Cover, Hudson River XIV, by Fredericka Foster for Mountain Climbing a River, by Michael T. Young, 2026
Think About Water’s founding member Fredericka Foster‘s luminous painting Hudson River XIV wraps the full cover of poet Michael T. Young‘s new collection, Mountain Climbing a River, creating a visual-poetic meditation on water, justice, and our intimate connection to all living things.
Young’s poems delve deep into interrogating issues of justice through the lens of water and imagination. The collection speaks to all creatures and their relationships to water, weaving together reflections on the middle passage, slavery, and a tribute to violinist Elijah McClain, who died at the hands of police. As Young writes, water and justice are inseparable—both flow through the veins of our shared humanity and ecological systems.
Foster’s Hudson River XIV offers the perfect visual companion to this exploration. Her river paintings capture water not as a static subject but as a living force—constantly moving, reflecting, transforming. The blue currents and fluid forms become pathways for contemplation, mirroring the poems’ journey through memory, resistance, and hope.
This collaboration between visual artist and poet creates a powerful statement about water’s role as witness and participant in our struggles for justice. The river becomes both metaphor and material reality—carrying history, reflecting present conditions, flowing toward transformation.
Foster’s work with Think About Water has long elevated water in all its forms as life force, sacred element, and interconnected system. Mountain Climbing a River extends this vision, reminding us that when we speak of water, we speak of survival, memory, and the possibility of healing.
Mountain Climbing a River, poetry by Michael T. Young – Broadstone Books, 2026