Every Day We Live Is the Future & the Craft of Narrative Nonfiction

This event will feature a reading and images from Every Day We Live Is the Future, a new book of narrative nonfiction by Wisconsin author Douglas Haynes. Short videos of the book’s protagonists will also be presented. This book recounts two Nicaraguan migrant families’ quests to survive in Managua, one of the world’s most disaster-prone cities. Their struggles and resilience reveal the need to address a major global challenge: by 2050, almost one-third of all people will likely live in slums, vulnerable to disasters caused by the convergence of climate change and rapid urbanization. Author Bill McKibben says this book is “a vivid and gritty account of life in the kind of urban shantytown where a huge percentage of humanity lives out a lifetime . . . A crucial read.”

In addition to reading from his book, Haynes will discuss key research and writing issues he encountered producing it. These issues include interviewing, immersion journalism methods, and ethical dilemmas. The result will be a behind-the-scenes look into how narrative nonfiction can represent global environmental justice issues in engaging and hopeful ways.