Sustainability Knowledge for Hungry Writers

Moravian University Writer's Conference addresses and celebrates sustainability and the intricacies of writing.

By: Jonathan Fiore ‘18

Moravian University held its annual two-day Writers' Conference on Friday, February 3rd and Saturday, February 4th, where, along with workshops and craft sessions to further improve upon attendees’ writing, the current issue and concept of sustainability took center stage. The conference held workshops, craft sessions, a keynote speech, and ended with a roundtable discussion.

It may seem odd tackling sustainability and writing in the same conference; in truth, the two disciplines have a long history of coexistence and entanglement.

“Sustainability has always been a prominent literary theme,” said Joyce Hinnefeld, chair of the English department and conference director. “Poets such as Wordsworth and Keats were writing about the subject back in the Romantic Period.”

Sustainability is also Moravian University’s InFocus theme for the year, and the conference is one of many events, talks, and activities addressing the issue. And with sustainability—specifically the future of our environmental protection plans—taking center stage in the news, the conference was a welcomed opportunity for attendees to discuss their concerns with like-minded people.

“Being around people with similar interests in sustainability and the concern that people have about it was very exciting to see,” said Keri Lindenmuth ’16. “I loved getting advice from the other authors and people about what I can to do better myself.”

Perhaps the best embodiment of sustainability and writing as one was keynote speaker Alison Hawthorne Deming. Deming is a vocal advocate for environmental sustainability and has spent countless years writing non-fiction and poetry on climate issues, including her most recent book, Zoologies: On Animals and the Human Spirit.

The highlight of the conference was Deming’s keynote speech. In lieu of a traditional presentation, Deming read her essay, Coming Home to Earth, which addresses the causes of climate change, the effects it has on our society, and what we can do as a community to fix it.

“The apocalyptic dream is very different from reality. We like to scare ourselves with these dreams,” Deming said. “I want to bring you to a dark and depressing place in the world, but at the same time it is there that we can engage it and see the beauty through the darkness.” She hoped her essay would inspire others to look trade their bleak outlooks for a new hope that can be seen through this dark time.

Her only plea to the audience: act immediately don't wait for it to happen. “I want there to be immediate action, but out of compassion and care—not hatred and anger,” she cautioned. “Don’t be filled with rage. Don’t become a rage machine.”

”I want you as writers to create a safe place for people to fall in love with the Earth and each other again,” she said.

While the conference was focused on sustainability, it also provided opportunities for writers to learn more about the craft of writing in all forms through presenters and interactive workshops, all with a green-minded twist.

Kate Brandes, an environmental scientist turned fiction author, led her workshop on the importance of setting and connecting that with the emotions of a character in the story. Another workshop led by Benjamin Cohen, a professor at Lafayette College, talked about using nature as a trigger for memories to create nonfiction works, using new and past influences as a jumping off point for inspiration.

“The workshop helped me learn styles that can be used for my own work,” said Jonah Arndt ’19 who attended Cohen’s workshop. “I was able to get new techniques for my nonfiction writing and got a new style out of it.”

In addition to the workshops, attendees enjoyed craft sessions where they honed in on the magnitude of writing’s many subtleties. Chuck Wendig, a science fiction/fantasy novelist,  focused his craft session on the importance of character development—specifically, how character and their flaws can affect the plot as a whole. Another was led by Paul Acampora, a Young Adult/Children’s author, who focused his workshop on writing comedy in the face of tragedy in children’s novels.

This all culminated in a roundtable discussion, in which all the presenters came together to discuss the common denominator between all the attendees: Writing.

“People are compelled to do art and the need to do it, like a scratch they can’t itch.” said Avi Setton, a documentary maker and one of the presenters at the conference, when describing the feelings of being a writer.

At the end of the roundtable, Deming provided a final piece of advice for the writers at the conference.
“Pay attention and find the best words and put them in the best order and don’t stop.”