S235. What We Write About When We Write About Sustainability

Grand Salon D, Marriott Waterside, Second Floor
Saturday, March 10, 2018
3:00 pm to 4:15 pm

 

These four panelists wrap their words around a crucial issue in the era of climate change—sustainability, and what that term means for writers. Why should we care? Should we be writers or activists first, and can we be both? Given an uncertain global future, how can we best prepare ourselves and our readers for dramatic shifts in ecology and society?


Participants

Moderator:

Steve Heller is chair of the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Antioch University Los Angeles, whose mission includes the education of literary artists, community engagement, and the pursuit of social, economic, and environmental justice. He is the author of four books and 60+ stories and essays.

Irene Vilar is an award-winning author and Guggenheim fellow, publisher of www.mvpress.org, EJ activist, and founder of Americas for Conservation + the Arts 501(c)(3) www.americasforconservation.org Vilar is the recipient of the City of Denver Office of Sustainability 2016 Love This Place Award.

Douglas Unger is the author of four novels, including Leaving the Land, finalist for the Pulitzer, and the collection Looking for War and Other Stories. He is director of the creative writing international program at UNLV, and serves on the executive board of Words Without Borders.

Sharman Apt Russell is the author of a dozen books translated into a dozen languages. Her Diary of a Citizen Scientist won the 2016 John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing. Forthcoming is Within Our Grasp: Feeding the World's Children for a Better and Greener Future.

#AWP24

February 7–10, 2024
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Convention Center