Initial reflections after a long professional career in public service for sustainability On January 1, 2025, I woke up to the reality that I was actually and truly retired. I have no professional position, no company or business to maintain, no formal work responsibilities, at all. I am living on my income from a modest … Continue reading Third-Age Thoughts
Writing
Writing about writing, and writing of my own that is not about sustainability
Why I am a stubborn optimist
Issue #10 of my personal newsletter, Words & Music My North Star platform at the Greenbiz.com website is no more. But they still publish columns by me when i send them. You can see the whole archive here. Maybe this column will be my last one -- I have been writing columns for a long … Continue reading Why I am a stubborn optimist
Harder but not impossible: Covid-19 and the Sustainable development goals
Issue #9 of my personal newsletter, Words & Music After a year of quiet, I finally published a new column on my North Star platform at the Greenbiz.com website. This column was also published in a Swedish version, here. Plus there's an afterword, on music, and some news about book translations. Here's the column: In … Continue reading Harder but not impossible: Covid-19 and the Sustainable development goals
Covid side-effects: two books, two stories
Covid-19 has had many side unexpected side-effects. While I have so far avoided the virus (I think), I have not avoided certain side-effects — like having more time to write. The result was two books, two stories. Story 1 Last summer, I completed a new book. It is a very unusual book, even by my … Continue reading Covid side-effects: two books, two stories
Relaunching “Words&Music” – my personal newsletter
Dear reader, This post invites you to sign up for my newsletter, Words&Music. Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/duzZz9 Now here's the background: In May 2018, I assumed a new professional position, working as Director of the Department of Partnership & Innovation at Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Becoming a public official in Sweden caused … Continue reading Relaunching “Words&Music” – my personal newsletter
Viridian revisited: An interview with Bruce Sterling
Bruce Sterling made his name in science-fiction, part of the wave of "cyberpunk" writers working in the late 1980s and early ‘90s — other names include William Gibson and Neal Stephenson — whose work seemed more predictive than speculative. I enjoyed his novels (they won a number of awards), but I especially enjoyed being part … Continue reading Viridian revisited: An interview with Bruce Sterling
The Sustainability Change Agent’s Job Description
This year, 2018, marks a decade since I first published The Sustainability Transformation* — the 2nd book in my planned 3-volume "Optimist Trilogy." I'm now working on volume 3. But the "job description" from vol. 2 that appears on the first page of the first chapter is still highly relevant. Enjoy ... and spread. JOB … Continue reading The Sustainability Change Agent’s Job Description
Letter to Santa Claus 2002: The 2016 Update
In 2002, before the Age of Social Media, I wrote a regular column called "Find/Replace." The following "Letter to Santa" went sort-of-viral, which means it got copied and sent out on various people's email lists (including science fiction writer Bruce Sterling's list, which was an important list at the time). I thought about that article … Continue reading Letter to Santa Claus 2002: The 2016 Update
Launching “Swedified” – a new blog
For years, I have wanted to write about what it is like to come to this small, unusual country — Sweden — and then become part of it. There is a Swedish word used to describe foreign people (or things) that have been absorbed by the unique culture of Sweden, but have been given a … Continue reading Launching “Swedified” – a new blog
New Book: “Parachuting Cats into Borneo”
"Fascinating" (Paul Polman, CEO Unilever) ... "Highly Recommended" (Maureen Hart, ISSP) ... "Indispensable" (Michael Kobori, Levi Strauss) The Center for Sustainability Transformation and the AtKisson Group are pleased to announce the publication of a new book by our co-founders, Axel Klimek and Alan AtKisson. Parachuting Cats into Borneo - and Other Lessons from the Change … Continue reading New Book: “Parachuting Cats into Borneo”
Alan AtKisson 