by Michael Lydon
For two years I’ve been writing “From My Desk to Yours”, a monthly Write the...
Sponsored by Patagonia, our Environmental Writing Competition invites writers ages 13-19 to write a captivating personal essay exploring their own relationship with the earth. “I’m looking for writing that whisks me away from my present circumstances, that takes me down a rabbit hole, that grabs me by the collar," says award-winning editor and Guest Judge Jennifer Sahn. "I want there to be a voice behind the words."
Read on to learn more about the Guest Judge and her advice for writing a winning piece – then enter the competition by April 22nd for the chance to win a $1000 prize!
Great editors help writers reach their full potential. Indeed, many of the pieces that you’ve edited have won awards. What does that achievement feel like for you, as the person behind the scenes? What’s special about that collaboration between editor and writer?
I’m really proud that I have helped writers produce some of their best work. There have even been times when I’ve worked with writers on their first published stories, and those stories have won awards. Part of the job of an editor is choosing to work with content and writers that have potential, and then helping them meet that potential. The work is always that of being in a supporting role, like a coach or a midwife. I think editors by and large are people who are happy to play those types of roles. But then, when the work gains recognition, we are also happy to catch some of that limelight.
But honestly, I am not in it for the recognition. I am in this field because I have managed to develop a refined sense for how to tell a good story, and I enjoy applying my intuition and the experience I have gained to the work of others. The writer-editor relationship can become rather intimate over time. You’re collaborating on trying to communicate something essential: essential to you, in the case of a personal essay, but also — you hope — to members of the reading public. Personal narratives need both a personal and a universal story. They need to be written for an audience. Many earnest discussions take place about how to make the best reader experience. When a writer is struggling to communicate a certain idea effectively, we get on the phone and talk it through. The right language usually arrives in those discussions. Anything can be on the table during the editing process, so it takes a lot of trust in both directions.
We’re asking our writers to weave together personal stories and reflection to communicate their connection with the earth. Those sorts of essays can be found in Orion Magazine – where you used to be an editor! In what ways does personal narrative play a powerful role in environmental writing?
I believe we need both journalism and personal stories to keep us informed about the state of our planet and to cultivate and help fuel the passion that is needed to engage with the environmental issues we face. I also think that writing about our relationship with the Earth can be therapeutic, as can reading about other people’s thoughts and experiences and struggles through first-person narratives of all kinds. So personal narratives about the Earth work as therapy and as advocacy.
I have always felt that if we can get someone in the door through excellent storytelling, and then help them really feel something, or allow them to see something from a different perspective, that is the key. Right now we need as many people as possible to wake up to the threats we are facing globally to ecological communities and processes. Environmental writing of all kinds belongs in the toolbox of environmental advocacy.
You’ve said that you love “quirky, illuminating, and inspiring stories—particularly those that have the power to help make the world a better place.” Do you have any suggestions for where to read those types of stories? And what makes them so powerful?
Well, Orion is a great place. That’s where I came of age as an editor, working at the nexus of nature, culture, literature, and art. A magazine called Ecotone out of University of North Carolina, Wilmington, is another great publication. The Atlantic has had some great narrative-based science reporting, as has The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. Emergence, Atmos, and Hakai are newer publications taking up this mantle, each bringing a unique emphasis and point of view. The publishing arm of Patagonia has been publishing these kinds of stories through the print journal and online. And High Country News, where I am Editor in Chief, as well.
Part of what I look for as an editor is the spark that happens when you realize you are learning about something utterly fascinating, and you are in the hands of a great storyteller. You realize you are invested in this story; it has you in its grasp. The storyteller has earned your trust, and you will follow them wherever they wish to take you. This is the kind of storytelling that can change people’s hearts and minds, expose them to different points of view. Can get them to see an injustice, or an emergency, for what it is. This is why cultivating and publishing a diversity of voices is so important. I believe that writing can help make the world a better place.
It’s hard to publish one’s work. Where is a good place for young writers to start if they don’t have much experience with publishing?
Contests like this one are a great place to start. Look for contests where the work will be published. Opinion writing for a local paper is another way to exercise your creative muscles while engaging with environmental issues in your community. Many high schools and colleges have student-run literary magazines and newspapers, where it can be easier to land a first byline. Or, just having the courage to submit to bigger outlets might be all that’s needed. The shorter pieces, usually at the front and back of a magazine, can be easier places to break into. And be respectful of editors: make sure your story is within the realm of the kinds of material each outlet publishes. Always read and follow the submission guidelines. Understand that your submission needs to stand out from the pack.
What are you looking for in a winning entry? Any other advice for the writers, especially those who are new to narrative environmental writing?
I’m looking for writing that whisks me away from my present circumstances, that takes me down a rabbit hole, that grabs me by the collar. I want there to be a voice behind the words. I want to feel moved, engaged, inspired, enraged. I want to know what matters to you, how it makes you feel, how you experience the world in light of this, and why it should matter to me. Though I don’t want to be lectured to. I want the story itself to expand my horizons.
Advice: read, read, read. If you want to write you need to read. Not just to discover new ideas and perspectives, but to find the kind of writing you like and apprentice yourself to it. Think about the choices the writer and/or editor may have made along the way to create a story that speaks to you. Let the feeling you get from reading good writing guide you in your own work. Understand that you are taking part in an age-old tradition of storytelling to preserve, shape, and constantly re-make our culture. It is an endeavor filled with possibility.
About the Guest Judge: Jennifer Sahn has spent over twenty years editing award-winning nonfiction, ranging from the lyrical essay to narrative journalism and everything in between. She is currently Editor in Chief of High Country News, a magazine about the West. She previously served as Executive Editor of Pacific Standard, and as Editor of Orion before that. She has been a judge for several literary awards and fellowships and has taught or lectured at a number of writing workshops. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards, Utne Independent Press Awards, Pushcart Prize, O. Henry Prize, John Burroughs Essay Awards, and the Best American Series anthologies.
