The Loma Prietan - January/February 2008

Louise Dunlap, author of Undoing the Silence: Six Tools for Social Change Writing (December 2007, New Village Press). Photo: photosbymarissa.com

Do you read op-eds or letters to the editor and wish your views were expressed in your local newspaper? Or, like 47 percent of Sierra Club members who have written to a public official (as opposed to only 6 percent of the general population), do you express your views in writing but perhaps want to explore ways to make your messages more effective? If so, the perfect book for you has just been published: Undoing the Silence: Six Tools for Social Change Writing. The author, Louise Dunlap, has given two workshops sponsored by Loma Prieta's Citizens Action Network and will be giving a third one January 25-26. These very popular workshops led to the formation of the Loma Prieta Writers' Group, which is one of the activist groups featured in Chapter 1 of the book.

Dunlap explores the reasons that people are sometimes silenced from expressing their opinions, how their social class, ethnicity, level of education, native language, or gender sometimes inhibit them from speaking up. Self-censorship also occurs, for a variety of reasons, says the author. In addition, "public media play a crucial role holding silence in place by shaping societal thinking that will not rock the boat."

The book progresses to explain techniques and strategies to empower the writer to find his or her voice and hone messages effectively. These techniques can be used by experienced writers or by people with no writing experience whatsoever. Many kinds of social change writing are explored: in addition to op-ed pieces and letters to the editor or to public officials, there are blogs, press releases, community newsletters, guest opinion columns in local papers, and e-mail petitions.

Get involved: Louise Dunlap will be giving a Workshop on Persuasive Writing for Environmental Action on Friday evening, January 25, and Saturday, January 26, at the Peninsula Conservation Center. She will also be speaking at Books Inc on Castro Street in Mountain View on January 24 at 7:30 p.m.

One of the pieces of advice in the book is the importance of finding a community that will support the activist writer. The Loma Prieta Writers' Group, which grew out of Dunlap's workshops, meets at 6:30 on the second Tuesday of the month at the PCC and welcomes new members, with or without writing experience. For more information on the group or on the upcoming January workshop, contact Katie Dunlap (katiekd@pacbell.net) or Mary Gill (marymcveygill@gmail.com).

Do you have a book to recommend to your fellow chapter members? Send inquiries to lomaprietan@earthlink.net.