Witness: Writing on a Changing Landscape (online)

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.

This workshop is for writers who feel tethered to a place in complicated ways—through love, grief, nostalgia, concern, or responsibility. We’ll treat place not as scenery, but as something living and responsive, shaped by human choices and natural forces alike. You don’t need a clear argument or polished idea to begin; curiosity is enough. What matters is your willingness to slow down, look closely, and let the writing follow what the place reveals.

During the session, I’ll guide you through crafting vivid, compelling depictions rooted in a place that matters to you. We’ll explore techniques for immersing readers in place-based experience and capturing the personal and ecological shifts unfolding within it. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a draft ready to evolve into a story, essay, poem, or longer work—one that speaks to the place that speaks to you.

This workshop is open to writers with any level of experience working in any genre. We won't exchange feedback on drafts, but we'll gather in a spirit of curiosity and generosity to support our own and each other’s writing. There will be plenty of time for questions.

Learn more and register at writers.com.