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Call for questions: Creative Ecology! (Patreon)

Published:
2023-06-30 06:21:50
Imported:
2026-06

Content

So I'm at the USC Wrigley Storymakers Program on Catalina Island with Atlantic journalist Ed Yong and roughly a dozen impassioned climate scientists and researchers who are here to learn more about sci-comm. 

One attendee is the lovely Dr. Madhur Anand, who is a theoretical ecologist and environmental sciences professor BUT ALSO a published poet, author and novelist. Tomorrow we'll sit down to chat about weaving science into creative writing, and why that's important. So send your questions about the intersection of science and art, about poetry, writing or work in biodiversity in the midst of climate change. 

Her poetry is gorgeous and I'm excited to fawn over her. Okay cool. 

Comments

Chris Brewer

Why do they keep playing “The Day After Tomorrow” on FX?

Mia Batol

Aside from her own books, does she have any recommendations for reading or courses on how to guide us in this path?

Charlotte Fjelkegård

Science in creative writing. Should it be aspirational or based in facts? (Maybe not well known facts, but still.) Pros or cons for either of them. :)

Gabija

What is the best strategy to encourage ecological individual action in a society sceptical of new ideas?

Sienna

How do you track progress with motivating people and creating lasting change through art and science? - I ask this as a scientific artist and Biology student who plans to work in scientific communication. I ask because sometimes I wonder if what I want to do holds real value and if it can really help.

Michelle Fullner

Oooh, I love this! How do you handle anthropomorphism in your creative writing? Is it a tool, something to avoid, something else entirely? What parameters do you put around it, if any?

Lee T.

I have no immediate questions, but when I read this my heart beat out one name: Mary Oliver.

Sienna

I love Ed Yong's work! "An Immense World" is one of my favorite books of all time. Thank you for that robust bibliography! This isn't really a question, but I'm inspired by his writing and have a series of scientific drawings planned that are based on his work. I'll think of better questions in the morning, but for now, "squeeee!!!". I'm so excited for this episode

Michelle Fullner

Are there parallels between your plots and the aspects of the natural world that you bring into your stories? How does inclusion of nature enhance your stories and poems in general?

Lisa N

THIS IS THE PERFECT FIELD how did i not know about this??? Any tips for getting more into the creative side of the science world??? :)

Lee T.

Who are your favorite contemporary ecological/naturalist writers?

Alexandre Catulle

How to break barriers between fields? Specialization is the latest tendency in science, but cross fields studies brought us more discoveries. Thoughts on the matter?

Michelle Fullner

Is your first priority sci-comm or great storytelling? Or are those two things separable within your style and writing philosophy?

Lisa N

What is their main inspiration for writing?

Jessica Rosko

I’m an Art teacher and a Science teacher, which people always think is strange, but I’ve always found so many overlaps between the two of them! For me, experimentation and curiosity are inherent to both… what are some of the elements that you find “Sciences” and “Arts” share? Thank you! FTQA

Jordan Boudreau

I'm a curator working on an exhibit about what communities are doing at a local level to combat climate injustice in radical ways. So I'm wondering: where is there hope for communities trying to build pockets of a healthier and more just world, when bigger systems (capitalism, etc.) are...not really into that? What gives you hope? (PS Four year anniversary shoutout to my partner Eric!)

Sienna

Where do you see Sci-comm going in the next 10 years? I'm concerned most of sci-comm is moving to a video format, which is not an area I'm skilled at. What are your thoughts on the value of traditional art in scientific communication? Are fine art, books and poetry effective tools for reaching a broad audience?

Michelle Fullner

The kinds of stories we choose to tell about our relationship with the planet are so vitally important to how we see ourselves and how we move forward, especially in the context of climate change, habitat loss, etc. What kinds of stories do you think we should be telling about these topics? How can we tell better stories about our relationship with the Earth?

Sienna

What advice do you have for scientific artists starting out in scientific communication? This could be academic, philosophic, social or creative. What would you do differently or what shaped your path early on?

Sienna

Also, just because it's late and I'm tired enough to be bold: if you're looking for an artist for your next book, I'd be delighted! I draw scientific art with numbers and equations by hand. It's like pointillism but with data instead of dots! 🤓 Check out Sienna Art Studios to see what the heck I'm talking about. It's hard to describe in text. 😆

rikspieks

OMG I love all about that!!! How to find such cool people? ♥️♥️♥️ Sooo, are there currently nice ways to get into creative and interdisciplinary sciences, without having to specialize? (Or do ai have to be professor first to make cool stuff like that? One of my professors said that once) Are there studies that can quantify the effect of creative written science communication? How do you implement feedback from readers and does this effect your research? And how do you prioritize research and creative writing? How does the scientific community respond? Do you use your writing there too? Or does this appear unprofessional to others? FTQA

Ella

What is the piece of scientific work that has inspired you to write creativity? Or has there been a poem that has inspired science?

Mari

Did any of Frank Herbert’s writing inspire you to either do scientific work or creative work?

kim w.

Should there be a greater emphasis on the 'knower shaping the knowledge' in science communication? (akin to "history is written by the winners") Does our own socioeconomic or cultural background affect our scientific literacy, and if so should we be giving more attention to challenging those biases or incorporating them?

call_me_carlisle

Theoretical physicist vs theoretical ecologist please and thank-you. Also, way to make studying Biology sound like a “hard-core” science!

call_me_carlisle

Do you see AI as the tool by which pure art may be lost, or equally, as the tool which enhances human detachment from the environment? Or a tool in which can immerse and enriched people’s understanding of life and ecology?

Gordee

How does the combination of arts and science lead to new creations and ideas by using both sides of the brain?

Paul Smith

Have you found yourself switching between science mode and creative mode, or are the two so intertwined it feels the same to you?

Emily Staw-fur

Why are there still so many misrepresentations of various science topics in entertainment?

Anne

Who are some of your favourite ecology and nature poets/songwriters?

Lisa St

And how can individuals affect change in corporations and governments, which is where actions will have the greatest environmental impact.

Lisa St

As a scientist (ecologist in a state heritage program), I get frustrated that facts don't matter. How do we better engage the public? How do we get corporations and governments to care more about our planet than gold in their pocket? I THINK we do that by telling a compelling story. It's all about story. But we're not always the best story tellers... how do we tell a compelling story that is factual and affects change? And if we do tell a compelling story, how do we get people to listen to it? (lisa saint hill air)

Matt Hirschl

Whom are the target audience for this creative sciencing? ‘Preaching to the choir’ type oligites or those who may not buy into the knowledge being dropped on them?

Jenna Congdon

This!! And how do you draw in those folks who do not want to hear what you're trying to teach? The second most people hear something they know goes against their beliefs (ew, I hate that science facts somehow have to be "beliefs") they shut down. How do you sneak in under people's prejudices?

Anna Eeeee

Often in science, only other scientists read the papers published in the field and the general public doesn’t get informed. How do you think science should go about this issue?

Joshua Tauzin

Her thoughts on Star Trek (and other science-adjacent fiction) and its role as inspiration for budding minds who grow up to be actual-ass scientists? (Tauzin rhymes with causin’)

Sef Everest

First time question asker, and earth scientist-in-training here! I think Rachel Carson proved that poetry is one of the most effective tools for scientists to engage with the public, but I'd like to know if Dr. Anand thinks there's also a place for poetry in academic writing. How do you use your experience writing poetry and memoir to communicate with your peers? Does it limit or enhance the recognition you receive as a researcher?

Matt Ceccato

When does truth become stranger than fiction? How would you incorporate that into your writing?

Alicia Morandi

First time question asker: Please tell us how your poetry publishing came about. I'm also an ecologist and I write poetry but I'm more plugged in to the science community than creative writing and I would love tips on branching out into poetry further.

Alicia Morandi

And do you feel you are treated differently in the poetry community if your degrees etc. are in science?

Alicia Morandi

And do you feel you are treated differently in the poetry community if your degrees etc. are in science?

BolognaShoes

Can you talk about interpretation in terms of ecology? I work as a designer for a land trust and do a lot of interpretation with signs and other printed materials and would love to hear another perspective.

Emily Staw-fur

In your experience, is there any pattern/theme to what people get excited about? As someone who is starting to work their way into the sci-comm world, I always find it surprising what people find interesting. As I'm making videos, I'm usually thinking either "people are going to love this" or "I don't know if anyone will actually be excited about this". And my instincts tend to be wrong 😅 it's always the most unexpected videos that go off.

Emily Staw-fur

How do you resist the urge to completely nerd out when creatively communicating science? Do you allow yourself a certain amount of creative freedom to overlook the science? I not trying to suggest that science and arts are mutually exclusive (because I'm sure we can all agree there is overlap) but I feel like there are times were it's hard to be fully artistic while keeping the facts straight

Emily Piche

I'd love to hear her perspective on the casual inclusion of ecology in storytelling/writing - what I mean by this is stories where the ecology and natural world is part of the story, but it does not make the story "sci-fi," or either a utopian or dystopian world. I'm reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus right now and it feels SO REFRESHING to have chemistry be part of the story - the protagonist is a chemist and much of the plot revolves around this identity, but the world she lives in is not an otherworldly sci-fi landscape. It's just the 1960s. Does she know of any novels that fit this bill for ecology? Or any other ology?! And what are her thoughts about the representation of ~*~scientists~*~ in literature??

Emily Piche

ALSO! There's this Kurt Vonnegut quote that came to mind just now: "I think that novels that leave out technology misrepresent life as badly as Victorians misrepresented life by leaving out sex." I feel this way about ecology and the natural world! Like hellooo we are on earth and there are gazillions of organisms interacting with each other and their environment and *we are some of those organisms.* It is just part of the story. You can't take it out.

Katie King

What other outlets do you think there are for creative science communication? I think there is so much information that is inaccessible to the general public because it is overly technical, are there other ways of presenting it so that more people can benefit from it?

Average_pi

What about the nature can we take what kinds of mediums does one use for that stuff

Terena

For me, good Science writing uses the facts to inspire wonder. And poetry is the perfect vessel for wonder! What fills you with wonder and inspires a poem? And what types of scientific facts do you look for as a writer?

Amy Narimatsu

I have a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in English! I'm in the midst of a job search and I've been feeling like I'm lacking some essential skills and knowledge in both fields since I didn't fully major/minor in one or the other. Ex. I wasn't able to take GIS classes because I was taking more humanities-based courses and didn't have the schedule availability. What are your top books, authors, artists, courses, etc., that you would recommend for someone trying to deepen their knowledge and skills in sci-comm? Any general advice for a 25 year old constantly in a state of casual nihilism and dread about the Earth dying?

Julia Bingham

In what ways does your art influence your science? I ask because we often think about how our science shows up in our creative outlets, but it seems to make some folks a little uncomfy to reverse the order - as if it would threaten the "objectivity" or "quality" of our work. For me, my work (first marine ecology, now marine social sciences + critical human geography ) has always been connected to my creativity in an interative way - as much as my work inspires my art, I also find it useful to use poetry, creative writing, and drawing as ways to de-jumble my thoughts and get un-stuck in a science problem, and I find it really useful - and also a reminder that no science is fully separate from some level of human subjectivity.

Valerie Bertha

Do you have any recommendations or favorite poets/authors that weave environmental science and environmental justice together into art?

Karlie V

Oh. My. God. So amazing, I cannot WAIT. How do you use nature symbolism to create deeper meaning in your work, and do you find that people’s familiarity with ecology informs the depth of what they can garner from work like yours?

Karlie V

How does your writing differ from people’s who have less experience with nature.

Dev

How can I become a better science communicator and storyteller and get more engagement for my science on and offline?

Dev

How do you frame issues about climate change in a way that inspires people to want to make change rather than overwhelming them or causing them to become defensive/angry and resist change?

Emmett

I’m beyond excited for this episode! This topic combines all of my most favorite things and its very existence is magical and treasured to me. As a theater student and writer with a love for science I’m always looking for ways to combine the things I love most! So yay for Creative Ecology! Anyway, excitement aside, who is your favorite poet? Who inspires you and why? What are the best/your favorite writing tools for conveying scientifically accurate information that touches people the way a good poem does? Thank you for existing and putting your work into the world!

Nina Eve Z.

How are able to balance working serious, and sometimes depressing, topics (like, say, climate change) into art that engages and encourages?

Jen

How do you get past writers block, or slumps you have when your muse is quiet?

Krystie Sketches

I just wrote a romance novel about a science and art student who uses both those skills to fundraise and save a park. Any tips on publishers and agents who support and look for environmentalist fiction?

Krystie Sketches

Alie, the characters in my book openly love on your podcast. Because it's awesome ❤️

Jess Slattery

How do you use calls to action in your creative writing?

Brooklyn Baron

I'm so excited for this!! Also, first time question asker :) Any tips on how to balance a scientific and creative practice? I've spent a lot of my life convinced that I would eventually have to choose between pursuing science and art. I've been working on unlearning that idea recently, because it really is a false dichotomy and so many of the artists I love have interests in the sciences as well, but I've still been bumping up against feeling like I'm not prioritizing either as much as I'd like.

Brooklyn Baron

Also thanks Alie for continuing to inspire us and have these amazingly cool, interesting, smart people on! Ologies is a life-changer <3

Lyssa Mercier

What approach in art, writing and science communication do you think inspires people to action more: the dystopian or the utopian?

R P Bergmann

Asking for my daughter the scientist currently getting her MFA in poetry. Any advice for budding poets on getting published?

Anna Elizabeth

any ideas on ways to create myth/story to help keep future generations of humans away from toxic nuclear waste? on a similar note. when combining sci com and creative writings how do you keep bias from creeping in. in “the egg and the sperm” emily martin discusses how cultural beliefs shaped the way we talk about/understand reproductive biology and how the metaphors we use to help us understand can reinforce harmful bias/stereotypes. how do you balance creative ideas and cultural influences with the science you are trying to communicate?

Jessica Binkley

Can't wait for this episode! I got my MFA in poetry many years ago and I am now a budding science writer working in communications at a university, so I will also be fawning over Dr. Anand! I'd love to hear about her writing rituals, routines and processes. Also, with science and ecology as inspiration, how does she balance the craft of poetry with the impulse to explain the science? Does that make sense? I've had this critique of my own work when I write poems with scientific material as my subject.

Jessica Binkley

Also, recent listener, instant fan, and first question! Love all you do, Alie!

Jessie Dragon

Does our lovely ologist have any tips for creating stuff to help warn the general population/give information in a reasonably digestible and memorable way?

Trevor Hagedorn

Are there any particular technologies that has inspired some of your work? And what are your thoughts on writing about creative technologies/solutions and encouraging scientists and engineers to turn that into reality?

Emma Giles

I'm interested in creative nonfiction as a method of science communication. Do you have any tips for how to be successful in this field?

Emma Giles

What's your opinion of the impact of fake/made up science in Sci-fi movies, books, media etc. If it is labeled as science fiction, is it okay to make up science or is it damaging to the public? (Is the National Academy of Sciences's program "Science and Entertainment exchange" worth it/necessary?)

Meg Shooter

As someone in the arts who is also transitioning into science I'm excited about this ep! - My question is how do the models/concepts keep up with all the changes from climate change and do they find things that we didn't know were linked to climate change in the first place?

Caelan Rathke

Do you have a story about unexpected reaction to your fusion of arts and ecology?

river woodruff

Hi! I’m an environmental studies-art student because the line between scientific ideals and cultural use/human involvement in land management is something I find frustrating. I’m hoping to use art to explore resolutions of that conflict. Have you ever used art to ideate the restoration of a landscape?

Jean Pompeo

I studied product design for my bachelors (which I didn't expect to have so much to do with communication and storytelling) and have now completed a masters and will be starting a PhD focusing on hydroponic plant production. I've noticed a big need in comm sci and how to use creativity to better explain complex concepts with diagrams and images rather than just data, or to simplify scientific language to make it more accessible to everyone. How can using creative language help to make science more accessible to everyone? Is it more important to bring creatives into science? Or scientists into the creative field?

Connor they them

When I was younger I was bullied a lot and I can remember very clearly the moment when I decided to use my art to address that. It was the summer between 7th and eighth grade. I was depressed and I had attempted suicide earlier in the year. One day I was sitting in my bedroom crying and I needed to express my feelings and it dawned on me that I should use art. I have gone on to make art about all sort of topics I am passionate about including climate change and the environment. What was that moment like for you when you decided to combine your passions of science and art?

The Aerial Mapper

What would you say is the biggest contributing factor to the climate crisis? I’ve been looking for places to volunteer that have the most impact, which organizations would you recommend I look into?

Jeannette Smith

Hi, are there programs available to bring this into schools for students to learn about this process of incorporating science and ecology in their art and writing?

Renee K.

Do you have a favorite science writer?

Gemma

How has science fiction influenced science communication?

Kayla Tozier

What is the most efficient way to inspire change for working towards solving climate change and social environmental issues that can debate debate?

Ruby Chan-Frey

Thoughts on Mary Oliver? Also, how have you seen the way we write about nature change across years as we urbanize/industrialize?

Isabelle Newman

Would love to know her book recommendations!