Steelies and Other Endangered Species A five-star read

2 Comments

Author Kristin Anderson’s Review of Steelies and Other Endangered Species: Stories on Water

It is a bit tricky taking a well-written book on vacation as once you begin, it can be a bit demanding of your time. Should I go for a hike in the California sunshine or read another chapter? Shall I stay up late with friends chatting about life or sneak off to that rocking chair in their living room and resume reading to see if that main character gives into his vice? Rebecca Lawton’s latest novel Steelies and other Endangered Species: Stories on Water, is the perfect solution for my summer vacation reading companion. Each short story provides the satisfaction of a full reading experience, yet you are easily compelled to read on, not by tricks of plot and craftsmanship, but by the promise of another beautiful nature-based story ready to unfold.

Steelies-front-cover-design1-675x1024What I like about Lawton’s writing in Steelies is the simplicity and pace. Like water in a well-fed stream, the words in each of the fifteen short stories in this compilation spill out effortlessly, taking you along in their current of storytelling. Take the first sentence of short story “A Real Cafe” for instance:

“You may think someone’s your opposite–neat where you’re messy, tough where you’re tender–until you run a river with him.”

You know immediately that this story will be about being on the water, but also about insights into human nature and compatibility when faced with the forces of a river. And considering author Rebecca Lawton was “one of the first women guides on Western whitewater, and an oarswoman on the Colorado in Grand Canyon and other rivers for fourteen seasons,” you know she writes about the experience with authority.

Our vacation this year has included a five-day journey to the Grand Canyon, driving through Navajo land, seeing glimpses of isolated desert life as well as distant vistas of the Colorado river where some of the stories in Steelies  take place. What a blessing to read Steelies under the very landscapes that inspired the writing!

Released on June 18, 2014, Steelies and Other Endangered Species is hot off the press (Little Curlew Press) and has thus far garnered only five star reviews on Amazon. I guess I’m going to have to join the band wagon raft on the five stars! Lawton brings not only her white water rafting experience to her writing, but also her MFA in Creative Writing coupled with a hard science background as a geologist. No wonder she can write just as fluidly about love and attraction as she can about Steelhead Salmon, paleontologists and geologists. Take this passage from short story “The Road to Bonanza” starring a female geologist.

“Utah was wild and stripped to the bone. Strange and beautiful–rock exposed everywhere, naked and honest. The few trees were the size of mere shrubs, casting scant shadows, nothing like the deep, oak-filled woods back home. Even the colors of the earth were different here: hills of orange, spires of red, stripes of yellow in bald topography that stretched to every horizon.”

Who else but Lawton, a creative writer & geologist, could describe rock and topography in such prose?

Lawton is not afraid to throw love and passion into the mix. In her compilation namesake short story Steelies about a naturalist dubbed “Fish Lady” by the non eco-minded locals, a love story unfolds that addresses one of the other Endangered Species–environmentalists doing the right thing against all odds.

I highly recommend Steelies and other Endangered Species: Stories on Water as a thoughtful, enjoyable read that will take you on many memorable natural journeys. It may just leave you longing to spend more time in nature, while deepening your appreciation for all of God’s creations, whether it be the mountain lion, Steelhead, the rolling river or the person you love.

 

Lawton

Author Rebecca Lawton

More about Rebecca Lawton:

Rebecca Lawton is an author and natural scientist whose poetry and prose have won a Fulbright award, the Ellen Meloy Fund Award for Desert Writers, residencies at Hedgebrook Retreat for Writers and The Island Institute, and nominations for three Pushcart Prizes.

Rebecca’s collection of essays about whitewater guiding, Reading Water: Lessons from the River, was a San Francisco Chronicle Bay Area bestseller in 2008 and ForeWord Nature Book of the Year finalist in 2003. She is co-author of five books on creativity and the outdoors, most recently Sacrament: Homage to a River with photographer Geoff Fricker (Heyday, 2014). Her debut novel, Junction, Utah, explores the impact of oil exploration on American community, water, and wilderness (van Haitsma Literary, 2013). Her short story collection, Steelies and Other Endangered Species: Stories on Water, is forthcoming from Little Curlew Press.

One of the first women guides on Western whitewater, Rebecca was an oarswoman on the Colorado in Grand Canyon and other rivers for fourteen seasons. Her work as a scientist has focused on water resources and sediment. Currently she serves on the Board of Directors for Friends of the River, as an external advisor for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Program at Sonoma State University, and on the Natural Resources Committee for Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, California.

 

This review was written by Kristin Anderson, author of Green. Feel free to share this review on your own website.

Where would you hold your debut U.S. Book Signing?

4 Comments

I’m an American who has long harbored the idea of writing a novel. I know, not a very novel idea! And like thousands (millions?) of other Americans, I didn’t get around to that novel for decades due to a jagged mountain of excuses: timing not right; too busy with my career; too busy with my family; who wants to sit behind a computer screen when you can be living life in the here and now; there’s a world cup game on soon; you get the idea.

What did it take for me to go from wanna be novelist to an actual published novelist? It took moving half way across the world to The Netherlands for me to finally write my debut novel GREEN. And it has taken me another nine months to plan a return trip to my homeland and schedule my U.S. book signing!

Where, though, to hold your debut book signing? For me it was simple; in my home town of Solvang, California. This small town is also in the middle of the Santa Ynez Valley where my novel ends.

I would be DELIGHTED if my State side friends and acquaintances who live within reasonable driving, walking or cycling distance of Solvang would choose to spend the below mentioned afternoon exploring Solvang, including a visit to The Book Loft for my book signing:

WHERE: The Book Loft, 1680 Mission Drive. Solvang, California
WHEN: Saturday, July 26, 2014
TIME: 4pm-6pm
WHY: Because it’s cool to support local bookstores and Indy Authors, and my book is pretty darned great, so readers say.

Is GREEN a Great American Novel?
I’ve been quoted in the paper saying the following:
“Well, it’s not the Great American Novel, but . . . .”
Yet what I didn’t realize is that there is a somewhat official definition of the Great American Novel, which if interpreted in a broad sense, just may apply to my novel. First, the definition (thanks Wikipedia).

The “Great American Novel” is the concept of a novel that is distinguished in both craft and theme as being the most accurate representation of the spirit of the age in the United States at the time of its writing or in the time it is set. It is presumed to be written by an American author who is knowledgeable about the state, culture, and perspective of the common American citizen. The author uses the literary work to identify and exhibit the language used by the American people of the time and to capture the unique American experience, especially as it is perceived for the time. In historical terms, it is sometimes equated as being the American response to the national epic.

Okay. Well. Here’s the thing about GREEN. It is written by an American, peppered with American slang and attitudes and addresses contemporary topics (environment, urban living, love and clashing moral values) relevant to Americans at this time. So by loose definition, this is definitely an American Novel. Whether or not you want to throw GREAT in front of it, is up to you.

No, I’m not comparing myself to Mark Twain or other literary heroes whose works have been deemed great American novels. But I do believe GREEN is representative of a segment of the U.S. urban population who is uncomfortable when confronted with the impact our contemporary lifestyles have on the environment, and the counter segment who is abundantly concerned about the environment and the conflicts and gray areas between these two groups.

If this has you at all curious, please come by my book signing in Solvang, California. If you live in Europe, you can get my book through Amazon.co.uk or de, as listed on the right hand side of this blog, or even pop by The ABC Bookstore in The Hague or Amsterdam to get a copy.

Thanks for reading this ENTIRE BLOG post. (Photo Credit: Steffi Thomas.)Please share!

The axe, the horn, the reviewer

1 Comment

I have been writing recently not about my own novel, but about the beautiful writing of author Michael Cunningham, the insightful Crater Lake series by Francis Guenette, great mother’s day presents and environmental organizations in The Hague. Well, sometimes on an author blog you need to mix it up and toot your own horn.

Tooting your own horn can have two meanings in this context. Those who have known me in years past may now have a vision of an alto saxophone in my hands, my lungs expanding as I break into a solo while playing with an indy band. Yes, that used to be my creativity. Sax was my axe.

But in recent years, my passion for music and connecting to others through song has given way to a new form of connection; writing, whether through my author blog, my expat blog or my debut novel Green. The difference between playing a live gig and interacting with the audience and writing a blog post or a book are too numerous to count. But there is one big difference: time.

If you nail a solo, or sing that third part harmony in tune, people respond instantly with clapping, a nod, or a follow-up comment on how much they enjoyed the performance this evening. Sometimes words are not even necessary to convey appreciation or dismay. Body language speaks volumes. With blog posts, people read, but don’t always comment. Those who do comment display a certain daring to enter into the written word–a comment on a post that is now present on the internet, linked to your profile in some manner, a digital footprint of your existence.

Dropping a quick comment of “sweet solo” or “enjoyed the performance tonight,” is a zen moment in time without a history or a future. That is the beauty of music. Recordings, whether CDs or YouTube videos, can be listened to again and again. Books are locked to the page and are usually only read once, twice if you’re extremely lucky. But for all the people who have read my book, many have given me verbal feedback or quick little Facebook comments of “loved it”, “it was awesome,” reminiscent of the friendly compliments a musician might receive; compliments that are in the moment. Oh what an author would give to turn those quick compliments into written reviews. Why? Not for the ego (okay, a little for the ego), but for the fact that reviews beget new readers. And that is what all writers want: people to read their work; the more the better.

And so, when I discovered this review on Amazon.co.uk from a complete stranger, I had to share it with you, and toot my own horn. Luckily, this review doesn’t give my debut novel GREEN the axe. On the contrary; it shows that somewhere in England there is a reader who understands me as a writer of fiction, saw the characters within the novel growing before her eyes, and appreciated the presentation of the eco message in my novel Green. If any of you out there who have read my novel need a little inspiration to write a review, here it is!

Posted June 17, 2014 on Amazon.co.uk. (five stars)

The fact Anderson’s novel is described upfront as a ‘romance’ book is almost a disservice to what is in fact, a novel that transcends the rigid romance genre. ‘Green’ has been written with real literary insight and intelligence.

Our two protagonists are city dweller Ellie Ashburn, who indulges in a consumerist lifestyle, surrounded by friends, while her time is occupied with an ascendant career. Despite this, Ellie still holds traditional values close to her heart which is apparent after a series of unsuccessful relationships with LA men leave her despondent. Ellie is about ready to give up on love altogether until she meets environmental activist Jake Tillerman. And thus the setting for our romantic backdrop is revealed.

Despite the odds, the two fall for one another in the kind of way that would have E.L. James’ temperature rise – however, the relationship between Ellie and Jake provides more than a romantic romp, it is the perfect narrative arc to engage the audience in political diatribes and discussions which bring to the fore eco-concerns about how the way we live impacts on the environment.

It is important to note that the novel never becomes a sermon on Anderson’s part to force environmental issues down the throats of readers, and this is shown through a series of comedic, passionate and frustrating events which take place as the couple grow closer. This is how Anderson really showcases her talent as a writer, she makes both of our heroes likeable, honest, human and never one dimensional. As readers we learn from selective narrative how each character has come to see the world and define it, while examining what it means to compromise and relate to one another within this.

‘Green’ is a multi-faceted novel that is both informative and entertaining!

The inspiration that is Michael Cunningham

1 Comment

My friend Riette from book club invited me to join her Friday night to see author Michael Cunningham speak at Theater aan het Spui. This American author is most known for his Pulitzer prize-winning book The Hours, published in 1998. I read that book years ago. I was impressed by his writing style, but also remembered longstanding traces of melancholy from the reading experience. Nonetheless, I jumped at the opportunity to attend a Border Kitchen presentation and hear him speak. I picked up a copy of his latest book The Snow Queen, which he would be discussing at the event, two days before the reading.

Photo courtesy Michael Cunningham's website

Photo courtesy Michael Cunningham’s website

Within the first five pages, I was completely drawn in. Not in a Da Vinci Code, page-turning way, but in a poetry turned novel walk-about within the inner workings of people’s minds, hopes, aspirations and connections. His unique descriptions had me looking at the world through foreign eyes that created devastating beauty where I had only seen ugliness. A man snorting cocaine in the morning was somehow transported by grace in Cunningham’s prose; the unspoken bond and understanding between two brothers is dissected and lain forth; not with the precision of a scalpel, but with a poesy of shocking sensualism.

Hearing Michael Cunningham read a passage from his book aloud transformed the beauty of his writing to an oral language of tradition beyond the words themselves.

After unsuccessfully trying a line of questioning about how being a gay man informs Cunningham’s writing, the interviewer finally changed tactics to a more relevant subject; the author’s writing process. As a teacher, Cunningham informed us, he encourages his students to find their own writing process. With that disclaimer, he shared his approach: daily, steadfast writing, without the influence of drugs or alcohol; no checking emails during the writing process, rewriting a sentence or passage again and again until it is right, not always being in collecting mode as a writer. In other words, although he is observant to the world around him, and his characters are informed by others, he also allows himself to go out with friends and interact with the world as Michael Cunningham the person, not as a writer looking for inspiration for his next plot.

He admitted that sometimes he re-writes one sentence a hundred times. A hundred times? He also writes enough content for two books during his writing process and in the end, only uses about half of it. Talk about killing your darlings; that’s a 50% kill rate.

I had more than one  “aha”  moment during the evening, but the following insight was a big one. Cunningham explained a phenomenon that occurs in his writing. When he reaches page 70 or 80 of a new novel, he is sometimes overwhelmed with the conclusion that the novel is not what he set out to write. Thus, he starts another novel, and so on and so forth. But finally, he realized something; novels will never be that rigid thing you pictured in your head, because characters and plots develop on their own, becoming bigger and other than you imagined. Letting go of those preconceived notions and limits lets the book breathe itself into existence. I’m paraphrasing here, and adding my own interpretation of his words. But as an author who has stopped an attempted novel at page sixty on multiple occasions for this very reason, this was a light in the muddle of my writing existence, encouraging me to revisit my abandoned manuscripts and approach them Montessori style: freedom to develop (open my mind!) within a controlled environment (consistent writing schedule unhindered by the sister muses of  Merlot or gin and tonic).

Michael Cunningham

Kristin posing with author Michael Cunningham

By the end of the reading, I was completely jazzed, excited, ready to embark on a new writing project. Encouraged by Pauline, another book club friend of carpe diem persuasion, I posed for a picture with author Michael Cunningham.  After he’d signed my book and disappeared behind the curtain, my friend looked at the iPhone pictures.  Most, including the one of me and Michael, had been taken with a flash, creating a muddled gray light around us. Oh! Woe is me!

Michael looks more like a devil than my new found inspiration, and I look, well, a bit like a poser in need of Weightwatchers membership than an aspiring author. Despite this rather ghastly digital rendition, for me the moment was one of absolute clarity. I am a writer and I will continue to persevere as a writer, and I am inspired by this wonderful man,  Michael Cunningham the person and the author.

Perfect Mother’s Day Gifts 2014

Leave a comment

As a mom, I feel I can write with authority on the topic of what makes a perfect Mother’s Day gift. Of course, moms have as many things in common as they have differences, so there is not one perfect gift that will fit us all. But here are a few things that speak to my heart.

1) A handmade gift that was thought out by our child / children. This could be a drawing, a painting, a box turned into a birdhouse or a giraffe-shaped cookie for all we care. Although we generally have an eye for aesthetics, we aren’t particularly concerned about how beautiful it is, but rather that our child took the time and energy to make it with mom in mind. If your children are older, this can come in the form of an Mp3 mix just for mom, a story or poem written with her in mind, or a digitally made and printed photo album you took the time to lay out and order.

2) A meal made by our family. Most of the principles in gift idea one (made with us in mind) apply here with one exception; it must actually taste good.  If dad and accompanying offspring are terrible cooks, then taking mom out for brunch is much more appreciated.

3) A romance or other novel you know is to our liking, accompanied by a block of time to read. In the area of romance, I would of course love you to consider GREEN, my debut novel. But I also recommend any of Tracy Brogan’s books such as Crazy Little Thing . I’m personally looking forward to her latest novel The Best Medicine, that will be available on May 13th, 2014 and can be pre-ordered now. While I personally love reading romance, not all moms do. Thus consider a book in a genre you have seen her read, whether it’s contemporary fiction and literature, biography, or DIY manuals.

4) Fair Trade Chocolate. I know. Cliche. But seriously. Who doesn’t love chocolate?  We all talk about how we are slaves to chocolate, we love it so much. But true slavery is no laughing matter, and unfortunately, the cocoa industry is known to use child labor and slavery. What mom wants to support child labor on mother’s day? Thus choose Fair Trade chocolate, such as Tony’s Chocolonely, which is not only delicious, but doing it’s best to make “slavery free chocolate.” This is a very difficult feat in the way cocoa farms are currently set up. Another well-known conscientious chocolate company is Endangered Species chocolate. You can also see the Food Empowerment Project’s list of recommended vegan chocolates for an extended list of child-labor free chocolates.

5) And now, put it all together: Make us a delicious meal, topped off by fair trade chocolate and a hand made gift and then send us to our reading chair with a great book. Oh, Happy Mother’s Day!

Thank you all!

Leave a comment

Just posted this on my expat blog, but thought it also deserved to be on my author website.

kristininholland's avatarkristininholland

I would like to send my thanks into the world to all of the environmental groups that participated in Earth Day The Hague last night (see the list below), to the people who chose to spend their Tuesday evening with us learning about the history of Earth Day and the many eco-activities in The Hague. And special thanks to Tom and Agnes at the American Book Center who supported this event by ordering environmental books to celebrate and advocate for the environment, providing their support and aiding in publicity.

If you live in The Hague, please consider purchasing your next read at the ABC Bookstore. Or in Earth Day terms, help keep the bookstore species alive by supporting them with your purchasing power. 

If you missed this event, and wanted to go, please take a moment to check out the websites of the organisations who participated below. Pictures hopefully to follow!

Earth…

View original post 373 more words

Happy EARTH DAY 2014!

Leave a comment

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day today? I am planning to celebrate with friends, environmentalists and all who happen along The Hague Earth Day event this evening (hopefully you included!), from 17:00-20:00 at the ABC Bookstore (Lange Poten 23).

Jelena RatkovicI am happy to announce that Jelena Ratkovic, a student at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, will be playing classical guitar this evening at the event, with pieces from composers  J.S. Bach, G. Regondi, F. Tarrega, A. Barrios, and M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco. You may be thinking you’d like to come, but right after work, you will be hungry, seeing as 17:00-20:00 falls right within dinner hours. Fear not! Fine Fresh Foods, a locally owned, organic restaurant will have “forgotten vegetable sandwiches for sale as well as freshly squeezed organic juices, cookies and bars.  Here is a list of participants:

AVN (Algemene Vereniging voor Natuurbescherming)

AVN is an 88 year old lobby organization for green interests in The Hague and environs. We inform the public and the municipal and provincial governments and politicians on the values of nature and the environment.  www.avn.nl

Author Kristin Anderson

Co-organiser of Earth Day The Hague along with the American Book Center, Anderson will be signing her debut novel Green. This opposites-attract love story between an environmental activist and an upwardly mobile career woman explores the challenges of living green in an urban society.  www.authorkristinanderson.com

DHiT (Den Haag in Transitie / The Hague in Transition)

DHiT facilitates the coming together of the local community in The Hague to take steps towards a vision of a green, creative and self-sustaining city. In order to achieve this we challenge and transform the current societal paradigms of how we live and work together. www.denhaagintransitie.org

Fine Fresh Food

Locally owned, organic restaurant located at Korte Houtstraat 14C, 2511 CD Den Haag, offers organic faire, fresh squeezed juices, Fair Trade coffee and tea. www.finefreshfood.nl

Haags Milieucentrum / The Hague Environmental Center

For 22 years, the Haags Milieucentrum has been supporting local organisations dealing with nature and the environment. We provide information about sustainability to citizens, companies and the municipality, and try to make it easier for citizens to lead their lives in a sustainable manner. www.haagsmilieucentrum.nl

Jelena Ratkovic, Classical Guitar

Jelena Ratkovic, a student at the Koninklijk Conservatorium will play pieces by J.S. Bach, G. Regondi, F. Tarrega, A. Barrios, and M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco

Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel

This Hague-based organisation transforms empty dirt patches beneath city trees into blooming colourful oasis’ for bees, butterflies and insects, bringing pockets of nature into the city that can be appreciated by all. www.stokrozen.nl

Seafirst Foundation

The Sea First Foundation does just that – puts the sea first. We raise awareness about the wonders of marine life, the environmental services that the ocean provides us and the multiple threats that it faces. We give lessons at schools and talks at various venues.  We also do beach cleans and celebrate World Ocean Day on June 8th every year. www.seafirstfoundation.nl

 

Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

Haags Milieucentrum at Earth Day The Hague 2014

Leave a comment

When I think about environmental organizations, quite often the flashy, daring ones first come to mind: Greenpeace, Earth First!, the Sea Shepherds or the Organic Consumer’s Association and their Millions Against Monsanto campaign. These organizations are out on the front line, radically fighting the battle for the environment in their own ways.  And while there is much to be said about their bold, attention grabbing approaches that pull our thoughts toward the environment, we also need steadfast, local groups that bring awareness of local environmental issues and offerings to our fingertips. The Haags Milieucentrum is one such organization, and they will also be represented at The Hague Earth Day Celebration this coming Tuesday, Arpil 22nd, 2014 from 17:00 to 20:00 at the ABC Book Center (Lange Poten 23, The Hague).

I asked Bob Molenaar, an employee of Haags Milieucentrum to give me a short summary of what the Haags Milieucentrum does. Here it is in a nutshell:

For 22 years, the Haags Milieucentrum has been supporting local organisations dealing with nature and the environment. We provide information about sustainability to citizens, companies and the municipality, and try to make it easier for citizens to lead their lives in a sustainable manner.

In other words, The Haags Milieucentrum (The Hague Environmental Center) provides information on all things Green in The Hague. Want to know where you can recycle your mobile phone? Look on their recycling link (consumptie en hergebruik). Want to learn about environmental activities coming to The Hague? Check out their home page. Curious about energy and climate projects and information relevant to The Hague? Check out their Energie en Klimaat link. Perhaps you’re not one to peruse websites, but prefer to get the latest news right in your email box. That’s also possible! You can sign up for their Haagse MilieuMail (The Hague Environmental Mail) e-newsletter and have a list of current eco-events delivered to your inbox.

Come meet representatives of Haags Milieucentrum, rub elbows with others who care about our planet, enjoy some local, organic food, listen to classical music, be tempted by a number of books about the environment, and celebrate the Earth this coming Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 at The Hague Earth Day event (ABC Bookstore), and don’t forget to bring a friend!

Haags Milieucentrum

Everyone is welcome!

Everyone is welcome!

Happy Easter everyone and Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel

1 Comment

LOGO PBB Earth Day version 2Happy Easter everyone! Today was filled with shared meals, family and friends, a sense of peace, prayer, hours in the park playing and flowers gracing table tops and forest paths. And speaking of flowers, my thoughts drift naturally to  Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel.  One of the featured eco-friendly organizations that will be at The Hague Earth Day event this coming Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 at the American Book Center (Lange Poten 23) from 17:00-20:00.

I spoke with Antoon Moonen, the founder of this wonderful organization, and asked him for a summary of his project.

Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel is a  Hague-based organisation that transforms empty dirt patches beneath city trees into blooming colourful oasis’ for bees, butterflies and insects, bringing pockets of nature into the city that can be appreciated by all.

If you are American, you may be wondering why Mr. Moonen misspelled colourful and organisation. That’s because he heralds from New Zealand, where they learn the Queen’s English (that British Queen).

I am lucky enough to live in the neighborhood where Mr. Moonen launched this brilliant project, which means the trees gracing our neighborhood sidewalks are surrounded by leafy plants that will shoot forth long stocks laden with beautiful flowers over the next few months. These flowers aren’t meant to be clipped for that vase on the center of your table, but to stay around the bases of the trees to decorate our neighborhoods.

What I love about this grass roots project is that it brings neighbors together at specific times each season, whether it is preparing the ground and sowing the seeds in the Spring, tying the long flower stocks back in the Summer, or harvesting seeds in the Fall.

In addition to all of that comradery is the richness of nature brought right into our city streets. And I must say, beautiful, blooming flowers are a vast improvement to dirty patches of earth. You would think a flower is just a flower, but they seem to make a big difference in our lives when they are grouped together and in such great contrast to cement, brick and buildings. The large city trees rise like beacons to the city dwellers, and the “bloeiende boomspiegels” at their bases ask us to take pause, smile and enjoy their beauty.spring 4

Meet members of the Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel at Earth Day at ABC Bookstore between 17:00-20:00 on Tuesday April 22nd, contact them on their website http://www.stokrozen.nl or consider attending their project information evening just after the Earth Day event:

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014
19:45-21:30
Wijkcentrum Bezuidenhout
Johannes Camphuijsstraat 25
2593 CH

For more information on Earth Day The Hague 2014, see my April 10th post here on Author Kristin Anderson.

DHiT–The Hague in Transition coming your way!

Leave a comment

My regular readers may know by now that a week from today, on Tuesday April 22nd, 2014, The Hague will be having an Earth Day Celebration. One of the featured organizations is DHiT – The Hague in Transition. The name already speaks volumes; it tells you where this organization is located and the nature of their vision: transition. But what does transition mean in this case?

Featured organization at The Hague's 2014 Earth Day Celebration

Featured organization at The Hague’s 2014 Earth Day Celebration

I spoke with DHiT member Sebastiaan van Zaanen, who will be representing his group at the event, to provide me with a summary of his organization in 25 words or less.  Here is what he came up with:

The Hague in Transition facilitates the coming together of the local community in The Hague to take steps towards a vision of a green, creative and self-sustaining city. In order to achieve this we challenge and transform the current societal paradigms of how we live and work together.

A few weeks ago, I attended a Saturday event at DHiT. I talked with an organic chef, listened to a presentation on a community garden project that vested residents in local, sustainable agriculture, participated in a guided meditation and caught the end of a presentation on green roofs. All this in just one afternoon! This active organization offers a lot to the community and is growing.

Want to learn more about DhiT in The Hague?  You can check them out online here, or you can meet members in person this coming Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 between 17:00-20:00, at the The Hague Earth Day celebration, ABC Treehut, Lange Poten 23, The Hague.

*Although this event is geared toward an English speaking audience, all of the organization’s representatives are either native Dutch or have a working level of Dutch under their belts.

Hope to see you there! Please share our event with your friends!