We don’t always allow poetry on our site (especially after the Great Rhyming Curse of 2012), but we’ll make an exception for Washington state poet laureate Kathleen Flenniken. In Shell Game, a short made in four days for the 2013 International Documentary Challenge, Flenniken describes what it was like to grow up next to the Hanford Nuclear Site. Flenniken covers the history of the location — from national pride to Superfund site — and the conflicted feelings that arise from calling Hanford home.

Reader support helps sustain our work. Donate today to keep our climate news free. All donations DOUBLED!

h/t Northwest Film Forum

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.