Tuesday marks the second day of Earth Week 2012, which leads up to Earth day on the 22nd, and the world is abuzz with talk about the earth. Interestingly enough, the EPA, partnering with SMITH Magazine, is drawing upon flash fiction and the six-word essay— “a unique genre of writing that focuses on sharing a meaningful story or idea in just six words” (Jessica Orquina, Greenversations)— to get the word out on the world! Between now and June 30th, individuals can submit their six-word narrative about their world to http://www.smithmag.net/planet/. Already a variety of earth writings have been pouring in describing our world in every way from the comical (“Will these six words be recycled?“) to the touching (“Earth’s the only mother I’ve known“) to the whimsical (“Francis and Clare loved the Earth“).
Although each set of six words is so unique, what I find so incredible about this project is how the collective process of sharing these memoirs, as SMITH magazine calls them, creates a broader narrative about our human experience on earth. Projects such as these remind me of how many individual narratives have been brought to me as a Peer Writing Tutor that have shaped the way I view the world of writing and writers as a whole.
So, what are your six words? What would the UCWbL’s six words be?
Happy Earth Week!