John Yunker 
Not on My Watch: How a Renegade Whale Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon by Alexandra Morton Guest book review by Gene Helfman. A colleague of mine, a federal agency biologist, finishes his emails with, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” Alexandra Morton has been outraged for decades. Not only …
In 2016, we began compiling lists of the best books we read that year (new or old, it didn’t matter). And now here we are in 2021, and we’ve got another wonderful list of the best environmental books we’ve read this year. These may not be the books you’ll find in the top lists of …
The magazine The Ecological Citizen is now accepting short fiction (in addition to nonfiction and poetry). Click here to learn more and submit.
So much of animal activism is focused around what one sees — witnessing the beauty as well as the suffering of the animals we share this planet with. But what about focusing less on one’s eyes and more on one’s ears? In Listen, We All Bleed Mandy-Suzanne Wong has compiled a rich array of essays …
In the book Animal Resistance there are a number of illustrations by the artist Sue Coe. And it turns out that Sue was interviewed last year by The New York Times. “My plague obsession started with the meat industry,” she said. Since the 1980s, the artist has produced series and books documenting the conditions of animals …
Few people have done as much to protect whales and the waters they live in than Paul Watson. Founder of the Sea Shepherd Society, Watson has devoted a lifetime to quite literally going head-to-head with whalers in oceans around the world. Watson is also a powerful writer, with numerous books to his name over the …
Here is an excellent writing opportunity for young writers passionate about the West. Tom Bell founded High Country News in 1970. The Bell Prize honors thoughtful writing about the West by writers aged 18 to 25. We’re looking for stories about what it means to inhabit the Western U.S. at this time in history, whether …
I’m pleased to mention that EcoLit Books contributor The Center for Humans and Nature has published a five-book set called Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations. Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a lively series that explores our deep interconnections with the living world. These five Kinship volumes—Planet, Place, Partners, Persons, Practice—offer essays, interviews, poetry, …
In A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Bird of Prey Jonathan Meiburg has crafted an epic ode to the caracara, a long-overlooked (and often derided) group of birds who deserves more attention and more protection. There are about ten species of caracara and Meiburg takes us around …
Here is amazing opportunity to spend time at sea with scientists at work. And there is a stipend included so you can stock up on meclizine. Sitka is continuing a unique partnership with Oregon State University that allows for a visual artist, writer or musician to spend two weeks on an oceanic research vessel. Artists …
Perhaps it is human nature to rank things. We rank cities and states and countries. We have the best restaurants and best movies; we even have best friends. And when it comes to our relationships with animals we share this planet with, there is a fair amount of ranking there as well, with the human …
If you’re an environmental writer and not familiar with Green Stories, now is a pretty good time to start. Because they’ve just announced three new competitions! 1) Orna Ross Green Stories Novel Prize. The deadline is December 30, 2021 and the winner will receive £1000 prize, and a £500 cash prize for the runner up. We also offer …
Kim Stallwood has been on the forefront of the animal rights movement since the 1970s, giving him a unique perspective on where the movement has come from and where it is headed. In Growl, he shares his journey and insights learned along the way, from leadership of BUAV (now Cruelty Free Intl) in the UK …
Two new books to keep an eye out for. First, a story collection from Black Lawrence Press featuring a story by our own JoeAnn Hart! Fire & Water: Stories from the Anthropocene A Sámi woman studying Alaska fish populations sees our past and future through their present signs of stress and her ancestral knowledge. A …
Guest book review by Gene Helfman. MacArthur Fellow Carl Safina established himself among the legion of environmental journalists with his first book, the award-winning Song for the Blue Ocean. In Song, he detailed the causes of and solutions to declining fish populations, especially those overharvested in commercial fisheries. In (also award-winning) Eye of the Albatross, he lamented the …