Rune Kier Nielsen
Rune Kier Nielsen is a Social Anthropologist having studied social movements in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. He has worked as a government speechwriter for mayors in the Danish Capital of Copenhagen, the Danish Ministry for Climate and Energy as well as the Ministry for the Environment. He’s won two of the prestigious Cicero Speechwriting Awards while also writing for activists and idealists as part of the Danish Climate Movement and TEDx. He has taught climate communication at high schools, colleges and universities. He is the former Public Advocacy Lead on Climate Action at the United Nations Environment Programme—the UN’s authoritative voice on climate and the environment. Rune lives in Denmark with his wife and two kids.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Robin Hood
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”—Gandalf in JRR Tolkiens Lord of the Rings
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
JRR Tolkien for fiction, Simon Lancaster for speechwriting, and Katherine Hayhoe for climate.
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
When I was a government speechwriter I started working with young people on the side. I learned that there is an imbalance when one group is trained in rhetoric and the other is not. That is when I wanted to level the playing field by providing a guide to speechwriting that took young, dedicated climate activists as the starting point. I wanted to help them find their voice and use it for our common good.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
We are all unique in our perspective and outlook. If you want to help others with your words, I would encourage you to find the one thing that is yours and expand on that.
