Sunshine Coast-based author, poet and environmental activist Danika Dinsmore has advice for writers living in interesting times: write.
Dinsmore is hosting a speculative fiction world-building workshop, Building Imaginary Worlds from the Outside In, on Sunday, April 22 in Nanaimo, followed a few days later with a presentation to the poetry group WordStorm.
Aside from her poetry and short story writing, Dinsmore is the author of a children’s fantasy series, Faerie Tales from the White Forest, and is on the editorial board of an annual online environmental creative writing journal called Reckoning. She also tours and gives talks on fiction writing for student and adult audiences.
Her presentation at the WordStorm annual general meeting is called Writing in Interesting Times. She described it as a combination talk and poetry reading that reflects on the role writers have to respond to, rather than be discouraged by, current world events.
“There’s all this stuff going on, so what do we do and what can we do in particular as writers because we’ve been given the gift of being able to share stories in a way that maybe not everyone can…” Dinsmore said.
She added, “I don’t want the audience to feel like they have to be some kind of giant activist all the time, because we just can’t. But also they need to know that we have to do something, especially in terms of the environment. The warnings are getting more and more dire and so I just want to talk about it on a human level.”
The WordStorm AGM is open to non-writers as well. Dinsmore said everybody has a medium they can use to express ideas and connect with others and she hopes those attendees leave the presentation feeling empowered to take steps to stave off the feeling of being completely overwhelmed by bad news, like the state of the environment. Dinsmore said it starts with forming a human connection.
“Then you can approach the people who are sort of on the edge and really maybe don’t want to see our planet destroyed but they’re not activists yet. They’re not actively doing anything about it,” she explained.
“But if we can relate to them on a human level, then they might be inspired to at least change one thing. Then another thing. Then another thing. We need a lot of tipping points right now.”
WordStorm is happy to host.
“Danika has a very strong interest in environmental issues as well as being a very accomplished writer for children and adults in a whole bunch of different genres,” said Carla Stein, WordStorm acting artistic director.
“And so because WordStorm is expanding in what our – I don’t particularly love the word ‘mission statement’ – but our vision of what WordStorm is going to be in the future, we’re wanting to let people know that we’re not just about poetry.”
WHAT’S ON … Danika Dinsmore presents Building Imaginary Worlds from the Outside In at the Old City Station Pub’s Green Olive Room on Sunday, April 22 at 1 p.m. $20 in advance via PayPal to info@danikadinsmore.com, $25 at the door for students or members of the Writers’ Union of Canada and Federation of BC Writers, $35 at the door for general public. The WordStorm Society of the Arts Gala annual general meeting takes place at the same venue on Thursday, April 26 at 7 p.m.
arts@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter