WRITING IN PRACTICE VOL 9

ABSTRACT

I was driving with my mother's ashes to Shreveport, Louisiana, when I saw a sign for Muskogee, Oklahoma. I decided to stop near there for a sandwich. On that short drive, several ideas arose, interleaved and referential. Immediately, they felt both significant and difficult to explain. My experience of that drive led me to a deeper understanding of colonialism, climate collapse and what may be useful in contemporary storytelling. This essay uses experiential techniques from my practice in fiction to share these insights. I relate observation of the landscape, agriculture, country music, giant soft drinks and memory to concepts of history, heritage, climate collapse, ecocide, and the way cultural icons play out in our sense of identity. All inform the always-lurking concern: How can we write hopeful narratives on our dying planet?

KEYWORDS

landscape, agriculture, country music, history, heritage

 HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE

Thebo, Mimi. (2023) The Muskogee Manifesto: climate collapse, creative writing, colonialism. Writing in Practice. 9. 82-100 DOI: 10.62959-WIP-09-2023-07