An Interview With Edward Sylvan
My novels are set in the not-too-distant future and deal with a world grappling with the consequences of climate change. Sea levels have risen, clouds have disappeared, and the world is heating up. Science fiction is the perfect medium to explore our fears about what will happen in the future. It poses questions about technologies and progress, and the genre invites us to consider ‘what if’ scenarios. It asks, what will the world be like in 30-years-time? What will happen if we adopt this technology and make it mainstream? Hopefully, people reading the books will see how the consequences of climate change will affect the future of our planet, and realise we need to act now.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Lahey.
Sarah Lahey is a designer, educator, and writer. She holds bachelor’s degrees in interior design, communication, and visual culture, and works as a senior lecturer teaching classes on design, technology, sustainability and creative thinking. She has three children and lives on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up in a small town in Victoria, Australia. A rural, bushland region that surrounds an iconic river. Our home was isolated, we couldn’t see or hear our neighbors and I like to think there were parts of the valley that no human had ever walked before. In summer we swam every day in the river. We paddled our kayaks down the rapids, fished for yabbies, and foraged for blackberries. There were many encounters with snakes, echidnas, and we fed the kookaburras by hand.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
In 1982 the Frankin River in Tasmania was earmarked to dammed by the state government for hydroelectricity. This would flood areas of natural beauty, ecological significance and Indigenous heritage, and conservationists fiercely opposed the plan. Thousands of people turned up to protest, and I remember watching the conflict playout on the evening news. In the end, the protesters won. The Australian High Court upheld a federal government regulation that saved the river, and the area was added to the United Nations World Heritage List.
A decade later I read Richard Flanagan’s novel Death of a River Guide (1994). It is the story of a guide working on the Franklin River, who gets trapped in a flash flood. As the water overcomes him, he reflects on his own life as well as his ancestors, and his memories become dream-like visions that reveal the heart and soul of his country. It is a profoundly moving account and after I read it, I realised how the story of my life (and all our lives) is also connected to the natural environment.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
I am guilty of taking myself far too seriously. While environmentalism and climate change are serious topics, they can also be overwhelming and a bit depressing. Several years ago, I gave what I thought was a critical and informative lecture on climate change to a group of first-year design students. It was an astute and passionate delivery and when I finished the room went deathly quiet. I thought I had done a terrific job and I asked if there were any questions. A student in the first row urgently raised his hand. He looked me over and said, “The thing you’re wearing, what’s it called.” I was wearing a denim pinafore and told him as much. He nodded and said, “I like it. It looks good, suits you.” The second question came from a student seated towards the back of the room, she asked if I’d something to my hair. I had.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
My novels are set in the not-too-distant future and deal with a world grappling with the consequences of climate change. Sea levels have risen, clouds have disappeared, and the world is heating up. Science fiction is the perfect medium to explore our fears about what will happen in the future. It poses questions about technologies and progress, and the genre invites us to consider ‘what if’ scenarios. It asks, what will the world be like in 30-years-time? What will happen if we adopt this technology and make it mainstream? Hopefully, people reading the books will see how the consequences of climate change will affect the future of our planet, and realise we need to act now.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
In Nostalgia Is Heartless, the main characters visit Antarctica in search of neutrino particles. When they first step ashore they come across a group of mourners in a funeral procession. The mourners scatter flowers and play sombre music. When the characters ask who died, the mourners reply, “The Thwaites Glacier.” The glacier has lost so much ice it can no longer be classified a glacier. I think the notion of ethological ethics is an increasingly interesting topic. It asks, What moral value does the natural world have? Considering rocks, glaciers, and water don’t suffer, do they deserve our moral concern?
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
Over a decade ago, I was asked to contribute information on sustainable design to a university course. I read everything I could and became convinced that this issue would define the 21st century. But a decade ago young people weren’t mobilised, and the mainstream media were not talking about it, so I thought I would write about it and this might get people’s attention. Environmentalism and climate change science fiction, now termed cli-fi, are the background to all my books.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Friends and family are the main people who support me, my writing, and my career. I am also blessed to work in an industry (teaching) that I love and where I feel I can make a difference.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- When you go for a walk or a hike, be the person who takes a spare bag and collects rubbish along the way. All rubbish will eventually find its way into streams, waterways, and the ocean.
- Protesting is important, but so are petitions and writing to local and state government members. Unfortunately, major change is driven by politics, and you need to get politicians on board, so save some of your energy for lobbying.
- We live in a society governed by consumption, but that doesn’t mean you need to accept this economic model. Stop buying cheap poorly made ‘stuff’, think about purchasing secondhand goods, upcycling, and recycling. If you do buy something, then buy quality items that last and can be recycled at the end of their life.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
To me, leadership is about empowering other people. To be a good leader you need to be a good listener, you need to be prepared to fail and say you’re wrong, and you need to have the strength to stand alone. I think you also need to be part psychologist, part anthropologist, and part sociologist, while also having a very good understanding of yourself, and your own failings as well as your strengths.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Because I read a lot, I think the best advice I have received comes from books. Here are my 5 favorites.
- From Socrates, “Remember, no human condition is never permanent.” We need to remember this in the ‘bad’ days. When we’re depressed, or anxious, or lonely. The sad feelings do pass, and the joy of life does return.
- The older I get, the more passionate I become about animals and animal welfare. Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” I believe this is true not just for nations but also for individuals.
- Albert Einstein said, “We shall require a sustainable new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.” Einstein died in 1955, so this quote is at least 65 years old. What happened? This is a lesson for the future — act now!
- Failure is not heralded or embraced by society, and I think it should be. You can’t succeed without failure, and this is where you learn. Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
- Dorothy Parker is marvelous. She is the best of the best, and I love her quote about writing. “If you have any friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do is to present them with a copy of The Elements of Style (Strunk & White). The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.” Writing novels is hard work, getting published might be even harder, but the advice given in The Elements of Style, is solid stuff.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I love this quote from Professor Richard Feynman, “The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.” So, strive, work hard, follow your dreams, but always remember to have fun and be kind. He also said, “Never confuse education with intelligence, you can have a Ph.D. and still be an idiot.” So true.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
After such prolonged periods of lockdown, the people I most want to see and have lunch with are my family and friends. It’s torture not being able to hug my kids. But to nominate one other would be the environmentalist James Lovelock. We could chat about his Gia hypothesis, which suggests that the Earth functions as a self-regulating super-organism, with all inorganic matter and organic life caught in a balanced feedback system.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Instagram Account: @sarahklahey
Website: http://sarahlahey.com
Twitter: @SarahkLahey
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.lahey.777/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Sarah Lahey Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.