Editorial Staff
A unique writing workshop series kicks off this weekend at Gloucester’s Sawyer Free Library aimed at getting people to step away from everyday demands, get outside, and reconnect with the natural world through writing and art.
“Nature’s Voices,” is a free, three-part workshop where participants will be challenged to venture outside to observe shifting light, gentle breezes, and the soothing sounds of nature and capture what they see and how they feel, much like “en plein air” painters did by ditching the protected studio environment in favor of the natural world. But with this workshop series, the “en plein air” spirit will be about capturing the scene of local nature on the page. “Natural Voices” is a collaboration between the Sawyer Free Library and Gloucester’s Writing Center.
Led by professional writers, each session begins with a 30-minute guided walk to gather impressions and inspiration, followed by 90 minutes of writing indoors. The program is geared to writing novices and experts alike, and the sessions promise fresh perspectives, a deeper connection to nature, and invigorating creative exercises.
All sessions are free (ages 18+), rain or shine, and registration is required for each at sawyerfreelibrary.org. Organizers encourage people to “dress for comfort and the elements, and bring your own rain gear if needed. Pens, notebooks, and an open mind are encouraged!”
WORKSHOP 1
It Was a Dark & Stormy Night: The Natural World in Fiction
Sunday, February 23 | 2–4 p.m.
Gloucester Writers Center, 126 East Main St., Gloucester
Award-winning local author
JoeAnn Hart will guide participants in exploring how nature’s drama can add depth and tension to fiction. JoeAnn’s acclaimed works—such as her recently released novel
Arroyo Circle (Green Writers Press), prize-winning environmental fiction collection
Highwire Act & Other Tales of Survival, the crime memoir Stamford ’76: A True Story of Murder, Corruption, Race, and Feminism in the 1970s, as well as Float, a dark comedy about plastics, and Addled, a social satire. Widely published, her short fiction and essays have appeared in
Slate.com, Orion, The Hopper, Prairie Schooner,
Terrain.org, and many others. Her work explores the relationship between humans, their environments, and the more-than-human world.
WORKSHOP 2
Rocks, Trees, and Me: Exploring the Self through Ecopoetry
Saturday, March 11 | 1–3 p.m.
Lanesville Community Center, 8 Vulcan St., Gloucester
Local writer Rachel Dillon, Managing Editor of Ploughshares and author of a chapbook on Gloucester’s Dogtown, will lead this hands-on workshop focused on ecopoetry. Drawing on poets from Dante Alighieri to Emily Dickinson to Donika Kelly, participants will engage with the landscape to discover new ways of expressing their personal and environmental connections.
WORKSHOP 3
Immersion, Observation, Reflection: Communicating Sense of Place through Essay
Saturday, April 5 | 2–4 p.m.
Gloucester Writers Center, 126 East Main St., Gloucester
Photographer and essayist Mark Thayer offers a final session on crafting essays that illuminate the natural world. Through immersive observation and reflection, participants will learn to convey a vivid sense of place and personal insight into the environment around them.
For more information or to register for any of these workshops, please visit the Sawyer Free Library in person or online at sawyerfreelibrary.org, or contact Meg O'Neill at 978-325-5562 or moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org.
