, endless wars, and artificial intelligence anxieties, Graham speaks about how her relationship to time and the future has changed her poetry, how moving from feeling “accountable” to “responsible” has impacted her work, and how her latest collection is about “awakening our relationship to future people.”
