From the Ground Up: Natural History Writing and Experiential Learning

Centered on the living lands and waters that were originally Squaxin tribal homeland, this one-quarter hands-on, writing-intensive program immerses us in field-based, experiential learning at The Evergreen State College's forest and shoreline through the lens of natural history writing. We will explore natural history through a variety of literary genres, such as poetry, scientific papers, creative nonfiction, and journalism. We will also engage weekly with the natural environment through field work on campus and off-campus field trips.

Natural history is the scientific study of animals and plants based on observation. Through written and visual storytelling, we will consider how natural history helps us understand the living world of our past, present and future. Through literary and visual arts, poets, writers, and artists engage the public with critical issues such as climate change, health equity, food sustainability, environmental justice, and related systems of privilege and inequity. These mediums are complimentary to other forms of storytelling, such as scientific papers and science journalism, that serve as catalysts among scientists, the public, and policy makers.

Activities will include field work, field trips, workshops, seminar, individual field journal illustration and writing. Assignments will include reading and writing poetry, academic writing, and illustrated field journals.

Program objectives include becoming better readers and writers of natural history; the ability to think critically on intersections between environmental issues and natural history;to engage with critical issues such as climate change, health equity, food sustainability, environmental justice, and related systems of privilege and inequity; practice in the literary arts as ways to frame current major issues, such as global climate change; and appreciate the importance of natural history writing and art to everyone’s health and well-being by connecting with our environment. This program will serve as a foundation for advanced study or work in natural history, science writing, journalism, poetry, communication, education, nonprofits, and government.