Liana DeMasi is a queer, Brooklyn-based, New York-bred journalist, author, copywriter, and MFA Fiction Candidate at City College. Most of their fiction work centers around the climate and how the human condition responds to atrocity. While that makes most of their work quite grim, they seek to amplify love, companionship, and beauty throughout. Their reporting focuses on the climate, queer topics, health, politics, and culture, and can be found in Atmos, Rewire News Group, i-D, The Boston Globe, Autostraddle, Poynter, and others.
In what ways does nature inspire or inform your work?
I remember recently seeing a quote by screenwriter and producer Dorothy Fortenberry that said, “If climate isn’t in your story, it’s science fiction.” Simply, I am unable to look at the world and it’s narratives without seeing each point where nature intersects. We are all of our world in peril. Thus, every story reflects that.
What does it mean to you to be part of a thriving ecosystem?
A thriving ecosystem feels like a fantastical notion, but to me, it would mean living in a regenerative world that gives back what it takes. It would mean the end of Big Oil. It would mean the end of capitalism and greed. It would mean many things, including a world where radical joy is not just paramount but natural and abundant.
