If your love for nature runs deep and wide, and you desire to assist the planet by telling its stories, then I invite you to join me for this deep-time immersion into nature writing.
I will guide you toward myth and mystery—the deeper sources of power, avenues to tap that power, and ways to transfer it to the page. In short, you will be looking at wilding your stories and wilding yourself. Explore your personal relationship to nature, honor your meaningful places, defend the things you love, and tell your essential stories.
This is a masterclass for writers committed to communicating the importance of nature and wildness in our lives and how we might be better citizens of the earth.
Online Nature Writing Course Content
We will explore together in this online nature writing course:
- Landscapes of the Heart
- The Transformative Story
- A Writer’s Art & Craft
- Making the Story Real
- Avoiding the Jinx of Narrative
- Finding the Right Metaphors
- Telling the Stories for Change
- Getting Published
- and Putting Together a Book.
Live via Zoom
Join me for a 12-week session of the American Nature Writing Masterclass online, live via Zoom, where you learn the essentials to writing beautifully, eloquently, and effectively about nature. The course features both short-form and long-form memoir and personal narrative, including the essay, the flash essay, and environmental micro-memoir.
We will meet live via Zoom one evening a week, 7-9 pm Eastern Time.
In addition, an optional Social Hour begins before class every week. This is a time to connect with others, get clarifications, and ask questions outside of precious class time.
Nature Writing Process—The Big Picture
During class I employ writing exercises, journaling, readings, discussions, lectures, PowerPoints, and Q&A, as well as nature observation, phenology, and mapping. Occasionally we host guest lectures by prominent folks in the nature writing and publishing world.
We’ll talk about communities excluded from conversations about nature and place; how environmental devastation is tied to other forms of oppression; and identity as environmentalism.
Weekly Q&A, Open Mic, and Co-Working Sessions
We save time for a free-style Q&A session at the end of each live weekly session. Jot down your wonderings, questions, and worries each week to ask them in class. I’ll address your questions directly, and the whole class will benefit.
There are other opportunities to benefit from the community and the feedback of your peers. During the course, you’ll have access to a weekly co-working session. This is an easy way to build writing into your schedule and gain accountability.
Finally, we’ll have an all-class open mic night where you can share your work if desired.
Pages and Pages of Writing Guides
I’ve developed PDF guides to illustrate and clarify the concepts we’ll work through. These guides are resources that I’ve used to publish twelve successful books in my career. I’ve chosen the best and most accessible guides printable resources to help you record, remember, and apply what you learn.
Marketing and Publishing Strategy Session
Getting your work published requires a different skill set than did the writing of your story. In the final week of our course, we’ll shift from essential writing skills to the strategies you need to get published.
I offer you all the knowledge, tips, and insight I’ve gathered over decades of published work.
Success Stories
From my students…
Nourishing and purposeful, this class not only strengthened my daily writing practice, but it also provided encouragement and a safe space for me to access authentic parts of myself and my story. I emerged with a greater sense of confidence and curiosity as a writer. Thank you for all of your encouragement, shared wisdoms, and feedback. It’s been a wonderful experience. Stay wild,
Mary Katherine
Poet, writerThank you for a wonderful, soul-deep class. Thank you for the gift of your writing, wisdom, and generosity. I’ve been struggling to find ways to deepen my writing and am grateful to you for inspiring me deeper down the trail. Cannot wait to read your new book. With deepest gratitude,
Kim
WriterFAQ
1. How do I know this is the right class for me?
American Nature Writing Masterclass is appropriate for you if you have a burning desire to tell the stories about place, wilderness, nature, and the environment. You don’t have to be published or have an MFA, but you should be willing to do an hour or two of work outside class each week. This is a masterclass for writers committed to communicating the important of nature and wildness in our lives and the details of how we might be better citizens of the earth.
2. What if I can’t make the Zoom meetings?
Each course meeting is recorded and posted upon completion of our weekly meeting. A number of students have day jobs or other commitments during the live sessions and choose to watch the recording.
3. I’m not sure if I can produce on the spot.
If you’re worried about generating stories, no worries—you’re in charge. You can listen in and do none of the work, or you can listen in and do the work later. You’re in control of every level of your performance. Speaking or sharing your work in the course is 100% optional.
4. Is this tax-deductible?
Check with your accountant, but in many cases—yes! You’ll receive a receipt for use at tax time.
Join dozens of my writing students who have created works they’re proud of.
I wanted you to know that the class has been tremendously helpful. Your energy, seriousness, passion, and optimism have rubbed off. I don’t know if my piece about wild apples necessarily reflects this but I’ve attached it so you can see how much it’s changed.
– Andy, writer
As children we usually enjoy a deep and abiding connection to wildness, but our built environments succeed in separating us from that. For me, that switch—a gigantic love of nature—never got turned off. My life has been all the richer for it. That’s why I became a nature writer.
I would love to share with you what I’ve learned from writing about nature, place, wilderness, and our environments for the past three decades. Your voice needs to be heard. The earth needs you speaking for it. I don’t think there’s any greater mission right now than saving life on the planet, which means figuring out how humans, with all our discoveries and technologies, are going to live without destroying the earth and everything we love.
-Janisse Ray
Decorated author and writing guide
