Nature Writing: Digging Deep

This course invites students to dig deep, observe the world around them, bask in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and discover how their own unique stories can spring from nature. By reading great writing and engaging with the natural world from a personal standpoint, students will develop their understanding of ecology and our human connection to it as a species. By the end of the class, acknowledging human interconnectivity with nature may very well become an inherent part of their writing process.

Throughout this six-week course, we will look at the many ways in which humans are connected to our natural surroundings, both urban and remote. We will consider weather, soil, plants, and wildlife. We will discuss changing systems and how humans are affected by and affect natural systems. By delving into this inherent close relationship humans have with the natural world, each student’s path to writing their own stories will emerge, using the natural world as scaffolding and inspiration.

Each class meeting will be designed to unlock the storyteller within by encouraging observation, reading, and learning about natural systems. Participants will read various forms of nature prose and poetry including work by Mary Oliver, Annie Dillard, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Barry Lopez. These readings will then serve as a springboard to developing personal tone and style. Through guided exercises and constructive feedback, students will work to develop their own narrative voice. Each step in the course will hone in on students’ unique narrative perspectives that reflects their own personal connections to the natural world.

The instructor will use writing prompts and nature-inspired assignments to help students find their voice. Whether it’s venturing out on an urban hike, gardening in their own backyard, watching a bird from their apartment window, recalling a previous experience in nature, or walking a creek path, students will attempt to capture the feeling of decompressing in nature in words.

More class specifics:

Class time will including writing to exercises and prompts; some writing will be designated ahead of time as pieces to be discussed in class. There will be one out of class assignment that requires observation of nature in some way. This will be constructed to be inclusive of all abilities.

Roughly half of the class time will be devoted to discussion of assigned readings, and the rest devoted to student’s own writing.

The instructor will provide feedback on participants’ writing.

Reading List:
Braiding Sweetgrass – excerpt by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Devotions by Mary Oliver
Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
Going to See: 30 Writers on Nature, Inspiration, and the World of Barry Lopez

Access Program
We want our writing classes to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.

Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.

Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts.

Apply here for the liaison position.