Wild and Fire: Illustrating Poetry about our Dynamic Landscapes
Event Details
- When
- Sep 05, 2026 from 09:30 AM to 05:30 PM
- Where
- Instructor
- Sarah Gilman
- Class Tuition
- Minimum Age
- Add it to your calendar
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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 —the range offers a powerful setting for reflection.
Join acclaimed Methow Valley writer and artist Sarah Gilman on September 5 for a unique field excursion exploring environmental change through poetry and illustration.
After learning the basics of illustrated poetry at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, we’ll visit the edges of the 2015 Goodell Fire and the 2023 Sourdough Fire to witness how forests recover over time.
Together, we’ll sketch, photograph, observe, and write—gathering inspiration from landscapes that tell stories of loss, resilience, and renewal.
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.
No advanced art or writing experience is required—just curiosity and a willingness to see the landscape in a new way.
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.
For those seeking overnight accommodations at the Environmental Learning Center, sign up for lodging and meals through Base Camp!
Scholarships and Student, Military and Disability discounts are available for most in-person programs. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Call (360) 854-2599 for more info!