In this outdoor class, we’ll experiment with two Japanese writing traditions that can support us in noticing the small secrets that we might otherwise overlook in this big, abundant landscape. Tanka–a short poetic form–and haibun–a mix of prose and poetry–can help us both describe places we’re encountering for the first time and find new surprises in familiar places. As we try on these forms, we’ll write about our inner landscapes, too, and how those relate to our understanding of what we’re witnessing here in the woods of Pilgrim Firs. No prior experience with writing is required. The class will be entirely outdoors, so please dress appropriately.

What can trying on the voice of another person, being, or place help us to reveal about ourselves and our perspectives? In this class, we’ll experiment with persona poems–poems in which the writer speaks through the voice of another character–to try to tap into truths that we might not yet be able to express through our everyday voices. We’ll practice writing in voices strikingly different from our own–historical figures, mythological beings, literary characters, non-human creatures. We’ll also discover what happens when we write through voices that more closely resemble our “real” selves but that we might not typically share with the wider world. No prior experience with poetry is required.