Witness: Writing from a Changing Place retreat

Writing can help us bear witness to places transformed by extreme weather, disaster, or development. It can reconcile us to change while strengthening our bond with the land and its inhabitants.

Witness: Writing from a Changing Place will guide you through crafting vivid, compelling depictions of a beloved landscape. We’ll explore techniques for immersing readers in place-based experiences and capturing the deep personal and ecological shifts unfolding before us. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have a draft ready to develop further into a story, essay, poem, or longer work—one that speaks to the place that speaks to you.

Registration for this day-long workshop is limited to 12 participants. Writers of all levels and genres are welcome. We’ll foster a spirit of curiosity and generosity—no formal critique, just shared inspiration. During discussions, writers will be encouraged to share individual challenges, discoveries, and resolutions revealed during the workshop as a way of supporting themselves and each other.

Learn more and register at Calvin University's Center for Faith and Writing.

Morning coffee, lunch, and snacks are provided and included in the registration cost.

Note: Much of the time in this workshop is spent writing. Prompts are designed to lead writers through impression, description, investigation, elaboration, and refinement. Students will receive a document containing five brief place-based pieces to read, if they choose, before the workshop. A handout containing all the prompts, techniques, and discussion points will be shared at the end of the workshop.