Author Linda Buckmaster will offer a special writing class at Hidden Valley Nature Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23.
Writing about place involves working with the elements that make a specific place unique —layers of history, people, the natural world, and human culture across time bring readers to the present moment. Writers might be advocates, critics, or simply lovers of a place.
This workshop is for writers of all levels and interests, from newbies in creative writing to more experienced writers who want to expand their work to professionals who want to bring more creativity into their writing at work. Whether they write poetry or prose, each participant will work at their own level.
Through writing prompts and activities both inside and in plein air, participants will play with words, experience, and experiments. A small packet of reading materials will be available the week before the workshop. The group will maintain a safe environment so participants can feel comfortable trying new things. There is no such thing as a mistake, just the next draft. The class will be limited to 15 participants.
Buckmaster is a place-based writer who has lived within a block of the Atlantic most of her life, growing up in Space Coast Florida during the 1950s and 1960s and being part of the back-to-the-land movement in Midcoast Maine in the 1970s. Former Poet Laureate of her small town of Belfast, Buckmaster’s poetry, essays, and fiction has appeared in over 40 journals and five anthologies. Two of her pieces have been in “Notable Essay in Best American Essays” in 2013 and 2020.
Buckmaster taught in the University of Maine system for 25 years and has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. Her hybrid memoir, “Space Heart. A Memoir in Stages,” was published in 2018 by Burrow Press. She is currently working on a literary journey across the north Atlantic following the cod.
To register for the course, go to midcoastconservancy.org/events/writing-place-landscape-people-and-the-natural-world.
