Press "Enter" to skip to content

Scrounging and writing

Brief by Central Staff

Writing – December 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

If you’re both a scrounge artist and a writer (given what writing pays, the two often go together), you might want to contribute an essay to a new anthology now being assembled by the Rocky Mountain Land Library.

Its working title is “Dive In: Gleaners to the Rescue.” To glean means “to gather what is left by reapers or regular gatherers,” and in this case it can cover everything from Dumpster diving to salvaging old car parts.

Editor Laura Pritchett writes that “We’re looking for lucid, lively, accessible essays — especially those that discuss the environmental impact of gleaning — what’s being saved, how, and to what effect. We’re interested in encouraging a greater and more mindful awareness of the land, being conscious of our daily choices, and being aware how those choices directly impact the natural world. Essays [from 2,000 to 5,000 words] can take many forms, including personal stories of gleaning, observations of the best you’ve seen, ecological musings, and celebrations of the practice of gleaning.

The deadline is Feb. 1, 2007. Submissions are by e-mail only as attachments in MS Word doc format, and should go to Lpritchett@msn.com

There’s no mention of payment, so perhaps this is yet another way to encourage free-lance writers to continue gleaning in order to eat.