Emma Geen
Climate activist, author, artist, creative climate events and researcher.
The breadth of Emma’s practice can be traced back to years spent as a programmer and programme manager (Riverside Studios, Royal Festival Hall, Yorkshire Dance and The Bluecoat, Liverpool); workshop leader (The Hayward, Whitechapel) and scenic artist (National Theatre, Souvenir Scenic Studios).
Emma has portfolio career, covering climate activism, writing, visual art, creative climate events, creative writing mentoring/lecturing, and research roles. For the last five years, her climate activism largely focussed on disability climate justice and just transition, including working on Bristol’s Community Climate Action project and acting as one of the co-authors of the City of Bristol’s Just Transition Declaration.
However, she is reducing my hours on climate justice work for health reasons and moving into other areas of climate activism. Emma is increasingly bringing creativity and joy based methodologies into my activism to support innovative thinking, wellbeing, resilience and community building, and have run creative climate events and interventions for organisations such as the Festival of Nature, Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership and Bricks.
Emma occasionally joins interdisciplinary research projects (largely through Brigstow Institute) as a fellow, creative researcher or research assistant. Emma holds a PhD in creative writing and does occasional pieces of mentoring or lecturing work for the University of Bristol. Her first novel was published by Bloomsbury in 2016. On the side, she paint and take charcoal portrait commissions. Emma lives fifteen minutes walk from St Anne’s House, so her deskspace is a perfect way to work outside of her home space and to feel more plugged into the local community!
