Writing Place: Landscape, People, and the Natural World

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Saturday January, 26, 11:00 – 3:30 p.m. 

A reading and writing workshop at the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library with Belfast Poet and Writer Linda Buckmaster.


Writing about place involves working with the elements that make a specific place unique. This may include the layers of history, the natural world, culture, and the built environment across time to bring us to the present moment. Writers might be advocates, critics, or lovers of a place but either way, a sense of place helps us ground our writing on any topic.

We will begin our writing process with a Reading Packet of other place-based contemporary and historical writers of prose and poetry. We will “read like a writer,” to paraphrase Francine Prose, unpacking the tools the authors have used in their work such as image, voice, language, and structure.

No previous writing experience is necessary, and the first hour of the workshop is open to those who are readers only. After lunch break, the balance of the workshop is open to writers of all levels and suitable for writers of poetry, prose, or other genre. By developing the craft of writing about place, participants will discover more about their subjects, allowing them to better understand and present their world and experiences.

Pick up reading materials at the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library starting January 14, then:

Saturday January, 26, 11:00 – 3:30 p.m. (with lunch break). The first hour of the workshop will be devoted to discussion of the Readings to include those readers who are not interested in the writing module. After lunch, the afternoon will be focused on using the readings and writing prompts to create new work.

This program was made possible by a grant from the Maine Humanities Council.

Event Date: 

Sat, 01/26/2019 - 11:00am to 3:30pm

Event Location: 

Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library

Address: 

4 Oak Street
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538-1811
United States

Contact Name: 

Joanna Breen

Contact Phone: 

(207) 633-3112

Contact Email: