Welcome New Camas Co-Editor: Claire Carlson

Camas’s new co-editor hails from Reno, Nevada. With a background in International Affairs from the University of Nevada, Claire chose to relocate to Missoula to enroll in the University of Montana’s Environmental Studies program. Claire is excited about the program’s environmental writing focus combined with its humanities-based approach to environmentalism. She comes to her co-editor position with a semester long-stint as the nonfiction board chair.

How has the West influenced your perspectives, thought processes and character? 

The West has always had a major presence in my life, especially growing up in Nevada, a state that often feels like the epitome of classic western imagery - vast, arid landscapes; tumbleweeds blowing across deserted roads; and dusty men with bow-legged walks that match their downturned mustaches. Growing up surrounded by landscapes and characters like these gave me a real soft spot for the desert and rural communities, which is why they are often a recurring theme in my writing. 

What are a few examples of environmental writing/writers that have left their mark on you? Why?

Edward Abbey was the first environmental author that made a lasting impact on me because of my father’s love for him and constant reference to classics like Desert Solitaire and The Monkey Wrench Gang. In addition to Abbey, I was also was exposed to writing from Terry Tempest Williams and Barbara Kingsolver, both of whom I read often to this day and admire greatly for their ability to write so eloquently throughout a number of different genres and lenses. However, the author/poet I most often come back to for inspiration is Mary Oliver. I think her writing is so profound because of its simplicity and honesty, two characteristics that I believe are responsible for turning her into such a pillar within environmental writing. 

Can you provide some thoughts on how environmental writing intersects environmental advocacy?

I believe environmental writing is a crucial component within environmental advocacy - writing provides a platform for the voices of those who might not otherwise be heard, whether this be perspectives from indigenous groups, working-class families, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or, as is the case in many pieces of environmental writing, members of our ecosystem that don’t quite have the ability to take pen to paper. Writing plays a huge role in advocating for the people and places that are most at risk in our current climate crisis, which is one of the reasons I’m so excited to be pursuing environmental writing. 

How would you classify yourself as an environmental writer and what themes do you gravitate toward?

I would classify myself as a budding environmental writer - it wasn’t until the past year that I even began to consider environmental writing as a genre I could find my niche in. Generally, in my writing, I gravitate toward place-based writing, specifically writing that contemplates the desert and my relationship to it. One of my favorite things about this genre is that it feels limitless; there are countless ways you can approach a discussion about the environment that can be as specific - or nonspecific - as you want it to be. 

What are you excited to bring to the table as the new Camas co-editor and what do you see for Camas's future?

I spent a lot of time working on an arts and literature journal at the college I attended for my undergraduate degree, and with that experience was able to spotlight authors and artists who contributed to our journal or were up and coming within the community. I’d love to do this again with Camas by spotlighting our magazine’s contributors on our blog and on our social media, as well as spotlight the writers who participate in our Wild Mercy Reading series that will be starting up this winter! 

When you aren't writing, what are up to?

In my free time, I spend a lot of time hiking in the Rattlesnake Wilderness, doing yoga, perusing my new Montana bird guidebook, and reading (my 2019 favorite was The Overstory by Richard Powers, which I have spent every minute of my spare time telling people about!).