Anthropocene Abécédaire
// Collaborative Illustrated Book Project w/ Dr. Chloe Taylor, Dylan Hall, Danika Jorgensen-Skakum //
Anthropocene Abécédaire reimagines the ABC book as a critical and creative engagement with the ongoing debates around naming our current geological epoch. Instead of A is for Antelope, B is for Bear, this book explores A is for Anthropocene, B is for a Billion Black Anthropocenes, C is for Capitalocene—tracing the political, ecological, and philosophical stakes of these competing terms. Inspired by L’Abécédaire de Gilles Deleuze, the project embraces a nonlinear, connective approach to conceptual exploration of each name, treating them not as a fixed definition but as a force that shapes how we might think, act, and relate to planetary crisis today. Through collectively written essays and original illustrations, the book resists totalizing frameworks, instead layering multiple perspectives to navigate the entangled futures of life on Earth.
The book will be published by Fordham University Press (2025) and is co-authored by jessie beier (Concordia University), Dylan Hall, Danika Jorgensen-Skakum, and Chloe Taylor (University of Alberta).
An illustrated stratigraphic alphabet visualizing the geological, political, and ecological layers that shape the Anthropocene naming debates.
Sample pages from Anthropocene Abécédaire exploring the concept of the Homogenocene, a term that critiques the loss of biodiversity and cultural diversity in the wake of globalization and ecological upheaval. Illustrations by jessie beier.
Sample pages from Anthropocene Abécédaire examining the Nucleocene, a term marking the planetary imprint of nuclear technology, radioactive fallout, and the lasting legacies of atomic power. Illustrations by jessie beier.