Rewild Your Writing: Returning to Place
Week 1 'Rewild Your Writing' the first Seasonal Writer's Retreat
Welcome rewilders,
You are joining me for our first Seasonal Writers’ Retreat. What a joy to have you here, weaving landscapes, places, and experiences, here today, and for the next five weeks.
The intention for our time together is to cultivate a creative cohort of writers and creatives who explore landscapes, places, and nature in their work. Through writing exercises, recommended weekly reading, and embodied time spent outside, we will tend to the roots of our creative work, fostering community connection and sharing.
I’ve been captivated by nature writing for many years. It has been my solace, a balm, and my way of navigating this beautiful, burning world. Words and place have been my way of processing these changing times.
Recently, I sat under a horse chestnut tree in the green near my home, journal and pen in hand. I tended to my inner world, held by the overarching embrace of mother trees and the soft feeling of soil underfoot. I write to understand my place in the wildness of things.
Drawing on nature writers who have woven and connected worlds to our more-than-human kin, we will draw inspiration from Robert Macfarlane, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Roger Deakin, Kerri ní Dochartaigh, and many more. I extend my hand of gratitude to these writers for the way their words have shaped me.
By the end of this co-writing space, you’ll be writing alongside the more-than-human world, not just about nature, but with it. We’ll cultivate a nourishing and joyful writing practice, grounded and rooted in the landscapes we inhabit. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll be connected to a community of nature-inspired writers.
Returning to Place
How do we get to know a place “deeply” rather than “widely”?
There may be folks on this course who have grown up with a deep connection to nature, perhaps nestled in the wilder parts of the world, with nature on their doorstep. Then we have those who may have been raised in the city, amongst concrete and limited access to nature. We can build deep, fruitful relationships with the landscapes we inhabit through attention, presence, and a willingness to listen.
What’s below the paywall? Becoming a paid subscriber, you’ll get access to Rewild Your Writing. Below is this week’s reading, a creative exercise, writing prompts, and embodied practice.