Workshops
Last year, our judges, all scholars of climate writing, shared their own answers to the prompt in workshops during March and April of 2022. Check them out!
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Watch recordings of our three workshops here:
Workshop #1: Many Ways of Writing our Climate
Many Ways of Writing Our Climate
Jim Engell | Tuesday, March 29, 4:45-5:45pm
All Are Welcome! Fiction, Nonfiction, Policy, Science, History, Creativity. How can one tell a story about the climate crisis that is effective and memorable, that prompts constructive action? The workshop will be a place to ask questions but also for thinking about the roles of logic, emotion, and ethics in climate writing. How can one say something important in barely more than a thousand words?
Storytelling and Climate Change
Martin Puchner | Tuesday, April 5, 4:45-5:45pm
In this workshop, we will look at some of the most important examples of storytelling to ask: what stories have humans told each other about the environment for the last 4000 years, from apocalyptic floods to the end of the world? Are these the stories we should be telling now, in the face of climate change? Are there under appreciated forms of climate writing that we should use?
Advocacy and Audience
Alison Glassie | Tuesday, April 12, 4:45-5:45pm
Since 19th century scientists first observed the effects of CO2 emissions on Earth's atmosphere, the climate has generated an enormous volume of writing, across a range of genres. While much of this writing intends to inspire constructive action, some of it was created to sow doubt about scientific consensus, minimize the crisis, and lead readers to believe lies. In this workshop, we'll discuss science literacy, ethics, advocacy, and audience. Mindful of the dynamics of power and privilege that shape relationships between readers and writers, we'll explore effective advocacy strategies that span genres.