Everywhere you look, there it is: the crisis of climate change. Writing about the environment, and the many constant, overwhelming realities that plague it, presents major challenges: How do we write with specificity about something that is omnipresent? And how do we write vividly, and with urgency, about problems that are unfolding at scales so large that they often lend themselves more easily to numbers and charts than they do to words?

In the fall of 2023, GrubStreet hosted a series of free and low-cost workshops, called Our Planet, Our Stories, that aimed to help writers find creative ways to engage with this urgent global issue. The classes–Writing Climate Fiction, Writing Climate Essays and Op-Eds, Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction, Nature Writing, Ecopoetics, and Writing Climate Justice–were attended by more than 150 writers, and they approached this enormous topic from many angles. The Our Planet, Our Stories Anthology is a collection of writing that emerged from this series. In its pages, you will encounter the natural world experienced from many perspectives, explored in many genres, and in urgent need of your attention.

GrubStreet is the place where writers from all backgrounds and ages develop their craft – and themselves – through the power of writing and sharing their work. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are thrilled to be able to share the work of GrubStreet writers with you. We hope this anthology can be an opportunity to engage deeply with the crisis of climate change, and to let these creative approaches enhance your understanding, deepen your appreciation, and clarify your hopes for the future of our planet.

- Erin Weiss, GrubStreet Director of Programs

Read our Planet, Our Stories for free online or pick up as a free print anthology at GrubStreet's Center for Creative Writing on the first floor of Porter Square Books: Boston Edition while supplies last.