Incantations and Invocations: Write Love Letters to the Natural World
A Writing Workshop by Sarah Kokernot
Wondering how you can connect more deeply to the natural world this spring? Plant ecology, herbalism, community, and writing all invite us to feel centered and happy in our bodies and minds because these practices help us relate to the earth itself – our larger body.
Workshop Overview
Anthropologist and author David Abram notices that often, “We talk to people; we do not speak to the ground underfoot. We've largely forgotten the incantatory and invocational use of speech as a way of bringing ourselves into deeper rapport with the beings around us, or of calling the living land into resonance with us."
We'll take a plant walk to observe and connect with the living world while it's in a cycle of renewal and growth. Back in the studio, we'll write love letters and to our most adored landscapes, plants, and beings as a way to create a deeper rapport with the more than human, natural world.
Class will include:
a short plant walk
writing exercises
sharing of work with community
writing feedback from participants and instructor
Participants will leave with a few new pages of writing and hopefully, a sense of springtime joy and resilience.
~ There are only 18 spots available per workshop ~
About Sarah
Sarah Kokernot is a fiction writer, essayist, and lover of the more-than-human world. Her work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The New York Times, Tricycle, EPOCH, Michigan Quarterly Review, Crazyhorse, West Branch, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, and other publications. She is currently finishing her first novel.
Originally from Kentucky, she lives outside of Chicago with her family. She works as a grant writer and instructor at StoryStudio, a nonprofit creative writing center.
Greenspell Studio Location, Details, & Arrival
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Greenspell Studio is located at N Oakley Blvd and W Fulton St. (333 N Oakley Blvd, Unit 101, Chicago, IL 60612)
5 minute walk from the corner of Western Ave and Grand Ave
10 minute walk from Damen Green Line Stop
6 minute walk from Western Metra Station
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There is plenty of free street parking available on Oakley. Please do not park in the building’s parking lot. This lot is reserved for building tenants only and your car may be towed if you choose to park in the lot.
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Please enter through the door by the loading dock in the parking lot, not through the front door. Ideally the door will be propped open, but the door is locked for any reason, ring the intercom for unit 101 to be buzzed in. Once you’re in, you’ll walk through the loading dock area and our studio is the first door on your left. I always try to provide as much signage as possible to direct you to our space :)
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There are several bathrooms in the common area just down the hall from our studio. These bathrooms are shared with other building tenants and are ADA accessible.
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Greenspell studio is located on the first floor and is wheelchair accessible. All surfaces are cleaned and sanitized before each workshop. We keep workshop size to a minimum to ensure enough space for each participant. Masks are available upon request.
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For the most up-to-date information regarding the workshop, please return to this webpage. You will also receive a workshop reminder prior to the date of the workshop/plant walk. Please add alex@greenspell.org to your contacts so emails related to the workshop/plant walk don't get sent to your spam folder.
