My World's on Fire
By Colleen Hagerty
issues
Is this thing on?
A Twitter chat with Taylor Kate Brown
What disasters have to do with reproductive rights
Note: Today's newsletter discusses pregnancy, abortion, and sexual violence. I generally try to stay away from breaking news in this newsletter for a number of reasons, but as I weighed topics for this week, I kept coming back to the Supreme Court draft decis…
Extra, extra! Read all about it!
Part two
Demystifying prescribed burns
A special edition in collaboration with The Planet You Save
Don't stop me now
Somehow, another year of MWOF is officially in the books.As about 10% of you might remember, the first edition of this newsletter made it to your inboxes two years ago this month.“My hope in creating this newsletter,” I wrote at the time, “Is to take a small …
Where do we GLO from here
As I mentioned last week, April marks two years since I started this newsletter (shout out to members for keeping it coming). A special anniversary edition is in the works, but I first wanted to continue revisiting some of the voices you've heard from over th…
500 episodes later
Just about this time last year, I spoke with Scott Gabriel Knowles about reaching a milestone with his COVIDCalls program. Started in the early weeks of the pandemic, Knowles invites guests from around the world with different kinds of expertise, experiences,…
The East End and an act of interpretation
Today, an article I’ve been reporting since September is out in the world. To get a little personal, publication days always feel strange to me – when something I’ve poured so much time into is offered up for consumption, the final product inevitably a shred …
As long as there are stories to share
It’s been just over eight months since the Dixie Fire sparked in Northern California, burning a path of nearly 1 million acres through five counties, the Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, and Lassen Volcanic National Park. In the weeks that it w…
With a little help
Every now and then, I like to pass the mic on here and share a story from the Solutions Journalism network (if you don’t know what solutions journalism is, here’s a quick intro). Today's comes to you courtesy of journalist David Kidd and the outlet Governing,…
The window
After years of trying to avoid exactly this scene—bright flames swallowing his grass and seedlings, smoke plumes curling above the tops of his trees—Richard Batha’s front yard is on fire. He surveys it from behind sunglasses, taking a few steps back. Then, he…
Behind-the-scenes of a prescribed burn
Hi members! I am so grateful that you've decided to support My World's on Fire with a monthly donation and really excited to build up this more intimate community. As those of you who came over from Patreon know, I really value having these private editions t…
A really great Trojan Horse
A Q&A with Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming
When the feeds light up
Today's newsletter is a small preview of a conversation I recently got to join on the Me, Myself & Disaster podcast. Hosts Andrew McCullough and Joshua McLaren tackle different topics in the emergency management field in each episode, and they've had an i…
Who gets to make decisions
A Q&A with Susamma Seeley about equity in emergency management
Hey! Ho! Let's GAO!
Digging into a new report on disasters and schools
Leave it to beavers
Beavers, wildfire mitigation, & the first MWOF bookclub pick!
Stuck in the middle with you
During the three weeks this newsletter has been off (hi again! Or, to all you wonderful new subscribers, welcome!), I’ve been working on a longer-term feature, a piece that I conducted interviews for throughout 2021. One of those was with Jess Mercer, an arti…
'Let them hear us'
Earlier this year, I did a Q&A with Andrew Barley and Ben Hirsch of West Street Recovery (WSR), a grassroots, non-profit organization based in Texas that focuses on community involvement and empowerment. You can read the full Q&A from April hereAt the…
'The sorriest bunch of bureaucratic jackasses I’ve ever known'
A walk down FEMA memory lane