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The Loma Prietan
May/June 2006Breaking Open the Echo Chamber — Environmental Voices Heard Through Great Writing
By Katie Dunlap,
Citizen Action Network Committee"I was so flummoxed when it came to putting words together to make a strong statement. This has made it so easy," said Terry Andre, after completing the hands-on writing workshop, "Persuasive Writing for Environmental Action," led by Sierra Club member Louise Dunlap, PhD.
"Now I feel confident responding to what I read, and I have an effective outlet for all that frustration."
Other participants echoed Andre's appreciation for the interactive workshop, sponsored by the Loma Prieta's Citizen Action Network Committee. "This was an extremely useful workshop," said Lowell Moulton. "We benefited from Louise Dunlap's 25 years' teaching persuasive writing techniques to environmental activists. Louise was very prepared; she had an agenda that fit our short time frame, and came prepared with many useful handouts we can refer to as we apply our new writing skills. Louise is a great facilitator and kept the class focused and moving in a direction that surpassed my expectations. My class project was to write a succinct and persuasive letter to the editor, and I was able to write a clear, succinct, informative, interesting, and persuasive letter to the editor by the end of this fast-paced and informative class."
Cathy Melior Benoit noted that, "Louise Dunlap presented insights and inspired confidence with her writing tools." In this dayand- a-half workshop, Dunlap showed how to use emotional energy to generate rough drafts and how to analyze a prospective audience. She also guided the writers as they used peer-feedback tools and supervised as they practiced ways to conquer every writer's nemesis, writer's block. Even experienced writers found that they gained from the workshop's tools and practices. As Mary McVey Gill remarked, "Although I write for a living, I learned a lot. The free-writing exercise was interesting because it was so liberating; it was surprising how much one can write in just 10 minutes!"
Many attendees worked on writing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. They followed guidelines for writing a traditional letter to the editor. In the first sentence refer to a recent article in the publication and comment on it. Next, state your point of view and briefly support it. Humor or a personal anecdote can be an especially effective form of support. Conclude with a summarizing sentence. Finally, send it off! Although only a fraction of submitted letters are published newspaper editorial departments do read and take note of all letters received. Limit the length of your letter to 100-150 words. For more specific guidelines, refer to the editorial page of your local newspaper.
Karen Maki summarized her response to the workshop this way, "Louise's workshop has given me the boost I need to write a more effective letter to the editor-and to even think of writing an Op-Ed. I would really like to see the Chapter initiate a monthly support group for environmental writers."
If you, like Karen and other workshop attendees, are interested in forming an environmental writers support group please contact Wendee Crofoot at the Loma Prieta Chapter's Sierra Club office, 650-390-8411, and indicate which weeknight you could meet. Also, let Wendee know if you are interested in a follow-up Persuasive Writing for Environmental Activists workshop in the upcoming months and watch the Loma Prietan for future announcements.
Writing workshop participants had fun and learned how to make their point. Back row, left to right: Gita Dev, Karen Maki, Lynn Gordon, David Simon, Cathy Melior Benoit, Lowell Moulton and Jim Fox. Front row, left to right: Katie Dunlap, Catherine Crawford, Jo-Ann Fairbanks, Louise Dunlap and Terry Andre. Not Pictured: Claire Elliott, Mary McVey Gill and Larry Aronson