My Oceans

Christina Rivera is a Pushcart Prize-– winning essayist from Colorado whose girlhood was bordered by coastlines of Pacific Ocean. She is a winner of the John Burroughs Nature Essay Award and a finalist for the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature. Her writing has appeared in Orion, Terrain.org, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere.

"Honest and unflinching. But on this ocean planet, also healing." - Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature"This collection is threaded with wonder, history, and heartache. In My Oceans, motherhood is not sentimentalized but shown as a transformative political power. Masterfully constructed and beautifully written, this book dwells in the depths - not only of oceans but of mourning, awe, anger, and action." - Beth Piatote, author of The Beadworkers: Stories"An agile voice traversing original landscapes both physical and psychological, both beautiful and harrowing." - Chris Dombrowski, author of The River You Touch: Making a Life on Moving Water"What is this astonishing book of motherhood, climate change, loss, and love? Christina Rivera's lyrical prose brims with sorrow and outrage, yes but those emotions evolve into hope, love, and empowerment, all while embracing the veracity of a researcher paired with the sensibility of a poet. I'll return to My Oceans over and over to remind myself what matters most: compassion and the conviction that yes, this world not only must but can heal its wounds and evolve toward wholeness." - BK Loren, author of the Theft "Christina Rivera's first collection of essays, My Oceans, is a lyrical, informed, nuanced, and multifaceted exploration of the undeniable moment of climate crisis we are living in, seen through the lens of the author's lifelong connection to the natural world, her work in the field of experiential education, and most pointedly, as a woman, committed ecofeminist, and the mother of two young children. In a voice that is warm, open, and trustworthy, Christina shows us what's at stake, what we've already lost, and makes it real through the everyday impacts that global warming, environmental toxicity, and the uncertain future are having on her family and herself. She doesn't flinch from the hard questions, whether they come from her children or her conscience. The candor and compelling urgency of these essays are themselves a demonstration of the galvanizing force of a woman's voice, and the possibility for profound change if you listen." - Kate Moses, author of Cakewalk

• Author's NoteAct I: SubmersionBlood MoonTwo BreathsOncomingThe Smooth Sides of DarknessRed TalismanThe Seventeenth DayThe EndlingAct II: MigrationsFour CirclesThe Silence of ThunderAnatomy of a SeagullPhantom BrakingHidden GeographiesScreening FormEmpty the TanksMy OceansObituaryAct III: FathomsQuieseedsBaby Jesus the GirlResuscitationHow to Host a Pod of Women in WaterThe ShiftGood GriefFog RescueBook Club QuestionsThank YouWorks Consulted and For Further ReadingNotes and Bibliography