I’ve had an erotic epiphany.
Exploring the sexual climate of of different geographies and cultures is part of my “climate journey”.
I’ve described this literary project as an exploration of “the sexual climate of Northern Minnesota” for almost ten years. Since starting Sex in My City (SiMC), I’ve revisited that phrase hundred of times. Recently though, I was asked to think about and tell my “climate story” from a different angle. I’ve joined a Community Climate Leader cohort with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. During our first session, we were given a map, stickers, and markers and told to share when/how our “climate journey” started and why we were in the class. I flipped far back in my baby dyke archives- from EarthFirst adoring environmental activism at my Dallas high school, to a Bikes Not Bombs internship as an environmental justice major in NC and VT, to young adult urban forestry and reproductive justice cross-cuntree bike touring adventures. I’m here for many reasons. I can pick a tale or ten out my trucker hat.
And… it felt amazing to be guided through the storytelling process. The facilitator shared that telling our “climate story” is important work focused on shifting people towards climate action. Research shows that talking about climate change through data and facts is not enough. Instead, people are more likely to respond strongly to narratives - stories - that connect climate change to their own lives. Climate stories take the problem of climate change and make it relatable and human. And, they help climate change feel like an approachable problem.
Our discussion reminded me how our sexual climate stories and environmental climate stories overlap. Here’s more from one of the modules:
Components for Your Climate Story
Your climate story should focus on your experience of climate change, and have a few key components:
A personal experience, connection, or observation of the changing climate
Noticable impacts of the changing climate on your own life
Descriptions of what drives you to take climate action
Climate action(s) you are taking as a result
We encourage you to:
Experiment with being vulnerable in your story, which helps people better relate to you and your experiences
Bring emotion to your climate story, including fear, saddness, or hope
Include sensory imagery (what you see, hear, feel, or even taste), which can make your experiences feel more real, help you reflect on your experiences, and illuminate why you’re doing this work.
Storytelling Resources
Learn how Marshall Ganz used the Public Narrative story-telling approach. with political movements and download the Public Narrative, Collective Action Guide for a deeper dive.
The American Public Health Association. uses climate storytelling with a public health focus to communicate about climate. Their resources include building a narrative arc and a message box.
There are a variety of climate story examples online. Some favorites include Drawdown’s Neighborhood, and The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from Iowa.
I was also asked to participate this month in a community wide book discussion about Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Kelter. While the book is a bit of a roller coaster and warrants critical analysis, a description by one reviewer summarizes the complexity in storytelling, “It is no easy task to reconcile scientific research with the messiness and ambiguity of the stories that we tell about ourselves and our emotions. The sciences and the humanities can sometimes be efficiently compared to an estranged couple.”
Hmmm.. awe and erotic epiphany could be first or second cousins. Both share similar colors of “an illuminating realization or discovery. A manifestation or appearance of a divine understanding. A profound event that affects one's sense of being”. Ephiphany comes from the ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphanea, "meaning manifestation or striking appearance”. The best synonyms for epiphany are revelation, realization, and breakthrough. It refers to a sudden, striking moment of understanding or insight that clarifies a complex problem or situation.
I see components of both in poetry, prose, and narrative storytelling. Sharing perspective and experience in varied forms, weaving in both the ordinary and profound, are ways we invite people into our lived experiences. Exploring who we are as beings located somewhere on the sexual spectrum, shaped by geography and culture (aka Queer Intimacy with Place), is at the heart of this project. I’ll share more of my climate story and a region-wide invite for you to join me in action/creativity, with the next post. Stay tuned! Thanks for reading SiMC.