BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//GayOut//Event Export//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT UID:179015@gayout.com DTSTAMP:20260815T185829Z DTSTART:20261029T180000Z DTEND:20261029T200000Z SUMMARY:Nature Writing DESCRIPTION:Throughout this six week course\\, students will look at the many ways in which humans are connected to our natural surroundings\\, bo th urban and remote. Weather\\, soil\\, plants\\, wildlife\\, changing sy stems\\, and more will all be explored. By delving into the inherent clos e relationship humans have with our natural world\\, each student’s pat h to writing their own stories using the natural world as scaffolding wil l emerge.\\nEach lesson will be designed to unlock the storyteller within by encouraging observation\\, reading\\, and learning about natural syst ems. Participants will read various forms of nature prose and poetry incl uding work by Mary Oliver\\, Robin Wall Kimmerer\\, Barbara Kingsolver\\, Merlin Sheldrake\\, Richard Powers\\, Robert Macfarlane\\, and more. The se readings and the resulting discussions will then serve as a springboar d to developing personal tone and style.\\nThrough guided in-class exerci ses students will work to develop their own narrative voice. Each step in the course will hone in on students’ unique narrative perspectives tha t reflects their own personal connections to the natural world.\\nThe in- class writing prompts will often draw on lived experiences and are intend ed to help students find their voice. Whether it’s remembering a favori te hike\\, gardening in their own backyard\\, watching a bird from their apartment window\\, cloud watching\\, traveling further afield into the w ilderness\\, swimming\\, or walking a creek path\\, students will have op portunities to use memory to capture the feeling of decompressing in natu re in words. Students will explore various forms and literary devices and styles in the process. Students will then have the opportunity to share these free-writes in class to get feedback from peers and the instructor. \\nBy reading the greats and engaging with the natural world from a perso nal standpoint\\, students will develop their understanding of ecology an d our human connection to it as a species. By the end of the course\\, ac knowledging human interconnectivity with nature may very well become an i nherent part of students’\\; writing process.\\nThis course invites students to dig deep\\, observe the world around them\\, slow down\\, bas k in the beauty of the PNW\\, and discover how their own unique stories c an spring from nature.\\nAccess Program\\nWe want our writing classes and seminars to be accessible to everyone\\, regardless of income and backgr ound. 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 av ailable.\\nPlease apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.\\nLiaison position\\nE very in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison positio n. 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 cove red by Literary Arts.\\nApply here for the liaison position.\\nhttps://ww w.gayout.com/usa-canada/united-states/portland-or/events/nature-writing-2 026-10-29 LOCATION:literary-arts.org URL:https://www.gayout.com/usa-canada/united-states/portland-or/events/nature-writing-2026-10-29 STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR