I’m excited to share that I’ll be participating in an upcoming online writing course with Janisse Ray, an award-winning Southern author whose writing is deeply rooted in the land and in the rhythms of her daily life.
Janisse believes in the power of stories—to change the world, to help address the climate crisis, and to create a more just society. Notably, she was a major inspiration for me early in my career around seeds and seed saving, after I read The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food. Her work helped shape how I think about stewardship, nature, and attention to place.
I took a previous online offering with Janisse, and it inspired me to begin creating phenology wheels. For me, they’ve become a perfect way to gather and reflect on my observations—what’s happening, when it’s happening and how it’s all woven together, what I see both in the natural world and in my garden. They give me space to practice sketching and painting skills, while sharpening my ability to notice patterns and seasonal change.
This is just one of many creative practices that will be shared in the course. I’ll be joining 10 other creatives, each offering ideas to support your own journaling practice, including:
- nature observation and writing
- simple art exercises
- shapes, borders, corners, spirals, dividers, banners, and other page designs
- weather, mapping, perspective
- what place means to us
…and so much more.
Registration is by donation, so you can pay what you’re able and what the experience feels worth to you.
The Winter 2026 series focuses on Place—our complicated, ancestral, and modern relationships with the places that matter to us.
The course meets 7 Sundays in a row, from January 11 through February 22, 2026, on Zoom from 5–6 pm Eastern.
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