The structure of this newsletter is different this month because we’re celebrating!
10th birthday
It’s officially here. Today we turn 10. It’s been a great ride so far, starting out as a site with a small list of novels that dealt with climate change to expanding into the broader mode of storytelling called eco-fiction. Today that original list is a database with more than 950 books. Over 200 contributors have spent time chatting with us, adding their book excerpts to the Dragonfly Library, and writing reviews or articles.
As owner of Dragonfly, I’ve made a few changes, including the way books are posted. Trying to get away from megacorporations that seem to dominate book markets, I’ve transitioned from using Amazon and Goodreads plugins to a more neutral plugin that pulls in Booknet’s and publisher sites’ basic book information. I also started an Indie Corner for showcasing self-published and small-press eco-novels, which often don’t get much notice.
As I’ve expanded the scope of what this site’s about, it’s been a learning process. Climate tragedies are growing, but before them were age-old endangerments of physical landscapes, water, species, clean air and soil, and so much more, including aspects of cultural diaspora and colonial rule and destruction. These problems have happened around the world for centuries and are not new, though they are getting worse with climate change. Fiction ties reality with speculation and imagination. Dragonfly continues to expand its scope to include a broader ecological focus in stories, a wide range of genres and modes of storytelling, the human connection found within, and continued inclusion of all peoples in all countries who write these stories.
The world eco-fiction series directs and inspires this focused goal as I attempt to move from continent to continent finding stories and talking with authors who bring to the world their unique local experiences and imaginations. Coincidentally, three years ago we moved from Canada’s west coast to east coast, and soon enough I began a new job as technical writer. My title is Localization Specialist, which I just happened to fit into at the right time, so, in a way, this localization I am learning, over time, takes up a lot of hours in my typical day and I love it.
New project: an invitation to do some place-writing
As many of you know, the Rewilding Our Stories Discord is very much alive and steadily growing. I co-founded this project with Lovis Geier of Ecofictology. Moderator Sara Davis has also been a huge part of the Discord.
Exciting news: I recently began the Rewilding Our Stories website, with the goal to extend and archive some projects from Discord. The site is fairly new, and I haven’t done a terribly lot with it, but I thought it would be fun to have the occasional writing exercise. I’ve announced the first one, but not very loudly. You can participate in this writing. The question is: How has your life been altered by ecological and climate changes? This is mostly a place-writing exercise, though there are other factors and prompts to think about. I came up with the idea during the tragedy that took place down in eastern Kentucky recently, with the flash-flood followed by a heat wave. That Appalachian area is a large part of my life. I’ve written about it a lot. So, I will be writing a short memoir (word count is 500 - 2,000) about this place and the changes I’ve seen there. All of you are welcome to contribute as well. There aren’t any deadlines because I foresee this new project taking time to hit the ground and start walking.
Other news
The birthday news took up a lot of space, but here’s some other cool things happening at Dragonfly:
This month’s world-ecofiction series heads to Sri Lanka and and highlights Dennis Mombaeur and his newest novel The House of Drought. It’s a beautifully creepy novella about a house that never should have been built and the life that survives the ravages of colonization and climate change.
In both the Indie Corner and Turning the Tide, we talk with author Arlene Mark about her teen/YA novel The Year without a Summer.
For other new and upcoming novels, check out Dragonfly.eco: Ziijan Chi’s The Last Quarter of the Moon, Silas House’s Lark Ascending, Nnedi Okorafor’s Noor, Cecil Castellucci’s Shifting Earth, Cara Delevingne’s The Most Important Comic Book on Earth, Jon Raymond’s Denial, and more.
I haven’t had a chance to write this month’s Backyard Wildlife post yet, but rest assured, it’s on the way. I have been busy gathering our first tiny harvest of onions, turnips, mint, thyme, and oregano, and watering trees after a summer of heat waves and drought. We also finally got the first song of crickets in early August. Stay tuned to these events later this month. Here’s a glimpse of an oak tree we planted two years ago that’s now taller than me!
Resources
In case you’ve missed these exciting resources at Dragonfly, which are constantly being updated, check ‘em out!
World’s biggest playlist? Our environmental/nature song-of-the-week playlist goes back to 2015.
Book recommendations: a growing list of recs.
Eco/climate genres: They’re all over the place, and here’s an expanding compendium
Inspiring and informative author quotes from Dragonfly’s interviews
List of ecologically focused games
List of eco/climate films and documentaries
Eco-fiction links and resources
Book database: Database of over 900 book posts at Dragonfly.eco
Turning the Tide: The Youngest Generation: Fiction aimed toward children, teens, and young adults
Indie Corner: The occasional highlight of authors who publish independently
Backyard Wildlife: A hidden gem exploring how we are rewilding our own backyard and meadow
Artists & Climate Change. This is an extraordinary resource delving into all kinds of the arts focused on climate change. For a while now they’ve been rerunning my world eco-fiction spotlights. I’m a core writer for their team, and I’m both honored and grateful. Look for my “Wild Authors” series there.
Copyright 2024 Mary Woodbury