On the privilege of the storyteller and making visible the various contradictions inherent within efforts to bridge gaps and communicate “what happened” during the Anthropocene River Journey.

While the Anthropocene River Journey is being experienced in all its visceral reality by the participants paddling down the Mississippi, much of the knowledge generated and exchanged during its journey will be assimilated by an audience situated at a remove. In this post for Temporary continent., Jamie Allen muses upon this distance, making visible the various contradictions inherent within efforts to bridge the gap and communicate “what happened.” Also addressed is the role environmentalist storytelling has played in conveying impacts upon landscapes, the privilege of the storyteller, and anthropocenic spectatorship both on and beyond the river.