Wild and Fire: Illustrating Poetry about our Dynamic Landscapes

When: Sep 05, 2026 from 09:30 AM to 05:30 PM
Where: Environmental Learning Center / Goodell and Sourdough Burn Scars
Instructor: Sarah Gilman
Activity Level: 3.0
Class Tuition: 160.00
Minimum Age: 12
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In a time of rapid environmental change, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by loss. Writing and art offer a way to process environmental grief while also exploring the resilience found in landscapes, the creatures that inhabit them, and in our own hearts and actions as we work to protect what we love.

With the North Cascades’ recent wildfires and intense rains—set against a deep-time history of glaciation and change—the range offers a powerful setting for reflection. Join Methow Valley–based writer and artist Sarah Gilman for a field course on crafting an illustrated poem in conversation with the land.

After a classroom introduction to the form, along with drawing and writing basics, participants will explore the edges of two burn scars—the 2015 Goodell Fire near Newhalem and the 2023 Sourdough Fire, accessible from the Learning Center's campus—to witness how recovery unfolds over time.

During these short walks, we’ll discuss each area’s natural history and renewal, and spend time gathering reference photos and sketches, as well as writing notes and impressions.

Back in the classroom, participants will begin shaping this material into a final illustrated piece, with Sarah available for guidance and support. You are also welcome to bring your own ideas or reference materials to expand your project beyond our field explorations, while staying connected to the course themes.

Images by artist and writer Sarah Gilman. See more of Sarah's comics poetry and illustrated essays about the environment, natural history, and how we find home in our bodies and in the world at sarahmgilman.substack.com.

Wild and Fire: Illustrating Poetry about our Dynamic Landscapes

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