Deepen your relationship with nature through the art of poetry! For thousands of years, poets have served as emissaries of nature to the human world, a tradition that is more essential than ever in our high-tech age. Because nature speaks softly, her voices are easily drowned out by human company. So after I share my research and some examples of what I call "Earth Poetry," we’ll split up to wander by ourselves, gathering observations and inspirations, or find a special spot to sit and write. Then we’ll re-converge to share our writing or just to talk. Don’t forget writing supplies, drinking water, shoes for hiking, and a blanket or camp chair for sitting (optional). All active or aspiring poets welcome. This workshop is a part of the series "Penned Under the Canopy". Stephen Wing discovered the wilderness in the summer after ninth grade, and suddenly the world made sense. A deep connection to wild nature has been his spiritual center ever since. He lives in Atlanta, where he hosts a quarterly “Earth Poetry” workshop exploring metro the city's many protected greenspaces and nature preserves. His fourth book, Wild Atlanta, combines poems from 23 of these locations with color photos by Luz Wright. His newest book is Washed in the Hurricane.