''All We Can Save'' is a 2020 collection of essays and poetry edited by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson and published by One World. The collection sets out to highlight a wide range of women's voices in the environmental movement, most of whom are from North America. The book represents a wide range of essays, and creative works by over 50 women involved in climate change activism, science, and policy. ''All We Can Save'' focuses on building a feminine and feminist voice in the climate movement. Many commentators focused on the broad range of perspectives included in the book. Sierra magazine commentator Wendy Becktold called the book a "big tent" and "grab bag" approach to communicating the

climate crisis ''Climate crisis'' is a term that is used to describe global warming and climate change and their effects. This term and the term ''climate emergency'' have been used to emphasize the threat of global warming to Earth's natural environment an ...

—one that "feels like just what we need right now.” ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''’s Phoebe Neidl said the book was “a feast of ideas and perspectives, setting a big table for the climate movement, declaring all are welcome.”

History

Origins

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

and

Wilkinson Wilkinson or Wilkinsons may refer to: Businesses and brands * Wilko, formerly Wilkinson Hardware, a British retail chain * Wilkinson Sword, a British manufacturer of razor blades, formerly swords, motorbikes and other products ** Wilkinson TMC ...

decided to create the anthology while attending a conference where the conversation was dominated by white male voices, with the aim of highlighting the breadth and diversity of climate leadership. The book’s title was inspired by the closing stanza of Adrienne Rich’s poem “Natural Resources”.

"My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world."

Content

Reception

Reception was broadly very positive, listing the book on a number of best seller and "best of 2020" lists. ''Smithsonian'' magazine named it one of the top 10 best science books for 2020. Wendy Becktold from Sierra magazine positively reviewed the book "''All We Can Save'' is a powerful tool because it articulates and holds space for this complexity." ''Ms.'' magazine reviewer Sarah Montgomery focused on the urgency of the collection in light of the climate crisis, calling it a "sorely needed glimmer of hope—a reminder that there is a way out of this mess: collective action." The book was featured in numerous nonfiction best sellers lists, including the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', ''The Washington Pos''t, and Porchlight Books.

Notable press

Among the readers of the book are many notable women leaders, including

Roxane Gay Roxane Gay (born October 15, 1974) is an American writer, professor, editor, and social commentator. Gay is the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling essay collection ''Bad Feminist'' (2014), as well as the short story collection ''Ayiti ...

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress. Known for her roles in both Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Emma Watson, ...

, and Maria Papova. The book was featured in many publications with interviews from

and

, including ''The Today Show'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', ''Time'' magazine, and ''

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long TV, radio, and Internet news program based in Manhattan and hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live ...

''.

Contributors

Authors contributing to the book include: * Emily Atkin * Xiye Bastida *

Ellen Bass Ellen Bass (born June 16, 1947) is an American poet and author. She has won three Pushcart Prizes and a Lambda Literary Award for her 2002 book ''Mules of Love''. She co-authored the 1991 book '' The Courage to Heal'' about recovery from child s ...

* Colette Pichon Battle *

Jainey K. Bavishi Jainey K. Bavishi is a nationally recognized expert in climate adaptation and resilience who served from January 2023 to January 2025 as the assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, as well as the deputy administrator of the Nat ...

Janine Benyus Janine M. Benyus (born 1958) is an American natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, and author. After writing books on wildlife and animal behavior, she coined the term Biomimicry to describe intentional problem-solving design inspired ...

adrienne maree brown Adrienne Maree Brown, often styled adrienne maree brown (born September 6, 1978), is a writer, activist and facilitator. From 2006 to 2010, she was executive director of the Ruckus Society. She also co-founded and directed the United States Leag ...

* Régine Clément *

Abigail Dillen Abigail Dillen is an environmental lawyer and executive at the environmental justice organization Earthjustice. Her work has been called "precedent setting" by multiple climate organizations. This includes, for example, defending the roadless rule ...

* Camille T. Dungy *

Rhiana Gunn-Wright Rhiana Gunn-Wright (born 1988) is the Climate Policy Director at the Roosevelt Institute. She has worked with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as an author of the Green New Deal. Gunn-Wright was educated at Yale, before becoming a Rhodes Scholar at t ...

Joy Harjo Joy Harjo ( ; born May 9, 1951) is an American poet, musician, playwright, and author. She served as the 23rd United States Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022, the first Native American to hold that honor. She was also only the second Poet Laureat ...

Katharine Hayhoe Katharine Anne Scott Hayhoe (born 1972) is a Canadian atmospheric scientist. She is a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor and an Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law at the Texas Tech University Department of Political Science. I ...

Jane Hirshfield Jane Hirshfield (born February 24, 1953) is an American poet, essayist, and translator, known as "one of American poetry's central spokespersons for the biosphere" and recognized as "among the modern masters" who writes "some of the most import ...

Mary Anne Hitt Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

* Ailish Hopper * Tara Houska Zhaabowekwe *

Emily N. Johnston Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 song ...

* Joan Naviyuk Kane * Madeleine Jubilee Saito *

Naomi Klein Naomi Klein (born May 8, 1970) is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses; support of ecofeminism, organized labour, and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism and Criticism of capitalism, ca ...

Kate Knuth Kate Knuth (born May 15, 1981) is an American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 50B from 2007 to 2013. She was a Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party candidate for mayor of Minneapolis ...

Ada Limón Ada Limón (born March 28, 1976) is an American poet. On July 12, 2022, she was named the 24th United States Poet Laureate, Poet Laureate of the United States by the Librarian of Congress. This made her the first Latinas, Latina to be Poet Laurea ...

* Louise Maher-Johnson * Kate Marvel *

Gina McCarthy Regina McCarthy (born May 3, 1954) is an American air quality expert who served as the first White House national climate advisor from 2021 to 2022. She previously served as the thirteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency fr ...

Anne Haven McDonnell Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...

* Sarah Miller *

Sherri Mitchell Sherri L. Mitchell - Weh'na Ha'mu Kwasset (born 1969) is a Penobscot lawyer, author, teacher and activist from Maine. Mitchell is the author of ''Sacred Instructions; Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change,'' a narrative of 'Indigenous ...

Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset Sherri L. Mitchell - Weh'na Ha'mu Kwasset (born 1969) is a Penobscot lawyer, author, teacher and activist from Maine. Mitchell is the author of ''Sacred Instructions; Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change,'' a narrative of 'Indigenous ...

* Susanne C. Moser * Lynna Odel *

Sharon Olds Sharon Olds (born November 19, 1942) is an American poet. She won the first San Francisco Poetry Center Award in 1980, the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award, and the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Mary Oliver Mary Jane Oliver (September 10, 1935 – January 17, 2019) was an American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and the National Book Award in 1992. She found inspiration for her work in nature and had a lifelong habit of solitary walks in th ...

Kate Orff Kate Orff (born 1971) is an American landscape architect. She is the founding principal of SCAPE, a design-driven landscape architecture and urban design studio based in New York. She is also the director the Urban Design Program (MSAUD) at Colu ...

* Jacqui Patterson *

Leah Penniman Leah Penniman () is an American farmer, educator, author, and food sovereignty activist. Penniman is co-founder, co-director and Program Manager of Soul Fire Farm, in Grafton, New York. Biography Leah Penniman was born to Reverend doctor Ad ...

* Catherine Pierce *

Marge Piercy Marge Piercy (born March 31, 1936) is an American progressive activist, feminist, and writer. Her work includes '' Woman on the Edge of Time''; '' He, She and It'', which won the 1993 Arthur C. Clarke Award; and ''Gone to Soldiers'', a ''New ...

Kendra Pierre-Louis Kendra Pierre-Louis is an American climate reporter and journalist. She most recently worked at Gimlet Media as a reporter and producer on the podcast ''How to Save a Planet'', featuring Alex Blumberg and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Career Pier ...

* Varshini Prakash *

Janisse Ray Janisse Ray (born February 2, 1962) is an American writer, naturalist, and environmental activist. Early life and education Ray was born Baxley, Georgia to Franklin D. and Lee Ada Branch Ray. Ray’s ancestors were listed in the first census ...

* Christine E. Nieves Rodriguez *

Favianna Rodriguez Favianna Rodriguez (born September 26, 1978) is an American visual artist, and activist, known for her work in political posters, graphic arts, and public art. Her artwork topics include global politics, economic injustice, interdependence, patr ...

* Cameron Russell * Ash Sanders * Judith D. Schwartz * Patricia Smith *

Emily Stengel Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 song ...

Sarah Stillman Sarah Stillman is an American professor, staff writer at ''The New Yorker'' magazine, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist focusing on immigration policy, the criminal justice system, and the impacts of climate change on workers. Stillman won a N ...

Leah Cardamore Stokes Leah Cardamore Stokes is a Canadian-American political scientist specializing in environmental policy. She is the Anton Vonk Associate Professor of Environmental Politics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition, Stokes is a se ...

Amanda Sturgeon Amanda Sturgeon is an architect and champion of sustainable architecture through practices like regenerative design and biophilic design. Previously CEO of the International Living Future Institute, she joined Mott MacDonald as the Regenerative Des ...

* Maggie Thomas *

Heather McTeer Toney Heather McTeer Toney is an American politician, environmentalist, attorney, and civil servant. In 2014, Toney was appointed as a regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Southeast region by President Barack Ob ...

Alexandria Villaseñor Alexandria Villaseñor (born May 18, 2005) is an American climate activist living in New York. A follower of the Fridays for Future movement and of fellow climate activist Greta Thunberg, Villaseñor is a co-founder of U.S. Youth Climate Strike ...

Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awa ...

Amy Westervelt Amy Westervelt (born 1978) is an American environmental print and radio journalist. She is the founder of the podcast network Critical Frequency and hosts the popular podcast Drilled, which has been downloaded more than a million times. She is al ...

Jane Zelikova Tamara Jane Zelikova (born March 24, 1978) is a climate change scientist, advocate and communicator interested in the impacts of environmental change on natural and managed ecosystems. Her interests are broad and include tropical biogeochemistry, ...

Audiobook narrators

Narrators of the audiobook include: *

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...

(Indigenous Prophecy and Mother Earth; Collards Are Just as Good as Kale; An Offering from the Bayou) *

America Ferrera America Georgina Ferrera (; born April 18, 1984) is an American actress, director and television producer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by America Ferrera, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golde ...

(On Fire; Harnessing Cultural Power; Mothering in an Age of Extinction; Like the Monarch) *

Cristela Alonzo Cristela Alonzo (born January 6, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, and producer, who created and starred in the ABC sitcom '' Cristela.'' This made Alonzo the first Mexican American woman to create, produce, write, and sta ...

(The Politics of Policy; Mending the Landscape; Solutions Underfoot; A Field Guide for Transformation; Community Is Our Best Chance) *

Ilana Glazer Ilana Glazer (born April 12, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, and activist. They have received various accolades including a Daytime Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Primetime ...

(A Handful of Dust; We Are Sunrise; Under the Weather) *

(Reciprocity; How to Talk About Climate Change; Catalytic Capital; The Adaptive Mind; The Seed Underground) *

Janet Mock Janet Mock (born March 10, 1983) is an American writer, television producer, and transgender rights activist. Her debut book, the memoir '' Redefining Realness'', became a ''New York Times'' bestseller. She is a contributing editor for ''Marie ...

(What Is Emergent Strategy?; Wakanda Doesn’t Have Suburbs; At the Intersections) *

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. She has gained acclaim for starring in a string of successful comedy series as well as several comedy films. She has received List of awards ...

(Beyond Coal; Heaven or High Water; Public Service for Public Health; Water Is a Verb) *

Kimberly Drew Kimberly Drew is an American art influencer and writer. She is best known as the former social media manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and her use of the social media handle @MuseumMammy. Drew released her first book, ''This Is What I K ...

(A Green New Deal for All of Us; A Tale of Three Cities; Sacred Resistance; Solutions at Sea) *

Bahni Turpin Bahni Turpin (born June 4, 1962) is an American audiobook narrator and stage and screen actor based out of Los Angeles. Her audiobook career includes some of the most popular and critically acclaimed books in recent years, including ''The Help'' an ...

(Calling In; Truth Be Told; Home Is Always Worth It; Black Gold; A Letter to Adults) *

Sophia Bush Sophia Anna Bush (born July 8, 1982) is an American actress. She starred as List of One Tree Hill characters#Brooke Davis, Brooke Davis in The WB/The CW, CW drama series ''One Tree Hill (TV series), One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012), and as Erin Li ...

(Litigating in a Time of Crisis; Becoming a Climate Citizen; Buildings Designed for Life; Dear Fossil Fuel Executives; Loving a Vanishing World) *

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (born ) is a marine biologist, policy expert, and Nature conservation, conservation strategist. She is the co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for ocean-climate policy in coastal cities, and the Roux Distinguishe ...

and Katharine K. Wilkinson (Begin; Onward; Gratitude; all poems; and additional material read)

The All We Can Save Project

Alongside the publication of ''All We Can Save'' in 2020,

and

co-founded The All We Can Save Project, which is an independent operating project of the umbrella nonprofit organization Multiplier. Its mission is to nurture the “we” for all we can save and a "leaderful" climate community to grow a life-giving future. The All We Can Save Project provides open-source resources to support engagement with ''All We Can Save'', including a self-led reading group model called All We Can Save Circles, resources for educators teaching the anthology, and resources for working with climate emotions.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.allwecansave.earth/ 2020 non-fiction books 2020 poetry books American anthologies Environmental books One World (imprint) books