Place-Based Writing

Sometimes, writers just need a new place.

I’ve been learning a lot about place-based writing from my colleague and friend, Dr. Tracy Brosch. Tracy is a big proponent of place-based writing. As the director of the local chapter of the National Writing Project, Tracy hosts writing events for adults at places like the St. Louis Arch and the Missouri Botanical Garden. This year, she started a walking group for writers “as a pathway to revive creativity and refresh the imagination.” Here’s what the event website says about the rationale for place-based writing:

“Gateway Writing Project values the inclusion of spaces during the writing experience. Place-based writing invites writers to be influenced by an environment or location with the notion that places can impact our thinking, our perspectives, our engagement, our purpose, and even our ownership of the writing. The act of producing writing is a heavy cognitive load. Writers need time within the writing process to actually process their own thinking. Incorporating spaces into our experience provides writers the time to do so.  Place has an ongoing and lasting impact on the human experience, including how we see the world.  We work hard, let’s play hard!”

Tracy is also a member of our slicing community, and for the SOLSC this year, her goal is to write about a different place for all 31 days. You can read Tracy’s blog here.

After attending a few events, I wanted to share that love of place with my Author’s Club. I invited Tracy to join us one morning. She prepared a warm-up prompt and a lesson centered around place-based writing.

The warm-up prompt was brilliant: “Draw a map of a place you love.” Tracy passed out graph paper, and the kids began sketching maps of real and imaginary places. As they worked, we talked about how these maps could launch new pieces of writing.

Next, Tracy shared about a local writing contest she’s sponsoring in partnership with the Missouri Botanical Garden called “Write Outside Your Door.” We did just that! Tracy also brought a few treasures for the writers. Armed with clipboards, notebooks, pens, and even binoculars, we headed outside on an unseasonably warm February morning.

Students loved writing in and about nature. Our school garden has lots of bird feeders, so the birds provided plenty of inspiration. Other students wrote about interesting trees or leaves they found. The whole writing experience was a literal breath of fresh air.

That morning reminded me how powerful place can be for writers. Sometimes all we need is a small shift in environment to spark new ideas. A clipboard, a patch of grass, and permission to look closely can go a long way.

Interested in events like this for adult writers? Find your local writing project site here.