Dana Henry Martin

Trauma

  • On Poetry and Healing

    I don’t approach poems as therapy. I just come to them as myself. Poems allow us to reclaim our stories,… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Poems as Time-Stamps

    During Saturday’s Utah Poetry Festival panel discussion on Poetry As Survival, if there’s time, I’d like to talk about why… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–5 minutes

  • Poetry As Survival

    During Saturday’s Utah Poetry Festival panel discussion on Poetry As Survival, if there’s time, I’d like to talk about why… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–5 minutes

  • The Others

    The last lines of Linda Gregg’s poem “The Girl I Call Alma” read:               Tell me we are one              and that it’s… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • The Writing Life. Parting Words.

    I wrote the essay below years ago for a literary organization that ran a series whose focus was on discussing… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    17–26 minutes

  • The Letter

    Several years ago, the poet who sexually assaulted me circulated a letter about me within the poetry community. In it,… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Realms Beautiful and Terrifying

    Awake is my least favorite word when I don’t want to be. Our water purifier started making a high-pitched noise… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Dead, I Wanted to Live

    I dreamed I died. I saw my body lying on its side on a gurney. I was wearing a blue… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–4 minutes

  • The House

    The house has been doused with gasoline. (You’re welcome in it.) The floor of the house is littered with matches.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Wildness

    Wildness is one of those words that looks like it’s missing a letter. I want another d or n. Something.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

PROCESS

  • Map and Research: Investigate the historical, geological, and ecological context of each collection site or reverse the direction, mapping sites based on ancestral and historical narratives.
  • Forage: Gather natural materials ethically, respectfully, and with permission.
  • Transform: Process foraged materials into custom mediums and physical resources for art-making.
  • Weave: Track the stories held within the land, braiding personal, ancestral, and ecological histories.
  • Create: Generate studies and finished artwork informed by the sites and physically composed of the materials collected.

  • Limits: Not all sites will be safe or accessible, which means some spaces cannot be entered, and some stories will remain incomplete. An empty container can signify these omissions.

purpose

ethics

Responsible Exploration: Committing to mindful presence, permission-based foraging, and minimal-impact exploration on every site.

Meaning

Embodied Storytelling: Engaging in sensory, place-based creation that connects the maker and viewer to the specific location and to the physical earth.

Reclamation: Unearthing and honoring lost, fractured, or overlooked histories embedded in the landscape.

Material Transformation: Celebrating the alchemy of turning raw, gathered earth into tangible, expressive art.

community

Public Education: Sharing the ecological and historical narratives of the sites to foster a deeper collective awareness.

Active Participation: Creating opportunities for community participation, engagement, and shared connection through the work.