Mission
Buried Creek Collective educates Greater Philadelphia writers about our changing environment to foster informed storytelling and creative climate resilience. Our curriculum equips participants with foundational knowledge about waterways, land use, ecology and infrastructure; brings them to local sites of environmental crisis and renewal; and connects them with sustainability and conservation professionals. Our community supports visions of cooperation, adaptation, and a thriving future in our region.
Why “Buried Creek Collective”?
Philadelphia’s past, present, and future is written in water. Two hundred years ago, little streams ran like capillaries all throughout the land between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. As the city grew, many of these waterways were filled in and paved over; others were channeled underground, forming the foundation of the combined sewer system that we still use today. A contemporary map of the city shows few remaining creeks–although traces persist in the names of places (such as Overbrook Park), the nonlinear path of certain roads (such as Dock Street), and sewer outfalls in the city’s watershed parks.
Buried creeks shape the urban environment whether we see them or not. As a collective of creators, we can use our craft to help our fellow Philadelphians see–to ensure that buried history is not forgotten, to speak the unspoken climate reality in which we now live, and to imagine a more resilient future.
Who we are
Stephanie Feldman is the author of the climate novel Saturnalia, a Locus Award Finalist, and the debut novel The Angel of Losses, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, winner of the Crawford Fantasy Award, and finalist for the Mythopoeic Award. She is co-editor of the multi-genre anthology Who Will Speak for America? and her stories and essays have appeared in or are forthcoming from Asimov’s Science Fiction, Catapult Magazine, Electric Literature, Flash Fiction Online, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Rumpus, Uncharted Magazine, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Weird Horror, and more. Her short fiction collection The Night Parade and Other Stories is forthcoming in 2026.
Sara Davis is a writer and environmental steward who lives in Philadelphia. She completed a Certificate in Climate Change and an Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing from Penn, and her PhD in American literature is from Temple University. Recent publications include “Commencement” (Phoebe, February 2025), “Metamorphosis in Reverse” (South 85, November 2024), and “Closure” (Vignette, July 2022). She was awarded Editor’s Choice in the 2020 inaugural CRAFT Creative Nonfiction contest with a braided essay, “The Untimely Collaborators,” and her short story “The Drowned City” won the 2020 Climate Fiction
Competition for Euphony Journal. As a writing professional, Sara has created long-form blog content for arts and education organizations, style compliant and search engine optimized website copy for nonprofits, and book reviews for independent publishers.