According to Indian writer Amitav Ghosh, the climate crisis is primarily a crisis of imagination. Since its impact lies in the future and we cannot yet fully experience its magnitude in the present. Hence it is difficult for us humans to act on the consequences now.
As a solution to this crisis, Ghosh points to literary fiction. Stories could be used to fuel the imagination and create a manageable perspective on the future. But how can you do justice to the complexity of the climate crisis within a story? Does the classic Western narrative structure, which often focuses on the emotional life of a single individual, suffice to capture this complexity?
In this starter project, I try to let go of this individualistic form of storytelling and look for a form that leaves room for different voices to coexist. To do this, I draw inspiration from a number of hikes, during which I look for traces of climate change and ecological catastrophe in my immediate surroundings. I incorporate the inspiration I find during these hikes into a first draft of a novel.
Besides this personal writing process, I also want to share my research with other writers. This is to further sharpen my working method and to test the literary quality of my texts. To this end, I am developing a writing workshop in which I will work with other writers to find the shape of the climate stories of the future.
(c) Katharina_Redactie soköln