Writers for the Sea is a professional organization for authors writing about the sea and committed to increased understanding and conservation of the greater part of our blue planet.
Formed by Blue Frontier on June 8, 2015 – World Oceans Day
The more than 120 authors who have joined WFS agree on the following principles:
- To support and promote authors and their books that are written about the greater part of our blue planet that is ocean.
- To provide an opportunity for authors who’ve written at least one book about our seas to interact and share their experiences, including experiences with the ocean, with their readership and with the publishing industry.
- To organize or participate in panels, events, and anthologies that help expand the readership and audience for books relating to the marine environment.
- To promote social, artistic, scientific, and environmental understanding of the ocean and the role it plays in human affairs.
- To promote understanding of the critical state of our living seas, in terms of a global ecosystem at risk and the ways in which using books and the additional content that writers generate can help educate the public.
- To celebrate past writers for the sea and to mentor and offer assistance to new and emerging Writers for the Sea, including youth and students.
Along with its membership Writers for the Sea has established a public Facebook Page for authors, readers and others at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1594188714203075/
For an article more fully describing Writers for the Sea check out HuffPost at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-helvarg/writers-for-the-sea-is-th_b_7899698.html
December 2020 Authors Panel
Join reporters and explorers Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau and Dr. Enric Sala and 18-year-old Sustainability advocate Hannah Testa as they discuss their writing and their books; The Endangereds, Oceans for Dummies, The Nature of Nature and Taking On The Plastics Crisis. This ‘Writers For the Sea’ panel will be moderated by David Helvarg.
Writers for the Sea Book Club: Rockaway
Blue Frontier’s Writers for the Sea Book Club for ‘Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life’ by Diane Cardwell. The inspirational story of one woman learning to surf and creating a new life in gritty, eccentric Rockaway Beach, NY. Natasha Benjamin and Diane Cardwell discuss our relationship to the ocean, learning to surf, and the life lessons of being in the ocean.
Writers for the Sea: Fiction for the Sea
Join our host, author, and founder of Blue Frontier, David Helvarg as he speaks with New York Times best-selling author Lisa See (“The Island of Sea Women”), and Jim Toomey, the syndicated cartoonist behind ‘Sherman’s Lagoon.’ Listen as we dive into ocean storytelling, and find out how this author and cartoonist got to where they are today! Jim Toomey is the syndicated cartoonist behind ‘Sherman’s Lagoon,’ a regular comic strip that has appeared in over 250 newspapers in North America, and over 30 countries worldwide. The creation of ‘Sherman’s Lagoon’ was a mix of Toomey’s two passions – the ocean, and art. His cartoon books have now sold over half a million copies worldwide. He’s given TED talks, been featured in many newspapers and magazines, and has even turned his cartooning skills towards animation, creating a series of short films about ocean conservation in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme. https://jimtoomey.com/books.html Lisa See, a New York Times best-selling author, has spent her career writing books that beautifully represent the strong bonds between women, as well as their cultures. In Island of the Sea Women, See follows a group of free-diving women on an island in South Korea, where she intricately details the intersection of family, friendship, and history in this gripping and enthralling novel. See has led a varied career, from working as Publishers Weekly West Coast correspondent to a freelance journalist to an award-winning author of both fiction and non-fiction. She’s also been honored as National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women. https://www.lisasee.com/
Writers for the Sea Authors Panel March 2021
Join Brian Skerry, Sylvia Earle, and Carl Safina with their unique ways of seeing the Sea. Two famed scientist-authors and a renowned in-depth photographer talk about their latest books or those about to surface. Should be a whale of a panel – moderated by David Helvarg! Brian Skerry is a photojournalist and visual storyteller specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine covering stories on every continent and in nearly every ocean habitat. Brian’s work has also been featured in publications such as The NY Times, The Washington Post, Paris Match, Esquire, and Audubon. He is the author of 12 books including the acclaimed monographs Ocean Soul and SHARK. His latest book, Secrets of the Whales will be released in April 2021 by National Geographic. Sylvia A. Earle is an oceanographer, author and speaker, a National Geographic Explorer, Founder of Mission Blue, Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, Founding Ocean Elder, Council Chair for the Harte Research Institute, IUCN Patron of Nature and former Chief Scientist of NOAA with a PhD from Duke University and 33 honorary degrees. Leader of more than 100 expeditions, author of 250 publications, recipient of 150 awards for leadership in science, exploration, conservation and communication, her goal with Mission Blue is to secure protection for a global network of Hope Spots, areas large enough to save and restore the planetary systems that make life on Earth possible – at least 30% by 2030. Carl Safina is an ecologist and MacArthur Fellow. He holds the Endowed Chair for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University and is founder of the not-for-profit Safina Center. His books examine the human relationship with the rest of the living world. Carl’s most recent New York Times Notable Book of the Year is: Becoming Wild; How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace.
