An Author's Note

On Sunday September 21st, I attended the People's Climate March in hopes to get back into my photography and be apart of a great cause. I had no idea that I could write a non-fiction account of my experience, however, I was inspired by the movement I decided to pick this particular event. The Peoples Climate March was organized to not only bring change to the environment, but change to the system. Thousands of people clogged and littered the streets of New York City in protest to the UN Climate Summit. These Eco-extremists were standing up against everything from veganism to anti-fracking campaigns. I came to the march with an open mind and had no writer in mind when I was documenting the event. I would like to add more detail perhaps and more dialogue because I got to speak with a few of the protestors and got to know their backgrounds.  I think the difference between writing non-fiction and writing academic essays is that it comes from the heart. Non-fiction is a lot more fun and easier because the words come out natural when depicting a personal experience. I learned from writing this vignette that not only creative nonfiction is about you personal thoughts, but it is important to follow the rules of story-telling. It is important to accurately describe the time and place and the plot of the story. The story has to flow naturally, and it requires detail.  Below is a piece from my vignette. 

            "We walked about 10 blocks and arrived at 65^th street and Central Park West when an announcement was made. A young lady with fire red hair yelled, “There will be a moment of silence for the Earth and the victims that we have lost due to climate change at 12:58pm. At 1:00pm an alarm will sound, and I please ask that everyone make as much noise as possible to stand up for Mother Earth!” Taken aback, I contemplated how in the world could we get over 400,000 people to be silent for 2 minutes. How in the world could you get 400,000 people to disconnect from themselves? I glanced down at my phone and it read 12:58pm. As I looked up and over the crowd, a saw a domino effect of hands up, forming signs of peace. There were people with the hands up, in their apartment buildings, viewing the march from above. The whole block was silenced. 400,000 people silent. The only time I ever felt humanity connected together with the Earth. Together as one for a cause, I have never felt so spiritually connected to the Earth and the community that surrounded me. Then, the silence broke. The sound of an alarm blasted through the streets. A wave of chaotic sound waves passed through the crowd throughout the city. There were people chanting, screaming, and shouting for the planet. A truly spiritual and enlightened experience. If the leaders of the world could not see physically the damages we have done to the planet, they could now listen to the sound of Mother Earth’s alarm."