Acclaimed author Roy Scranton will speak in Ellensburg this week

The Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series at Central Washington University will continue this Thursday and Friday with a visit from Roy Scranton, an Iraq War veteran, acclaimed author, and associate professor of English at the University of Notre Dame.

Scranton believes climate change and protecting the environment are not just factual issues; they are also moral issues that humankind must confront. During a two-day event, he will discuss his experiences in Iraq to confront the grim realities of climate change. His critically acclaimed book Learning to Die in the Anthropocene offers a response to the problem of climate change by arguing that, to survive, we must come to terms with our own mortality.

On Thursday, April 25, at noon, Scranton will present a craft talk called “Witnessing Climate Change” in the Brooks Library Student Commons. He will then deliver a public reading and book signing at 6 p.m. in Health Sciences, room 102, focusing on Beginning with the End: Climate Change, Ethical Pessimism, and the Limits of Narrative.

Attendees are asked to pre-register for the craft talk and public reading.

At noon Friday, April 26, Scranton will participate in a public panel on climate change at the Ellensburg Public Library. The topic of the panel discussion will be, “Optimism and Pessimism about the Anthropocene: Is It the End of the World as We Know It?” Scranton will be on a panel that also includes:

• Pamela McMullin-Messier, Professor and Chair of CWU Department of Sociology (moderator)
• Carlyn Saunders, KEEN (Kittitas Environmental Education Network)
• Jeff Hashimoto, Science/Environmental Science teacher at Ellensburg High School
• Gwynn Scoville, student from EHS Environment Club, Ellensburg High School

Members of the CWU and Ellensburg communities are invited to join Scranton as he helps us uncover the art of crafting non-fiction by using personal experience and profound knowledge.

This week's events are funded and supported by the CWU President's Office and are part of the university's Living with Climate Change series. Additional sponsors for Friday's community forum include the Department of Environmental Sciences, KEEN, Ellensburg Public Library, Kittitas County Regional Library Board, and Ellensburg High School.