‘Art is an ancient bargain struck
when the Earth was young, a magical
illumination that always reveals poetry,
sometimes increase and sometimes tragedy.’
There’s been poetry at the heart of Dark Mountain from its beginnings. The name itself is taken from a line of Robinson Jeffers. Many members of the editorial team who have been responsible for the Dark Mountain books are also poets, including Cate Chapman, Michael McClane and Em Strang. In this section, you can get a taste of the uncivilised poetics for which we have sought to create a home.
Our Autumn 2025 special issue on Uncivilised Art celebrates the work and practice of artists in a collapsing yet still beautiful world
