Arboreality: Writing about trees

We evolved in trees and we still rely on them. They wall our homes and provide oxygen, food, shade and anxiety-reducing beauty. We also have held up trees as one of our abiding metaphors and symbols. In the Northwest, we are especially tree-conscious. We are now in a golden age of tree literature, with more arboreal books being written, and with greater style and science than ever before. In this workshop we will explore masterful writing about trees, in every genre, and write about our own personal and local canopies, making forays into the forest of Cascade Head.

Nick Neely is the author of Coast Range, a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal for natural history writing and Alta California, a Los Angeles Times bestseller. He teaches at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande and in EOU’s low-residency MFA program with a concentration in Wilderness, Ecology and Community.

• Laptop if preferred or pencil and notebook.

• Students will be provided with a curated packet of tree literature excerpts before class for their perusal.