The power of prose
by Fresh Energyby Carin Skoog, Fresh Energy
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a published author or photographer? Do you have a compelling story or image to share that illustrates your concerns about global warming and how it is impacting a place you love? Well thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and literary publisher Penguin Classics, now is your chance to put those thoughts or images on paper and help inspire action on global warming. Following in the great tradition of nature-writers such as Henry David Thoreau, UCS and Penguin Classics are encouraging YOU to submit essays and images about global warming for publication in a new online book, Thoreau’s Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming.
To participate, write a 200- to 500-word first-person account of global warming that relates to your life or the world around you. Is there a place that holds a special meaning to you that you want to protect? What people, animals, or activities that you love are at risk from a changing climate? Are you taking steps in your own life to help avoid the most damaging impacts of global warming? Tell your story or send a photograph related to topics like these. The best submissions will be included in Thoreau’s Legacy, which will be published online in the spring of 2009 and in a limited-edition hardcover version as well.
Two leading scientists and one of the nation’s most respected nature photographers have already contributed representative works to the project to serve as examples of the kind of essays and photographs being sought. To view them and learn how you can submit your own essay or photograph, visit the UCS website at www.ucsusa.org/americanstories.
It’s time for the writings of a new generation to inspire our country to take on the challenge of global warming. Unleash your inner artist/activist! Submit your story or photographs today!
