Sometimes taking a new direction is a really good
thing. I recently attended my third
Writer’s Workshop because I want to create an outlet for the many pieces of
writing that I’ve produced over the years.
I also did a presentation last Saturday at the 47th annual
Environmental Education Council of Ohio conference. These two things are
related because while thinking about my topic of what motivates environmental
educators and sustainability folks, I had to do some self-reflection as well. We often go through our busy day-to-day lives
with little time or energy to pause and reflect on the question of why? And by
the same token, what keeps us passionate about our work?
Of course, I’ve written several research articles over the
years, (publish or perish in academia) and the last couple of articles in the Journal of
Sustainability Education have been on a topic near and dear to my heart,
getting children outside to explore and play in nature. The hope of course is in doing that, their
parents will also learn to appreciate and value nature and help to preserve
natural spaces. In researching 300+
responses from adults, the drastic contrast of how they spent their playtime as
children is sadly different from the so-called play of today’s kids.
So, in addition to my consulting and sustainability work, I want to write.
I want to write stories to encourage outdoor play. I want to write
books, particularly fiction, with underlying sustainability and conservation
themes woven in with characters that are healthy, emotionally and physically and truly
connected and engaged in their real-world community, not merely in an electronic
social media realm.
With this new adventure, I know I will need help and support
as I learn the ropes. In the workshops
I’ve attended, they emphasize that finding an agent and getting published is
very, very difficult. I have to believe
that where there is a will, there is a way.
So, please, send names and contact information if you have anyone in the
world of publishing. Many Thanks and Go
Green! We ALL thank you.
