Date(s) – September 14, 2019
10:00 am – 2:30 pm
University of Alberta Botanic Garden
Join critically-acclaimed author and creative writing instructor Lisa Martin for a day of site-specific writing practice, walking, and reflection. The class is suitable for anyone interested in the connection between writing and our physical surroundings, including the “natural” world.
What happens when we slow down and pay attention—e.g. to a single plant for a rather long time? What does good habitat look like for a writer? How do we write about the earth and the ecosystems we are part of, particularly at a moment of climate crisis? Can a day spent in a garden with a notebook remind us of the nourishing rhythms of life and art? What metaphors for our own artistic practices might a garden offer us? In the beautiful setting of the U of A Botanic Garden, you will ask questions about the connection between writing and the environment, and to find your way—through writing—toward your own answers.
Participants will be welcomed to the class indoors. Following some introductory exercises and discussion, we will head outside to take in the sights, sounds, scents, and light of a fall garden. We will spend the day in quiet reflection, gentle walking, inspired writing, welcoming conversation, and each other’s company. The class will be held both outdoors and in a classroom overlooking the tranquil Kurimoto Japanese Garden. $85 + tax.
Presented in partnership with the University of Alberta Botanic Garden