Shawn Thompson

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT SHAWN THOMPSON

ME IN A NUTSHELL: As a journalist who rambled through newspapers for 17 years and now teaches journalism in a university, I am interesting in reaching large audiences on issues of ethics, wildlife and the use of citizen journalism. At one time I was a prison reporter and published a book on federal prisoners in Canada and the United States. Before that, I published books on islanders coping with their river environment. My last book was written to publicize the plight of orangutans as an endangered species. to arouse awareness of the role that humanity should play in saving a fellow primate. That resulted in the publication of my book The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species, released in the U.S. in 2010 by the Citadel imprint of Kensington publishers. That also led to me becoming an expert witness for the ape rights court case of the orangutan Sandra in the zoo in Buenos Aires. While I still pursue the issue of publicizing ape rights, I am also interested in the phenomena of citizen journalists, and the quest for new forms of truth and ethics in the digital era. My current book project is about deeper issues in the art of inquiry. I would like to offer help and support to those publicizing ape rights issues and those engaged in serious citizen journalism for the benefit of society. Having lived part of the time the last few years in the Philippines, that fascinating country is an interest of mine and also has created another focus for me, the immigration process as a way to improve society. GOALS: to promote ethics and social justice through writing and other forms of media; to connect with like-minded people around the world who are creative and committed to humane and ethical action; to write the biographies of people who make real contributions to humanity; to see more of the world before it comes to an end! Specialties: Writing and coaching others to express themselves in writing, photography and video. See http://youtu.be/yDo3kjXJXxY