Our Environment -- Spring/Summer 2010
Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA) participants will explore the theme of Our Environment , including topics from natural and built surroundings to social and cultural constructs.

The environment is a relevant and recurring topic about gardens, foreclosures, closure of health clinics, and challenges caused by reduced CTA routes.

• Gray vs. Green: Why Urban Renewal Didn't and The Green Economy Must – Roundtable co-sponsored with the University of Chicago. Is "race" for real? Is "class" a state of mind? Is our environmental movement free from segregation along these lines? Candid conversation, stimulating ideas, engaging practices, and take-away tools! Leaders in research, finance, education, activism, social service...everyday neighbors as we explore our history and solutions for health/wealth disparities, the structures/metrics of injustice, and ideas - old and new - for advancing equity.

• Journey Mapping – A special workshop, facilitated by Erin Hogan using her recently published book Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip through the Land Art of the American West as a model. Hogan will encourage participants to examine how they interact with the environment on a daily basis and to think about their physical and emotional responses.

• Gone Tomorrow: Thinking Critically about Urban Planning and Limited Resources – A special workshop that will utilize Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage by Heather Rogers. Publisher and activist Daniel Tucker will lead a three-session workshop around urban environments and long-term sustainability. Tucker will facilitate discussions around impact of consumerism, government policy, personal choices, and politics as they relate to the long-term impact of our city, especially as they relate to class and political clout.

• Film Screening - ‘Food, Inc.’ a film by Robert Kenner. ‘Food, Inc.’ is a documentary based on the work of writers Eric Schlosser (‘Fast Food Nation’) and Michael Pollan (‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’) exploring the origins of the food we eat, the relationship of government and the corporate food industry, and how these topics affect our health and environment.   Ken Dunn, Founder and President of The Resource Center (a non-profit focusing on locally grown food, material re-use, and community involvement), will lead a discussion and Q&A following the film.

• Mapping Chicago Environments: A Digital Tour of our City Spaces - A panel discussion led by a diverse group of individuals working across a broad spectrum of arts and community development projects in Chicago. Presenters will use mapping technology and a projector to allow presenters to share their projects' locations around the city, and attendees will be asked to share their favorite projects, as well as to suggest locations in need of new development. New media activist Mike Hawkins will moderate the panel at Little Black Pearl. Presenters include Rashmi Ramaswamy, a partner and architect at Shed Studios; Peter Hass, the lead scientist from the Center for Neighborhood Technology; and Maria Gray, Development Director at Chicago Public Art Group.

• Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Lit Fest - NWA will use Our Environment theme to host our writers in a public reading.

Please visit our events pages for for dates and locations for these special programs.

Make sure to sign up for the Neighborhood Writing Alliance newsletter to receive announcements when available.