Delve into the rich and evocative world of poetry and place in An Introduction to Nature Poetry & Ecopoetics.  Through a blend of lectures, guided readings, and discussions, you’ll explore how poets have historically and contemporarily captured the natural world in poetic form. At the same time, you will learn to how to harness the power of poetry to express your own thoughts, feelings, and relationship with nature in verse.

Led by Kathryn Aalto and her guest speakers, this nature poetry course teaches students how to appreciate, analyse, and interpret poetry rooted in the natural world, both contemporary and classic, to better understand the techniques and strategies used by poets to convey their thoughts and themes. The course will help stimulate your imagination and inspire you to see the world in new ways, offering glimpses into different times, places, and perspectives as you learn to craft your own verses and receive handwritten feedback on them.

At the same time, the course addresses ecopoetics. This is a newer branch of poetry that focuses on the relationship between language, the environment, and the human experience within the natural world. It explores the ways in which poetry can reflect, engage with, and even challenge our understanding of ecological issues, such as climate change, biodiversity, and the human impact on the environment. Ecopoetics often emphasizes a deep connection to place, a sensitivity to the natural world, and a commitment to sustainability and environmental ethics. Through innovative language and form, ecopoetics seeks to inspire awareness, evoke emotional responses, and encourage a rethinking of humanity’s role in the ecological landscape.

From The Poetry Foundation, we learn that:

Ecopoetics places emphasis on drawing connections between human activity—specifically the writing of poems—and the environment that produces it. It arose out of the increasing awareness of ecology and concerns over environmental disaster in the late twentieth century.

 

As a multidisciplinary approach that includes thinking and writing on poetics, science, and theory as well as particular attention to innovative approaches common to conceptual poetry, ecopoetics is related but not the same as nature poetry. In his essay “The Future of the Past: The Carboniferous & Ecopoetics,” published in Redstart: An Ecological Poetics (University of Iowa Press, 2012), Forrest Gander distinguishes ecopoetics from nature poetry:

 

There are, of course, long traditions of the pastoral, poetry centered on nature or landscape, in both Eastern and Western literature. I myself am less interested in “nature poetry”—where nature features as theme—than in poetry, sometimes called ecopoetry, that investigates—both thematically and formally—the relationship between nature and culture, language and perception.

Whether you are an aspiring nature or ecopoet, a nature lover, or simply curious about the intersection of literature and the environment, this course will inspire and challenge you to see the world in new and meaningful ways and encourage a new appreciate of this dimension of nature writing and narrative nonfiction.

Benefits for Writers

For writers of all genres, studying poetry and ecopoetics can have significant benefits:

• Enhance language precision, teaching writers to carefully choose words and leading to more vivid and impactful writing.
• Convey deep emotions in a condensed form, helping writers tap into their own emotions and express them more powerfully in their work
• Improve writers’ ability to incorporate metaphor, symbolism, and imagery into their work, enriching the texture and meaning of their prose
• Inspire and motivate, as it often tackles universal themes such as love, loss, nature, and identity

Learning Outcomes

• Gain a deep understanding of the history and evolution of nature poetry and learn how nature has inspired poets across different eras and cultures.
• Explore ecopoetics and how this form of poetry engages with environmental concerns and ecological awareness, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.
• Learn techniques for writing your own nature poetry, drawing inspiration from the natural world around you: experiment with form, metaphor, and imagery to create powerful, evocative poems that resonate with ecological themes.
• Discuss and analyse a range of nature poems, understanding the varied approaches poets take to engage with the environment.

Reading List

• Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay.  A collection of joyful, vibrant poems that celebrate the beauty of the natural world, providing a contemporary example of how poetry can express gratitude and wonder.
• The Ecopoetry Anthology with an Introduction by Robert Haas. A diverse collection of ecopoems that explores the intersection of poetry and ecology, offering a wide range of perspectives on the environment and human interaction with it.
• A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver. A practical guide to the craft of poetry, offering insights into meter, sound, imagery, and form, with a focus on how these elements can enhance your nature poetry.
• Individual poems provided by Tarn MacArthur and Polly Atkin

Guest Speakers

ROSS GAY is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award.

He visits our class October 21 to discuss Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude.

“Ross Gay is a fresh voice in American poetry. His poems are fast-paced, carefully crafted with great attention to detail of those he writes about and the images that surround him. His poetry consists of beautiful metaphors and startling images.”

—Fox Chase Review

In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays—The Book of Delights was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller; Inciting Joy was released in 2022, and his newest collection, The Book of (More) Delights was released in September of 2023.

Winner, 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award
Winner, 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award
Finalist, 2015 NAACP Image Awards
Finalist, 2015 National Book Award

Listen to Ross with Krista Tippet’s On Being podcast here.

TARN MACARTHUR is a Canadian poet whose work has appeared in The New Republic, The New Statesman, The Poetry Review, and Poetry London. He teaches at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland where he was previously a George Buchanan Scholar researching eco-philosophy and ecopoetry. He is the recipient of grants from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fund, and was the Walter and Nancy Kidd Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Oregon. He is an editor on the academic journal, Green Letters, and book reviewer for the Los Angeles Review of Books and Poetry London.

POLLY ATKIN is an English poet and nonfiction writer. She has published three poetry pamphlets and two collections: Basic Nest Architecture and Much With Body, a PBS Winter 2021 recommendation and Laurel Prize 2022 longlistee. Her nonfiction includes Recovering Dorothy: The Hidden Life of Dorothy Wordsworth, a Barbellion-longlisted biography of Dorothy’s later life and illness, and a memoir exploring place, belonging and disability, Some Of Us Just Fall: On Nature and Not Getting Better, Hunter Davies Lakeland Book of the Year 2024, and longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing 2024. Forthcoming in November 2024 is her love song to the owls of Lakeland, The Company of Owls. She works as a freelancer from her home in the English Lake District. In 2023 she and her partner took ownership of historic Grasmere bookshop Sam Read Bookseller. Learn more here.

An Introduction to Nature Poetry & Ecopoetics runs bi-weekly from September to December, featuring a combination of lectures, discussions, and writing workshops. The time between classes allows students to thoughtfully read, reflect, and write, between family and work responsibilities, and progressively building a collection of poems that reflects their unique voices.

• 7:00 to 9:00 PM BST/GMT
• Eight classes meeting every other Monday
• Sep 23, Oct 7/21, Nov 4/18, Dec 2/16 + January reading of best work (TBD)
• Live online via Zoom

• £325 
• Questions? Book a free 15-minute one-on-one conversation.
• Contact kathryn@kathrynaalto.com to stagger tuition payments. 
• Space is limited to 16 students. Early registration is encouraged.

1. Q: Are Kathryn Aalto’s creative writing courses suitable for beginners?
A: Yes, all levels of writers can study with Kathryn. She has created a supportive environment where beginners can develop their skills while more experienced writers can refine their craft and explore new narrative techniques.

• LEVEL 1: Beginning courses for those new to narrative nonfiction who need to gain a foundational understanding.
• LEVELS  2-3: Intermediate courses that require Level 1 course, a similar foundational course in narrative nonfiction, or by application with a writing sample.
• LEVELS 3-4: Intermediate to advanced courses that build upon previous experience (finesse voice, structure, dilation, telescoping, dialogue, and other topics.

2. Q: What kind of feedback can I expect in Kathryn Aalto’s courses?
A: Kathryn provides detailed, personalized, and constructive feedback that focuses on improving technical writing skills while enhancing the emotional and thematic resonance of your work. Students receive handwritten feedback on all their writing via Kathryn’s reMarkable device. From the small (language, sentence, syntax) to the large (structure, theme, voice), suggestions are provided and guidance is given to help students learn and improve. People feel supported, encouraged, and challenged to grow and explore.

3. Q: What types of assignments or exercises are typical?
A: Kathryn’s courses include in-class reflective writing exercises and at-home writing between 2-4 pages for Level 1 and 4-10 pages for Levels 2-4. Students write in response to broad topics and as they progress, they are encouraged to write into their own areas of interest. There is a combination of variety and independence

4. Q: If I take one course, can I expect to be a published writer?
A: Taking a single writing course can be a valuable step toward becoming a published writer, but it’s important to manage expectations. A writing course and individual mentoring can certainly help you develop essential skills, refine your voice, and provide you with the tools needed to craft compelling narratives. However, becoming a published writer requires ongoing practice, persistence, and a willingness to revise and improve your work over time, independently and with others.

Publication is a process that involves more than just learning the craft—which can take years of writing, reading, collaborating, and more to arrive at having a signature writing style. It also includes understanding the publishing industry, submitting your work to the right places, and facing rejection before finding success. That said, many writers have taken significant strides toward publication by starting with a Level 1 course, which can serve as a strong foundation. Most students take between 2-4 courses with Kathryn in what can be likened to an MFA program laser-focused on narrative nonfiction. Ultimately, while Kathryn can’t guarantee that taking one course will lead directly to publication, she can assure you that it will equip you with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to pursue your writing goals more effectively.

Narrative nonfiction is an art. While many people have had amazing life experiences and want to tell those stories, learning how to translate those experiences in art takes time to develop. Some people do indeed have innate talent and artistic sensibilities to tell stories; often it comes from years of reading and understanding narrative arc.  Most of Kathryn’s published or award-winning writers have taken multiple courses, participated in workshops, and have spent years honing their craft. In the same way that you can’t expect to perform at Carnegie Hall after a semester of piano lessons, the same applies to the art of narrative nonfiction.

4. Q: Who are my classmates?

A: One of the most exciting developments in education is the way live, long-distance learning has evolved the idea of learning from a local to international learning space. Students from all over the world study with Kathryn including people living in every state in the USA, Canada, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Estonia, Pakistan, India, Kenya, Uganda, Mexico, Ecuador and more.

5. Q: Can I pay my tuition in instalments?
A: Yes, invoices can be billed over 2-4 months. Contact gardens@kathrynaalto.com to suggest arrangements that work best for you.

Kathryn Aalto fosters a warm, inclusive, and inspiring community in her online writing courses, where participants from diverse backgrounds come together to explore their creativity. Her courses are designed to encourage collaboration, thoughtful dialogue, and mutual support, cultivating a space where students feel safe to express themselves and share their work.

Her teaching style emphasises empathy and attentiveness, helping students build confidence in their writing while honouring their unique voices. Through guided discussions, personalised feedback, and opportunities for peer interaction, she cultivates a sense of belonging and shared purpose. The community Kathryn creates is one of encouragement, growth, and a shared passion for the written word, where each participant is both a learner and a contributor to the collective experience.

Learn more here.

“My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that education is a collaborative and transformative journey, one that empowers students to explore their creative potential, embrace their unique voices, and engage deeply with the world around them. I am committed to creating a learning environment that is inclusive, supportive, and intellectually stimulating, where students feel encouraged to take risks, ask questions, and challenge themselves.” — Kathryn Aalto

Philosophy

1. Fostering Creative Exploration

I believe that creativity flourishes when students are given the freedom to explore ideas, experiment with language, and push the boundaries of conventional thinking. My role as an educator is to provide the tools, guidance, and encouragement that allow students to embark on this journey of exploration. I strive to create lectures, discussions, and assignments that inspire curiosity and invite students to engage with material in ways that are personally meaningful and artistically daring.

2. Encouraging Critical Thinking and Reflection

I view literature and writing as powerful tools for understanding the human experience, and I encourage my students to engage critically with texts and their own work. By fostering an environment of thoughtful discussion and reflection, I aim to help students develop their analytical skills, deepen their understanding of complex themes, and articulate their ideas with clarity and conviction. I emphasise the importance of considering diverse perspectives and encourage students to question assumptions and explore the ethical dimensions of their writing.

3. Building a Supportive Learning Community

I am deeply committed to cultivating a classroom environment where all students feel respected, valued, and heard. I believe that learning is most effective when it occurs in a community where individuals support and learn from one another. To this end, I prioritise creating a space where students can share their work, offer constructive feedback, and engage in meaningful dialogue. I also recognise the importance of addressing each student’s unique needs and learning styles, and I strive to be responsive and adaptable in my teaching approach.

Strongly influenced by the Harkness method founded at the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire where my three children graduated, I actively cultivate a learning space that emphasises the art of conversation with active listening, collaboration, and respect.

4. Empowering Student Voices

One of my primary goals as an educator is to empower emerging writers to find and refine their own voices. I encourage them to write with authenticity and confidence, whether they are crafting a new personal narrative as a long-time academic or exploring creative nonfiction from another genre. I believe that every student has a story worth telling, and I aim to help them discover the best ways to tell it. This involves not only developing their technical skills but also helping them overcome any inhibitions or self-doubt that may hinder their creative expression.

5. Lifelong Learning and Growth

I view teaching as a reciprocal process of learning and growth. Just as I seek to inspire my students, I am continually inspired by their insights, creativity, and courage. I am committed to my own professional development as a member of ASLE (Association for the Study of Literature and Environment) and AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs), which helps me stay engaged with current trends and debates in literature, writing, and pedagogy. By modelling a passion for learning and a commitment to intellectual curiosity, I hope to instil in my students a lifelong love of learning and a desire to continue honing their craft long after they leave my classroom.

Results

My teaching philosophy is centered on the idea that education is a dynamic and collaborative process. By fostering creativity, critical thinking, and community, I aim to empower my students to become confident, thoughtful, and innovative writers who are prepared to differently engage with the world in reflective and meaningful ways.

After acquiring key skills in narrative nonfiction, I encourage people to apply for awards, submit to publications, and continue keeping personal writing journals. My pro-active stance helps emerging writers find validation of their insights and writing skills outside our nurturing communities.

My students have won numerous awards including the 2022 £10,000 Nature Chronicles Prize with two long-listed for the same 2024 prize. A student won the 2022 Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year and many have been short-listed for literary awards including the Fish Memoir Prize. My students have been published by general and university presses, book trusts, popular magazines, and literary journals.

However, publication and awards are only one measure of success. Learning to embrace the writing process as just one part of leading a contemplative life cannot be measured nor externally validated. There is different and great fulfilment in both.

Kathryn teaches with a deep care about the individual student and is very clever about bringing out their voices and passions. She also has an unparalleled knowledge of nature and landscape writing that gives a real gravitas and authority on the subject, a knowledge that she wears lightly without intimidating students, which is a huge strength.” — James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd’s Life and English Pastoral 

“Kathryn Aalto is a world-class teacher. I had 30 years’ experience as a journalist and copywriter, but I was a novice in narrative non fiction. Kathryn taught me how to write, guiding me on a journey of discovery, revealing the secrets of sensory writing, bringing filmic vividness to my descriptions of the world around me and uncovering the inner landscapes of the mind. I will be forever grateful for her inspirational teaching and the support of the remarkable writing communities she curates, from whom I have received invaluable encouragement and among whom I have made enduring friendships.” — Gary F., Rutland, England

“Kathryn is an inspiring writer and gifted teacher of narrative non-fiction. She creates a warm and inviting atmosphere in the virtual classroom, even as she encourages writers to pursue their craft with rigour and tenacity. The classes pivot from instructor-led teaching to student-centred learning, with a dynamic range of activities, including lectures, discussions of craft/technique in assigned readings, writing prompts, workshops, Q&A sessions with published authors, industry insights and more. Aspiring writers receive detailed and actionable feedback, whether to build on existing skills or experiment with fresh approaches to craft. Beyond the classroom, Katy is happy to answer any questions, suggest further readings and encourage writers to publish.” — Wendy, Maidenhead, England

“After six months of working with Kathryn–which is a bit like entering the space of a handwritten letter, what with her sharp aesthetic sense, far-ranging intelligence, wit, and curiosity–I’ve made tangible progress on an unwieldy, long-form project I was struggling to articulate. I came to her Memoir and Life Writing class for accountability, and came away having experienced the kind of support, writing insight, and real feeling of friendship that can be difficult to find in a workshop environment. Kathryn fostered a warm, charming atmosphere in class (a real feat online), allowing for life-long connections to develop among our group of writers. She cares about the arc of her student’s writing lives–a form of attention that encourages artistic growth and positive risk-taking. She not only brought her years of writing and publishing experience to class and to our bi-monthly writing assignments (her personal feedback, often handwritten, is invaluable), she also brought her unique perspective. Writer-gardener-historians are, I think, particularly adept at imagining the possibilities for a piece, no matter your subject. Kathryn pushed me to dig deeper, moving my writing in new directions. No matter where one is in their writing life, working with Kathryn will be an experience of profound joy, insight, and artistic deepening.“ — Veronica, Portland, Maine