Good Storytelling, Accidental Farming, and Loving What’s Left with Julie Carrick Dalton

Written By Marina Psaros

Episode summary

Join us for a funny, fascinating reminder that the most powerful environmental stories focus on characters and plot, not lectures. Today's guest is award-winning novelist, former beekeeper, and accidental farmer Julie Carrick Dalton.

My favorite takeaways from our conversation:

Love the hell out of what you have left. When confronted with loss, you have a choice: get stuck in the grief or protect and celebrate what's still there. I’m all for loving the hell out of what we have left, because that’s how I find the motivation to keep going.

Let your characters work it out. Julie hands off her big existential climate questions to her fictional characters and let's them sort it out. Not only does this let her sleep at night, it also allows her to see multiple perspectives. After all, no character in real life (or good fiction) is always right or always wrong.

Find your personal why. Don't write a "climate story", write YOUR story. Julie lost 40,000 honeybees in a single day when a neighbor's lawn chemicals drifted into her hives. That loss inspired "The Last Beekeeper." 

Story first. The people who pick up books labeled "climate fiction" probably aren’t the ones who most need the message. Julie gives her thriller readers the content that they want … and if they wind up rethinking their assumptions about environmental issues, that’s a happy extra. 

Resources and Fun Stuff Related to This Episode

  • New Hampshire's growing season has extended by 22 days over the last century, but some regions have seen even more dramatic shifts. Check out the EPA's Climate Change Indicators: Length of Growing Season.

  • Moth Story Slams are hosted in cities across the country, and you too could tell a 5-minute story on stage! 

  • The Land Back movement seeks to put more Indigenous lands in Indigenous hands. NPR did a recent story on efforts in the US. 

Bonus Craft Episode

Want to nerd out about craft? We dove deep into processes like Julie's visual plotting system (with spirit animals!) and the intensive writing program that took her from journalist to published author. Tune in if that sounds like fun.

Get Connected

Marina Psaros
Next

Ep 102: Painting Nature’s Invisible Worlds with Sarah Kraning