Letters to the Earth: Writing to a Planet in Crisis
272
Letters to the Earth: Writing to a Planet in Crisis
272Hardcover
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Overview
The largest creative response to the climate and ecological emergency the world has yet seen.
2019 was the year of rebellion.
It was the year nurses, poets, nine-year olds and grandparents came together to say: we know the truth about climate change – now it is time to act.
But what words describe this crisis? What words can help our children come to terms with the future they will inherit?
Earlier this year, Culture Declares Emergency invited people from all around the world to find those words by writing a letter to the earth. The invitation was open to all – to think beyond the human narrative and bear witness to the scale of the crisis. Letters of love, loss, hope and action were written by over 1000 people.
Now published as a collection, Letters To The Earth brings together the voices of children and the public with authors, scientists and playwrights in the first creative project of its kind.
Alongside letters from the public, Letters To The Earth received submissions from artist and peace activist Yoko Ono, poet Kate Tempest, actor Mark Rylance, author, and illustrator of The Lost Words Jackie Morris, novelist Anna Hope, environmental writer Jay Griffiths and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas . Together they are an invitation to consider how this existential threat affects the way we live our lives and the action we take.
Lots of books consider the climate and ecological crisis from a political or scientific perspective, but Letters To The Earth is the first book to chronicle how humankind is collectively processing planetary crisis.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780008374440 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 04/07/2020 |
| Pages: | 272 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
In February 2019 four women came together and dreamt of an opportunity for people to express themselves in response to this crisis. What was born was Letters To The Earth, a campaign which invites people to write a letter to or from the Earth, future or past generations, those who hold positions of power and influence, other species. The idea was open to interpretation: it could come from a personal place, be dramatic in form, be a call to action. The invitation was open to all – to think beyond the human narrative and to bear witness to the scale and horror of this crisis. The campaign is ongoing, with people all around the world still writing and presenting their Letters.The Letters To The Earth co-curating team are novelist Anna Hope, director Jo McIness and theatre-maker Kay Michael.
Table of Contents
Introduction Emma Thompson 1
Dear Reader The Editors 5
In the Beginning Richard Holloway 13
Love
Earth Emily Trenouth-Wood 21
In the Climbing Hydrangea of my Neighbour's Fence Justine Railton 22
Dear Mr Walnut Tree Benedict C. Winter 24
Milk Peter Owen Jones 26
All the Trees Tilly Lunken 28
But the Greatest of These Is Love Mary Annaïse Heglar 29
Help Me Catch Our World Jenny Ngugi 32
Letter to the Worms Laline Paull 33
Insects Ottilie Neser 36
I Love You, Earth Yoko Ono 37
Now It Is Our Turn Kayden Van Veldhoven 39
Stories of You and I Sally Jane Hole 40
Extinction Redemption Jem Bendell 44
A Break Up Poem Niamh McCarthy 46
We Don't Shop at Waitrose Simon Jay 49
Be Kind Agnes Homer 52
I Don't Know Where I've Got This Balance Wrong Cate Chapman 55
A Love Letter Ella Crowley 57
Oh, Arrogant and Impudent Beloved Child Liz Darcy Jones 59
The Act of Naming Simon McBurney 61
Everything Ollie Barnes 65
Everything Is Connected Jackie Morris 66
Loss
False Alarm Professor Stefan Rahmstorf 71
What have we done to the Planet? Tabitha Ravula 72
Finding Dory Stuart Capstick 73
Cruise control Kate Tempest 75
We Humans Nicola Espitalier Noel 77
The Act of Incremental Vanishing Jessica Taggart Rose 79
Dear Animals Elliotte Mitchell 80
Nichollsia borealis Joanna Pocock 81
A Place I Call Home Daniela Torres Perez 83
Small Islands Everywhere Tyrone Huggins 85
Why Should We Care? Haydon Bushell 86
Letter to a Starling Rob Cowen 87
A Frog Shrivelled in the Dust Christopher Nicholson 89
A Letter to the Dying Isobel Bruning 90
I Didn't Even Know! Saibh Da Silva 92
Amnesia Justin Roughley 94
The Night Toby Denied Climate Change Clare Crossman 96
The First Earth Day Mary Benefiel 98
A Letter to the Earth (If It Can Read?) Jessica Siân 100
Sorry Matthew Todd 102
On an Ancient Carving Lindsay Clarke 105
Patient E Veronika Schmidinger 107
Fracture Anna Hope 109
Womb Blythe Pepino 114
For Aoife Jo Baker 115
Procrastination Katie Skiffington 116
Letter to an Endling Jay Griffiths 118
Anything Ann Lowe 120
Emergence
Emergence Polly Higgins 125
We Are in the Underworld Dr Martin Shaw 126
The Hospital Claire Rousell 133
Trusting the Spiral Joanna Macy 137
Hope
A Scientist's Dream Professor Nathan Bindoff 141
The Hawthorn Tree Emma Cameron 142
Corrections Evie Morrison Hoare 144
Thirteen Tia Khodabocus 146
Active Hope Tamara von Werthern 147
I'm Seeing Changes Bridget MacKenzie 149
Sleeping in the Forest Mary Oliver 151
Hope in the Darkness Harriet Hulme 152
A Daring Invitation Dr Rupert Read 154
An Apology/A Prayer Steve Waters 156
I Believe in You Molly Wingate 163
2082 Bob Langton 164
We Already Know the Answers Eva Geraghty 166
I'm Still So in Love with You Kerala Irwin 168
A Great Non-Conformity Mark Rylance 169
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Sam Lee 172
Discontinuous Change Mairéad Godber 174
An Island Travelling South Renato Redentor Constantino 176
Action
Ancestors Nivya Stephen 183
The Future Nick Drake 184
You Luke Jackson 187
Galvanize Toni Spencer 189
No One Is Exempt Ashby Martin 190
A Massive Pink Vagina in the Middle of Oxford Circus Dr Gail Bradbrook 192
Put Your Head in the Sand Hannah Palmer 198
Use Your Voice Marian Greaves 199
Correspondence Mike Prior 201
Dear White Climate Activists Minnie Rahman 203
From Broken to Breaking Tamara Ashley 207
Liveable Casper Taylor 209
A New Civilization Professor Julia Steinberger 210
The Sixth Mass Extinction Luca Chantler 212
A Failure of Imagination Caroline Lucas MP 214
Waymarkers Megan Murray-Pepper 217
There Is No Excuse Silvia Rodriguez 219
Johnny from Sainsbury's Checkout Begs Lilli Hearsey 220
Last Generation Trilby Rose 222
Enterprise Rakaya Fetuga 223
After the Rebellion Eve Houston 224
Turning Fiona Glen 226
The Time Is Now Dulcie Deverell Edi Rouse 227
Samaúma Bishop Rosa dos Santos Bassotto 229
The Age of Restoration Farhana Yamin 232
What We Do Now Matters Claire Rousell 234
Sea Change Harkiran S. S. Dhingra 237
The Time for Action is Now 241
Acknowledgements 249