As part of my role as 2026-2027 Writer in Residence at Seattle Public Library in the Pacific Northwest’s UNESCO City of Literature, I’m completing a climate-fiction novel.
Taking place across the Southeast and the Midwest, this speculative work delves into two regions that face very different challenges when it comes to climate change. Told through the eyes of a young girl as she grows up, the tale weaves generational and ecological trauma together over the course of many decades. Framing the climate crisis as an identity crisis, the story details not only the challenging of her family’s sense of place, but its eventual destruction.
I’ll be seeking representation when the novel is complete — I’m over the halfway mark, and am excited to start querying very soon! Get in touch at emirisdegn@gmail.com.
Many thanks go to the Seattle Public Library for the use of the Eulalie and Carlo Scandiuzzi Writers’ Room private writing studio, as well as special access to the organization’s environmental research facilities, climate data, extensive map collection, author resources, literature, and the help of the very kind staff!