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What’s good? I’m Yessenia Funes, a journalist, essayist, consultant, and environmental expert. More than that, I am a fighter and a believer: a queer woman, a child of Salvadoran immigrants, a sister, a loving tía, and a devoted partner. I grew up in the segregated suburbs of Long Island but now reside in Queens, New York. 

For the quick and dirty, download my resume here.

I’ve been covering climate and environmental justice for nearly a decade. My first national byline was published in YES! Magazine in 2014 — covering the public health connections to climate change by talking to nurses who were on the ground in New York after Superstorm Sandy. I haven’t looked back since. My reporting has taken me to the remote Miskito communities of Nicaragua, the brutal southwestern U.S. desert territory where migrants cross on foot, and a post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico. 

I’m presently editor-at-large for Atmos, an independent nonprofit magazine focused on where climate meets culture. When I was previously climate director there, I founded and ran The Frontline, the magazine’s justice vertical and newsletter. In just under three years, I brought in over 11,000 subscribers to the newsletter whose open rate averaged around 40%. 

Now, I publish my own climate newsletter Possibilities.

In fall 2023, I co-taught the “Covering the Climate Crisis” course as an adjunct professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

You can find my writing in The Guardian, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Patagonia, HuffPost, Grist, and Earther, where I was previously a senior staff writer (among other publications). I am the environmental justice columnist for the Society of Environmental Journalists and a founding member of The Uproot Project, a network by and for environmental journalists of color. 

Though writing and reporting are where I thrive, I’m also an excellent editor. I commissioned, edited, and produced dozens of stories for Atmos, including the now-viral story by Amber X. Chen “Tripping for the Planet.” I also developed a creative eye for photography and other visuals, finding and commissioning artists for stories.

I’ve been translating these skills into consulting where I’ve been working on storytelling projects with philanthropic organizations and other groups whose missions and morals align with mine. I maintain an editorial wall between these clients and the stories I cover as a journalist.

I also take on paid speaking event opportunities — whether that’s moderating or sitting on a panel. I have also given keynotes and enjoy popping into classrooms to engage with students.

Peace! 🌀