Writing the Liminal

What happens in the in-betweens? Moments that, like dusk, mark the transition between one state of being and another? Day into night, innocence to knowing, inhale to exhale, loss to joy? In this workshop, we'll explore the natural setting of the Sitka campus to discover similar transitions in nature. In the act of writing about our observations—maybe autumn's first mushrooms, a migrating plover, or vine maple turned gold—we'll uncover metaphors for the transitions in our own lives. Exercises include nature observation, writing prompts, and writing using form. Open to poetry and prose.

Jill McCabe Johnson's immersive writing practice incorporates walking, sketching, and close observation of nature for a deeper understanding of human experience. Jill's poetry collection, Diary of the One Swelling Sea (Moonpath Press), received the 2014 Nautilus Silver Award in Poetry. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a PhD in English with a focus on Ecopoetics, especially the influence of walking on literature. Borderlines, a chapbook of literary nonfiction is due out from Sweet Press. Honors include an Academy of American Poets prize, Artist Trust Grant, and fellowships from Playa Summer Lake and Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts.

Preferred writing materials