Nature matters to all of us. Learning to observe and pay attention to nature and capture it in writing greatly nourishes and enriches our lives.
In the second of a series of two-hour sessions with award-winning nature-writer Anita Sethi, you’ll learn how to observe and describe the natural world, drawing inspiration from the changing seasons. Learn about the time-honoured tradition of nature writing and how to bring your own voice to this exciting literary field.
Autumn has inspired writers throughout the ages to some of their finest words, with its poignant sense of change, the beauty and glory of its colours, the smell of bonfires, the sound of crunching through leaves during an autumnal walk. A season bringing a feast for the senses and fuel for creativity.
In this workshop filled with tools and tips, you’ll have the space to explore and practice the craft of nature writing. Through a series of creative exercises and prompts, Anita will inspire you to attune your eyes, ears and pen to the beauty of nature in autumn both in cities and the countryside.
This workshop can be booked as a one-off or as part of a pair with Writing the seasons: Summer.
Course content
- How to harness the power and magic of the seasons
- The outer landscape: learning observational tools to sharpen your experience and depiction of nature; both urban nature and wildlife, and the countryside
- The senses – engaging the senses in our experience and writing of nature
- The inner landscape – channelling our emotional connection with the natural world
- Practical tools and tips for drafting and crafting your writing
- What is nature writing? An inspiring contextual journey through nature writing throughout the ages
- Why nature matters – deepen your understanding and appreciation for the importance of nature, how it cares for us and why we must care for it better
Tutor profile
Anita Sethi was born in Manchester, UK where her love of nature first blossomed, in wild urban spaces. She is the author of I Belong Here: a Journey Along the Backbone of Britain which won a Books Are My Bag Readers Award and was nominated for the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing, Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Award, the Great Outdoors Award and Portico Prize. She is also published in the anthologies Women on Nature, The Wild Isles, Seasons, Common People, Seaside Special: Postcards from the Edge, We Mark Your Memory, Solstice Shorts among others. She has written for the Guardian and Observer, the i paper, Independent, Sunday Times, BBC Wildlife, Vogue, Countryfile, Harpers Bazaar, New Statesman, Granta, Times Literary Supplement and BBC Travel and appeared on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, the World Service, and ABC Australia. Anita is also part of the prestigious judging panel for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022.
Course Details
- Date: Thursday 22 September
- Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm BST
6.30pm BST | 7.30pm CEST | 10.30am PDT | 1.30pm EDT
This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
You will be sent a link to the webinar 24 hours and 2 hours before the start time of 6.30pm (BST). Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have not received the access link within one hour of the scheduled start time.
All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.
Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website
