‘Apricot Trees Exist’: Creative Environmental Reading and Writing in English

In this series of hands-on workshops we investigate climate crisis and the more-than-human/human interdependence by composing multimodal texts in response to recent Copenhagen University and international research. You do not need background in natural sciences (if you have it, it’s a bonus) – you need curiosity, commitment (regular attendance) and willingness to experiment creatively with the environmental knowledge you gain thanks to independent study, workshop practice, field trips and guests: scientists, activists and artists.

These creative collaborations invite us to rethink such concepts as ‘nature,’ ‘sustainability’ and ‘care’ by reading, watching and listening to a variety of academic, literary and artistic texts. We combine science, emotion and creative expression not only to describe environmental loss, grief and vulnerability but also to celebrate the Earth and biodiversity. We appreciate complex ecological interactions by working on our own projects: to explore environmental subjects that fascinate us and to experiment with diverse forms of communicating them to varied audiences. Our research-based, hybrid, multimodal works-in-progress (which may develop beyond the course) are forms of our green thinking, slow art, activism and stewardship.

On this course you will:

• engage in ‘two-eyed seeing’: combine scientific learning with writing, drawing, sketching, photographing, filming etc. to deepen your understanding of current environmental knowledge and your communication strategies;
• discuss environmental studies and reporting (both academic and popular) from ecocritical perspectives;
• read, watch, listen to non-academic multimodal environmental genres: nonfiction, fiction, poetry, posters, comics, graphic novels, plays, podcasts, sound works, songs, film poems, visual artworks, installations, performances, etc.;
• conduct literature review on the environmental subject of your choice;
• experiment with various creative forms (braided essay, zine, poster, stop-motion animation, audio work, artist’s book, etc.) to diversify your environmental storytelling for different audiences;

• reflect on what it means to be ecologically aware and ethically responsible as an individual, academic communicator and creative.