Rewriting the Climate Story
Week 8 | August 17–19 | Literary Arts Center at Alumni Hall Poetry Room | Ages: 18+
Throughout human existence, storytelling has shaped societies, influencing personal, sociocultural, educational, and public conversations that impact how we currently live and imagine our futures. Creating and communicating the language of stories to ourselves and others enhance our innate voices and can empower us to engage in greater empathy, compassion, and possibility. It’s not a far stretch, then, to propose that storytelling might hold a powerful sway in addressing one of the most significant challenges of our lifetime: the climate emergency. This workshop invites participants to explore our own relationships to the climate emergency and the roles our personal and social stories play in this process. Over three days, participants will self-reflect on the stories of climate justice, creating and rewriting some of those narratives, while also considering some of the social and environmental challenges impeding action. Topics covered will include the storying process, empathy, understanding of the climate emergency, adaptive leadership, and social action. By the end of this workshop, participants will develop and write their own climate story that can then be applied to their personal and professional lives.
Generative. The primary class focus is on in-class craft analysis and discussion, in-class exercises, and optional take-home prompts; ideal for writers looking for new ways to invigorate their writing practice throughout the entire year; useful to writers at all levels. (Ages: 18+)
Class Times
Derek Gladwin
Derek Gladwin, PhD, is an author and educator committed to exploring transformations in culture and society through environmental, narrative, and arts-based education. He is the author of several books, including Ecological Exile and Rewriting Our Stories, and teaches in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia.
Naoko Ellis
Naoko Ellis, PhD, is a professional engineer, educator, and environmental consultant. She is curious about how learning with and from "others" – crossing the disciplinary boundaries – can inform and frame the complex societal problems we face. She has led large-scale funding projects in Canada, published papers on carbon capture and biomass utilization, and currently teaches engineering at the University of British Columbia.
