Praising Oceania: Ecopoetics and Embodied Connections in Craig Santos Perez’s “Praise Song for Oceania"

Abstract

Craig Santos Perez’s "Praise Song for Oceania," written for World Oceans Day, is a powerful celebration of the ocean as a life-giving force that connects humanity to the earth and oceans in both ecological and embodied ways. In this presentation, I will explore how Perez’s poem blends Indigenous Pacific Islander worldviews with environmental advocacy, emphasizing our deep physical, cultural, and spiritual ties to the ocean. Perez reminds us that the ocean is not just around us—it is within us. Our bodies carry saltwater in our blood and tears, and our hearts beat to the rhythm of the ocean’s waves. The poem also reflects on how life began in the ocean, making it the source of all existence. Through poetic techniques like repetition, metaphor, and invocation, Perez invites an embodied experience of the poem, asking us to feel the ocean not only as a distant entity but as an integral part of who we are. Using ecocritical and postcolonial frameworks, this session will analyze how "Praise Song for Oceania" situates the ocean as a sacred and interconnected force, central to identity, survival, and environmental advocacy. By evoking both emotional and physical connections to the sea, Perez’s work inspires a deeper commitment to marine preservation and climate action. This session is designed for educators, poets, and activists who seek to understand how art can bridge personal experience and global environmental issues, fostering a profound recognition of our shared origin and destiny with the ocean.