Joanne Poyourow

Joanne Poyourow seeks out grassroots solutions to the biggest problems humanity faces today. Her work focuses on how to reduce our ecological footprint and eliminate carbon emissions, starting by adjusting our lifestyles and expectations.

She writes genre-bending stories which could be described as environmental fiction (cli-fi, political fiction, futuristic realism, slice-of-tomorrow, political and financial consipracy) or eco-romance. Hers are “can-do” tales with grassroots activists as the heroes.

She also writes non-fiction books about high-yield vegetable gardening and social transformation.

As a permaculture devotee, Joanne is often working at "the edges" - where two unlike disciplines come together. At this intersection, she seeks the patterns which make us whole.

In 2005, Joanne co-founded the Environmental Change-Makers community group in Los Angeles, which is dedicated to "what we can do" about our most pressing environmental issues. With the Change-Makers, she has designed and built two community gardens and a wood-fired community bread oven.

She enjoys growing vegetables of all sorts, and figuring out delicious ways to cook them. She is a passionate seed-saver, and for relaxation she knits insanely complex lace patterns.

One of her favorite quotes is from Arundhati Roy: “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

Follow Joanne from her Change-Making website or on Instagram @ecmJoanne