A six-week online class devoted to writing about birds.

Writing about birds is compelling for a bunch of reasons. Birds are all around us — we don’t have to look far to find one that has a story to tell. They are potent indicators of what's happening to the planet. They are symbols of freedom, fragility, courage, endurance, hope, and spirit. They can teach us about ourselves and how we navigate the world. And writing and thinking about birds amidst the current political circumstances may be a salve and an opportunity to stay connected to the things that really matter to us. 

As part of the class we’ll read and discuss exemplary writing about birds, work in small groups, take turns reading aloud from our own writing, work with prompts, and give each other feedback and encouragement that will make us stronger, more confident writers. If you want to, we’ll talk about getting our work published. We'll also have a few guests drop in to talk about writing, birds, or both. 

And of course we'll inevitably talk a lot about birds. Although I’ve taught this class a dozen times or so, I’ve never taught it during spring migration, and that will be very fun. 

Although this class focuses on writing about birds, anyone whose writing is devoted to other dimensions of the natural world — elephant seals, marine invertebrates of the Devonian Period, flowers, or just nature in general — is welcome. It’s all in the game of becoming better at writing about nature. 

The size of the class is limited to 16; participants will be admitted on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

To register, please email me at chip@chipblake.com

Dates: Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on April 24 and running until May 29, 2025

Cost: $275