The Thoreau Project: Journaling as a Function of Observation

A 6-session Zoom Poetry Workshop with Jim LaVilla-Havelin
Saturdays, Oct 17 & 31,  Nov 14 & 28, Dec 12 & Jan 2; 10am-12pm (Central time), Online via Zoom

Class limit: 12

In this workshop devoted to observation, multi-sensory reception, fieldwork and journaling, veteran writing instructor Jim LaVilla-Havelin will guide participants through selections from the journals of Henry David Thoreau to inspire new approaches to their own journal work and writing life. Prompts for participation will cover focus, selection, description, corner of the eye, and other senses and will be applied to writings and to the fieldwork carried out between classes.

Students will share journal writings and materials from their field study and receive thoughtful feedback on work generated. This class is designed for educators looking for new inroads into writing, writers in all genres wishing to sharpen observation skills, journal writers, nature lovers, and anyone seeking the solace and distance of the natural world in a time of pandemic.

Required materials: The Journal: Henry David Thoreau 1837-1861( New York Review of Books Classics); pens, journal – unlined pages, strong enough for drawing as well as writing; for fieldwork—binoculars, good walking shoes, hat, sunscreen.