Olivia Rosane is a journalist, scholar, and poet with a focus on the climate, environment, and economic and social justice. She works as an opinion editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
In what ways does nature inspire or inform your work?
I spent my first years of consciousness in rural Vermont without a TV. I learned beauty and narrative from watching the seasons shift outside my window, so nature was my earliest companion and inspiration. This first connection motivated my journalism as I report on the climate and biodiversity crises. Yet learning about how capitalism tears ecosystems apart has only filled me with more wonder at how they fit together in the first place, inflecting my creative work.
What does it mean to you to be part of a thriving ecosystem?
Being part of a thriving ecosystem means expanding your sense of community to all of life. It means being a good neighbor to the humans you pass every day, but also the trees, squirrels, and spiders. It also means acknowledging your dependence on the non-human world and living gratefully.
