Anthropologist & Former Los Padres Hotshots Firefighter; Author of "When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World"

Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Live Event: $5,000 - $10,000 Virtual Event: $5,000 - $10,000 More Fee Info

Jordan Thomas Biography

Jordan Thomas is a climate-change ethnographer and narrative nonfiction author with a background in critical social theory. He previously served as a wildland firefighter on the Los Padres Hotshot crew. His public-facing work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Review of Books, The Drift, and elsewhere. His debut book, "When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World," traces the historical, ecological, and sociological factors fueling California’s increasingly catastrophic wildfires, woven through the story of one brutal fire season on a hotshot crew.

In his academic research, Thomas explores how individuals and institutions understand and respond to unprecedented environmental conditions, particularly wildfires in California. His work employs multi-sited, multi-scalar ethnographic methods and a phenomenological approach to climate change, examining how human bodies, senses, and emotional registers interact with rapidly changing environmental systems.

Thomas holds graduate degrees from the University of Cambridge and Durham University as a Marshall Scholar. He is currently a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

BOOK Jordan Thomas

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 05/29/2025.

Jordan Thomas Speaking Topics

  • When It All Burns

    In "When It All Burns," Jordan Thomas offers an account of life on the frontlines of the climate crisis, focusing on the rise of megafires and the wildland firefighters battling them. His book follows a brutal six-month fire season with the Los Padres Hotshots, an elite crew tasked with confronting fires that are often too extreme to contain. With visceral detail, Thomas explores the sociocultural forces driving the intensifying wildfire crisis, revealing how the most destructive impacts of climate change are rooted in histories of inequality and exploitation, leaving certain people and places more vulnerable to its effects.

    In this talk, Thomas dissects the process of narrating climate change, examining the myriad considerations writers face when transforming environmental data into human stories. When a crisis is ubiquitous yet unevenly distributed, how can we untangle its diverse threads honestly and ethically, without erasing people, places, species, and histories? What does it mean to approach climate change as both a physical reality and a socially constructed narrative? This talk will explore these questions and more, while offering an open-ended roadmap for narrating climate change through character-driven stories.

Jordan Thomas Videos

Jordan Thomas - MSNBC/"Deadline: White House"

Jordan Thomas - MSNBC/"Deadline: White House"

Uploaded by RiverheadBooks on 2025-02-06.

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  • What are the speaker fees for Jordan Thomas

    Speaking fees for Jordan Thomas, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Jordan Thomas are under $10,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Jordan Thomas, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Jordan Thomas speak about?

    Jordan Thomas is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Author, Biology, Climate Change, Corporate Strategy, Environment, Environmental Science, ESG, Storytelling, Strategic Leadership, Sustainability
  • Where does Jordan Thomas travel from?

    Jordan Thomas generally travels from Santa Barbara, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Jordan Thomas is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as When It All Burns. The estimated speaking fee range to book Jordan Thomas for your event is available upon request. Jordan Thomas generally travels from Santa Barbara, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Gary Paul Nabhan, Ashlee Piper, Joan Michelson, Marga Hoek and Erik Kobayashi-Solomon. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jordan Thomas for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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