Writ in Water: Year-long Generative Class
“Water often comes up in my own writing, as an image and as an ecopoetic dream terrain…water touches all of our lives: we're made of water, it's all around us (even in deserts and landlocked cities), in our weather, in the ways we travel, connecting all parts of the planet, touching our memories. No matter what their background, everyone already has their own experiences and connections to water to draw on for writing inspiration.” – Sierra Nelson, instructor
“To look at the sea is to become what one is,” wrote Etel Adnan. Over nine months, we’ll deepen our writer-selves by looking to Water—molecule to ocean, body to vessel, wave to creature, thermal vent to atmosphere, memory to fairy tale—for inspiration. We’ll do eclectic writing experiments (slanting to poetry, open to any genre), with in-class readings and writing time.
We’ll generate new drafts in fall, workshop in winter, and culminate our time together with chapbook-making and a celebratory reading in spring. Leave with a beautiful pool of new drafts and starts, a sense of connection to a community of fellow writers, and a personal chapbook that pulls together the writing and revisions you’ve generated in class.
Students say…
“Sierra Nelson is a treasure…Sierra is thoughtful, encouraging, supportive and enthusiastic. This is the fourth class I have taken from her.”
“Sierra has been such a delight to have as a teacher. She is so warm and generous and it set such a wonderful tone for the class. The materials she pulled from were so interesting and varied and provided such great jumping-off points for our writing exercises. I appreciated her open-endedness in regards to the invitations/assignments. Enough specificity/direction to help "unstick" my writing, but a lot of leeway as well. She organized the class with a great depth of topics and exercises and guests (clearly a lot of effort went into her preparation), sometimes taking me out of my comfort zone in the best ways! This was a fabulous class, and I would love to take another one from Sierra. I am already missing our Monday nights together.”
Registration Dates:
August 13: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
August 20: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
September 1: Last day of Early Bird discount
To register:
“Water often comes up in my own writing, as an image and as an ecopoetic dream terrain...water touches all of our lives: we're made of water
photo by Sierra Nelson