Nature writing is a truly contemplative genre. When we spend time in nature, we do so quietly, patiently and openly, with hopes of receiving understanding and clarity. Listening to what nature has to share helps to develop a deeper connection to place. Exploring the subtleties of nature’s complexities better helps us to find meaning in the darkened corners of our own lives and memory, and helps us to create a stronger relationship with the land.
Leave structure and rules at home and spend time writing with Creation as your inspiration. You’ll learn to marry observation with imagination, and find significance in the surprising. The techniques you will learn will transfer easily to any genre of writing. Through a varied series of short writing assignments, participants learn different ways to approach a subject and deepen their powers of observation and reflection.
This workshop is about forgetting self and listening to the wisdom of nature’s voice. There is much time for quiet reflection and journaling, intermingled with discussions and readings. You’ll learn to view your surroundings with fresh perspective and then write about what you experience. How better to cultivate wildness of language than spending time where wild things live and grow?
Discover the power of place. Connect with yourself in the midst of nature while doing something you love.
Program Cost: $370 (tuition, meals & accommodation)
Local Price: $290 (without overnight)
We strive to make our programs as accessible as possible.
Please contact our Registrar to inquire about a bursary or payment plan.
Please register at least 2 weeks in advance to secure your place in this program.
Leadership
Deborah Carr
Deborah Carr has been teaching others and earning her living with words for the past 15 years, writing about the power of place: the history, people, nature and culture of Atlantic Canada. She is author of the biography, Sanctuary: The Story of Naturalist Mary Majka (2010 Goose Lane Editions), and her articles have appeared in a variety of regional, national and international publications.
Through her writing workshops, she guides others to uncover their true creative centre. She considers writing as a tool to help us discover what we know, empowering us to recognize our own authentic nature and our place within the world. Deborah finds her own inspiration within the natural world, and believes it has much to teach us, should we choose to pause and listen.
Deborah has delivered workshops during women’s retreats, in Haiti, within the prison system, and for non-profit organizations, government, educational institutions, and writing associations. Find her at www.deborahcarr.com.
Gwen Davies
Gwen Davies writes fiction, teaches writing, and runs the Tatamagouche Independent Writing Retreat. In 2013 she won The Antigonish Review Sheldon Currie Fiction Contest and was published in Apogee Magazine. She is active in the writing community. She is also a plain language specialist, translating ‘English’ to usable English.