Nature Writing: The True Muse
WCWP-40342
As writers, we are the witness and voice of our time, and as such, we are invited to translate what we experience to share and celebrate with the generations to come. This course invites you to develop your writing while reconnecting with Mother Nature, or as author Bill Plotkin says, "grow deeper into our human nature". We will immerse ourselves in the contemplations of writers who have spent their life close to the heartbeat of Mother Nature. Through the examples of their offerings, your own discoveries in the inner and outer composition of your landscapes, you will shape writing that reveals the joy, and sometimes heartache, of walking this Earth. Inspiration will come from time in Nature and direct experience with all she offers us. We will reclaim our wild self and play with a variety of forms from poetry to prose to performance.
By the end of the course, you will have discovered a new source of creativity born from an understanding of your relationship with the Natural World. You will write with more confidence and discover your innate gifts of expression. You will continue to develop the writing genre of your choice while also exploring new formats.
Course Topics:
- Haiku: Learning from the Masters: Beginning in simplicity and profundity.
- Prose Poem: Ceremony & The Poetry of Place.
- Children's Book: Learning from Indigenous Wisdom.
- Fictional Essay: Animal Encounters & the Imagination.
- Creative non-fiction: A Travel Essay
- Performance: Dialogue with a Nature Being
Quarters Offered: Spring, Fall | 6 Weeks | Online
Contact: For more information about this course, please email ahl@ucsd.edu.