Cascadia 2050, CPL’s Youth Initiative!

Cascadia Poetics Lab has established Cascadia 2050 to expand our offering to Cascadian poets under 40. The group will be working to establish a bioregionalist poetic perspective in Cascadia that we hope will last many decades. Cascadia 2050 will be working to translate the work of Cascadia Poetics Lab to appeal to younger generations of Cascadians, along with introducing new programming that will involve youth interested in poetry and bioregionalism. Cascadia 2050 already hosted their first reading in collaboration with Gearhouse, a local outdoor gear rental club, in early October, and plans to host more events featuring young Cascadians in 2025.

CPL 2050 Committee

Veronica Martinez

Veronica Martinez (she/they) is a Seattle-based writer, musician and community worker. Growing up in a military family with musician parents, Veronica moved around the U.S. and Europe during her childhood, always finding home within art and music in her communities and schools. After settling in Tucson, AZ as a teenager, Veronica received a BA in Creative Writing and English from the University of Arizona, and soon after moved to Seattle with her partner, Angel, and their cat, Naboo, to engage with the city’s music scene.

 In June of 2023, Veronica was hired as the administrative assistant of Cascadia Poetics Lab. Her work with Cascadia Poetics Lab has exposed her to bioregionalism and expanded her passion for the intersection of art and community. Discovering the ability to use art and writing to connect with environmentalists, ecologists and cultural workers to bring attention to current social and environmental crises has been vital and essential to Veronica’s progression as both a writer and community worker.

 Veronica is also the editor in chief, head writer and head designer of Disposable Parts, a DIY arts and culture media outlet created by Veronica and Angel. The outlet releases film videography of music and culture events shot and edited by Angel, along with full size, full color magazines designed and edited by Veronica featuring art and interviews by DIY creators in Seattle and beyond. This experience has exposed Veronica to the pursuit of arts and culture journalism, combining her love for community with her passion for writing. You can see Veronica’s work with Disposable Parts on Instagram @disposable.parts and read her writing on analogfog.substack.com. 

Zach Charles

In BR [BioRegional] Basics: 22 Ways to Come Home, David McCloskey writes about several ways, 22 to be exact, to live with the rhythms of the planet, to live effectively as the small part of a much larger organism that we as homo sapien are. These manners of living emerge from many places: simply sitting and listening to the land and the water, from deep study of the land and the water, and from certain human traditions, often from indigenous peoples around the world. In the 21st way, he consolidates this down to 6 practices of “‘The Real Work’ of Our Time: 1–Restore Integrity of Ecosystems, 2–Rebuild Infrastructure Along Ecological and Community-Based Lines, 3–Revitalize Communities, 4–Regenerate Ties of Local-Regional Economies, 5–Grow a Restorative Life-Place Politics, 6–Celebrate the Place and Build a New Grounded Culture.” Zachary Brett Charles (They/He) sees art, and especially poetry, as a powerful and peaceful medium through which to change the human imagination. They feel their role as a member of Cascadia 2050 is an opportunity to use art and poetry to help their friends, peers, and fellow Cascadians move toward living their lives in a manner consistent with the rhythms of the planet. They volunteer at the Cascadia Poetry Lab as a member of the Cascadia 2050 Youth Committee, Poetry Postcard Fest project board, the Podcast committee, and wherever else is helpful at the moment.

Zaylan Jacobsen

Zaylan Jacobsen is a Seattle-based entrepreneur, mountaineer and Cascadian. He is originally from Sumner, Washington, a town whose motto is “Live Like the Mountain Is Out”. Growing up in the shadow of Mount Tahoma (Rainier), Zaylan grew a love of the mountains at a very early age that has played a key role in his identity and connection to Cascadia.

During the week he can be found at cafes or at the University of Washington, mainly working on mobile apps, web apps and websites. On the weekends, Zaylan spends time on the trails of Cascadia, always striving for a new summit to climb or trail to run. He loves to find unique ways to combine his passion for Cascadia and his skills in digital products, currently culminating in a web and mobile app at www.cascadia.world.

Zaylan first learned about Cascadia three years ago when studying the Cascade mountains and immediately resonated with the concept of identifying with place. He met the CPL crew at the 7th annual Cascadia Poetry Festival and was amazed by the brilliant minds that were there to discuss Cascadia. Although he would not call himself a full-on poet, Zaylan loves to write, dabbles in poetry and enjoys reading the works of others. He also always likes to know where he is at, which led him to an obsession with maps that now line the walls of his room. The centerpiece of his map collection is, of course, McCloskey’s incredible map of the Cascadian Bioregion.