I write poetry, articles and reflections...
I have produced one novel Between Two States, which has been translated and published in Italy. After the awarding of the Bronte Poetry Prize, I was Poet in Residence in Bradford Cathedral during its centenary year. Out to this grew the poetry collection Dark Angelic Mills, with a foreword by Rowan Williams. Guantanamo, an earlier publication, is a collection of poems and drawings co-created with my late husband, the artist Antonio Pacitti. As well as focusing on my own writings, I curate and exhibit Antonio Pacitti’s art.
My work
I am a contributor to Vala, the William Blake Journal, and my poems have been published in many collections and periodicals. An Italo-Canadian sequence, with translations by Anna Foschi, was presented in Versante Ripido. My articles include a contribution to Newcastle University’s New Defences of Poetry and a discussion of the sacred vision of William Blake and indigenous peoples.
Recently my writing has focused on our relationship with the earth. I plant, engage in activism and contribute my writings to Earth Justice projects at St. James’s, Piccadilly. I am currently working on three poetry collections, the first of which will appear in 2027.
Earth Justice Writings
I contribute poems and other writings to Earth Justice projects at St. James’s church Piccadilly, working with scientist Deborah Colvin and artist Sara Mark.
I also create Eco Contemplative liturgies, as do other Earth Justice members. Grounded in an open-air place, these liturgies aim to deepen our encounter with the earth through poetry and other writings, shared reflections and silence.
Earth Justice Projects
Three remarkable collaborative projects, interweaving religion, science and the arts, and involving the participation of members of the church community and the wider public, along with sundry other-than-human contributors.
Adjacent to the side entrance, it (the church) also bears a memorial to the ‘artist-poet-visionary’ William Blake, who was baptised there on December 11, 1757…Scientifically-informed and faith-inspired, Aftermath also embraces this Romantic inheritance of prophetic social critique, environmental protest, and creative imagination.
Kate Rigby, Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Environmental Humanities, and Director of the research hub for Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities, University of Cologne
Mark Oakley event Youtube
On Wednesday 17 April at 6:30pm Mark Oakley and Diane Pacitti met at St James’s to read and discuss poetry. Diane focused on poems she had written for Earth Justice projects at St James’s.
What's next?
I am planning three poetry collections, beginning with Fall, estimated publication of 2027. To be followed by Wilderness and Ecozoic.
Written when the earth’s survival is threatened by climate change, these three poetic journeys will explore how a stance of dominance towards the earth has shrunk and impoverished the human psyche. Ecozoic, the final volume, will suggest how our vision might be transformed.
As a tribute to the continuing inspiration of William Blake, the first volume will appear in 2027, the bi-centenary of his death.
Send me a message
If you would like to get in touch then please send me a message. I will respond as soon as possible. Thank you.