Pitch: I’m Living in the Woods for a Month, and I’d Love to Write About it for You

Who I am: Blogger at getmindfulnow.com, Elephant Journal, and Medium. Mindfulness journeyman. Environmental/LGBTQ policy advocate. Photographer. Explorer. Partner of an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Based in Los Angeles. Writing about mindfulness, nature, and activism in the digital age. Life.

What I’m doing: Living/working/exploring in Yosemite National Park for the month of September.

Why you care: Your readers, or I might argue all readers, are interested in mindfulness, whether they realize it or not. There’s so much noise in our modern digital world that we’re all looking for a break, some space, a breather. The current political election piques an even larger interest, with readers looking to escape the  online vitriol, but still remain interested and active participants in our democracy.

Nature is the great neutralizer, providing what seems like an escape, but is truthfully a return to reality. The National Park Service 100 year anniversary couldn’t come at a better time for America, reminding us of the power of our parks to provide relief and sanctuary.

I propose to write about the convergence of these peak topics: the importance of democracy and elections, especially around environmental policy.  The importance of mindfulness to keep our heads on straight during the election season, and beyond. And the very useful purpose of nature and national parks to help us get there.

Sample story ideas: I will combine these three hot topics into a cohesive series of articles.

• Escape to Reality: How Nature Saves Us From the Digital Age
• Does the “Wild” Actually Exist Anymore?
• The Past/Present/Future of Environmentalism: John Muir, the National Parks, and Now
• Disconnection Activism: How to Live in the Woods But Still be an Advocate
• Augmented Reality vs Actual Reality In the Smartphone Gaming Age
• The Middle Way: Learning to be both Digitally Connected and Mindfully Present
• What Backpacking Teaches Us About Minimalism in the Real World
• Out of the Closet and Into the Woods: What the LGBTQ Movement Can Learn from Nature
• A Bear in the Woods: The Culture of Gay Men who Love the Outdoors

    
Samples of my work:​

• Make America Kind Again: Advocacy in the Age of Social Media (on politics)
• Why I Give a Damn About the Environment, and Why You Should Too (on climate change)
• The Freedom of Disconnection (on living wild)
• Pride and Prejudice: Growing Up Gay and the Search for Mindfulness (on my upbringing)
• From Oscars to Outdoors (on a multi-faceted life)
• The Power of Nature (in John Muir drag)
• Why I Call Myself a “Journeyman” and Why You’re One Too (on always learning)

Inquiries: Jason Wise, email or phone