Yes, the short story contest presentation is here!
Our short story contest multimedia presentation, combining over twenty selected climate change short stories and nature photographs from around the world, is presented here. To see more, join the discussion of the event in our amazing Google+ community. September 27 is 100,000 Poets (and other artists/authors) for Change–an annual event happening in hundreds of cities simultaneously. Our Vancouver event in 2014 combines British Columbia authors with those around the world, all writing creative pieces about climate change. This creative presentation will include short stories, photos, poems, and music.
We are pleased to announce the winner of the contest: Robert Sassor, with his short story “First Light”.
Robert Sassor combines his twin passions for sustainability and creative writing as a Director at Metropolitan Group, a leading social change agency and one of B Lab’s 100 “best for the world” corporations.
Following Rob’s years as an English major at Willamette University, Rob conducted research and ghostwrote about a range of social and environmental issues in Washington, D.C., contributing to more than 150 published works and two books. More recently, Rob assessed the efficacy of negative versus positive messages in communicating and fundraising for nature conservation, which served as the research component for a Masters in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge.
Rob’s most affecting lessons about conservation occurred in western Tanzania, where he worked to conserve our closest living relative: chimpanzees. In his role as Conservation Action Plan Coordinator for the Jane Goodall Institute, Rob led a team of eight to develop the conservation plan for the greater Gombe ecosystem, and co-coordinated the plan to reduce poaching and to promote sustainable natural resources management in the vast Masito Ugalla landscape. Results included increased collaboration and the documentation of cultural knowledge; additionally, fourteen villages around Gombe democratically designated land for regeneration along the conservation corridor.
Climate forecasts predict less freshwater for Tanzania and increased seasonal droughts and flooding, and their concomitant agricultural impacts. Inspiring greater public engagement in addressing climate change is a pragmatic and an ethical imperative that drives Rob’s work, including through creative non-fiction, poetry and fiction with climate change motifs.
Rob lives in Portland, Oregon, and, when he isn’t writing, he enjoys running and cycling in the great outdoors.
Congratulations, well done Rob — keep on scribbling, please. Kindest regards, John Life
Congratulations, Rob!
…so is it more effective to show negative or positive messages when fundraising? I can tell you, at least on environment, it’s easier to get positive stories published in the news than negative ones.