Writers!
The third Saturday in August is designated as World Honeybee Day, which gives us the opportunity to recognize our favorite partners in gardening. Honeybees are critical to our ecosystem, and for gardeners, they help us by not only pollinating our favorite flowers, they also pollinate one-third of the world’s food supply, such as apples, blueberries, and almonds, to name just a few. And sweetest of all, they give us honey!
If you’d like to explore ways to write about our tiny winged partners and nature in general, you might be interested in joining us at Women on Writing for Let’s Get Dirty! Writing From the Garden – Live Zoom Class with Ashley Harris on Friday, August 21, from 2 – 4 p.m.
WEBINAR DATE: Friday, August 21, 2026
WEBINAR TIME: 2pm – 4pm ET
DURATION: 2 Hours
LOCATION: Live webinar via Zoom
FEEDBACK: The last 15 minutes of the lecture will be open to Q&A. Students can also send questions ahead of time, to be addressed during the lecture.
SPECIAL OPTION: Receive a personal critique from me of 3 double-spaced pages of your work within two weeks of the class for an extra fee. This includes at least one submission recommendation.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Merriam Webster defines the word “garden” as simply “a plot of ground used to grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers.” But to writers such as Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth, Mary Oliver, and Jane Kenyon, just to name a few, gardens offered so much more—inspiration, reflection, and serenity. Whether you’re someone who enjoys just visiting gardens or you’re someone who insists on plunging your own fingers into the dirt, this workshop is for you. In our time together, we’ll “dig” into the many ways that gardens and nature can elevate both poetry and prose through the senses and special themes.
This live Zoom webinar starts and ends on Friday, August 21, 2026.
Time: 11 AM – 1 PM PT | 12-2 PM MT | 1-3 PM CT | 2-4 PM ET
The webinar can be viewed on a tablet, phone, or computer (both Mac and PC).
As always, I’ll record the class and have it available for anyone who would prefer to view the class at a on their own schedule.
CLASS AT A GLANCE:
Live Webinar: Let’s Get Dirty! Writing from the Garden
Duration: 120 minutes
For two hours, I’m taking my gloves off! I’ll share excerpts from work featuring gardens that will inspire you immediately. I’ll cover the many ways that gardens can elevate our writing, from senses to symbolism, along with writing prompts to generate your own pieces, and I’ll also offer tips on how to incorporate your gardening experiences, whether they’re magical (like those volunteer cherry tomatoes) or miserable (try growing lilacs in the humid south!) into poetry and prose. For an extra fee, I’ll critique your work and you’ll receive a targeted submission recommendation within two weeks of the class.
Topics include:
- Excerpts from published garden pieces through the ages to inspire you
- Discussion of themes drawn from gardens in history and folklore
- How visiting or working in gardens can inspire a theme for all types of writing
- Three prompts to generate poetry and prose on your own
- A discussion of ways to let nature help conclude your work
- Overview of outlets to publish your work
- Recommended books featuring garden writing to continue to inspire you
- Q & A
Materials Needed: A pen or pencil, a writing pad, and your imagination
Read what some of my students have said about recent workshops:
Thank you for the wonderful workshop (Writing is for the Birds). I am still on Cloud 9. You are the best teacher, best poet, best role model I know. I am eternally grateful for you and all that you do. Thank you for your teachings, your feedback and suggestions, your giving soul. You give me confidence in my voice. Thank you. – Mary Alice Dixon, author of Snakeberry Mamas: Words from the Wild (Writing is for the Birds)
Writing is for the Birds was fabulous! I loved hearing everyone’s work. So inspiring! I am also interested in any future classes – Lisa Sukenic
Ashley, you and all the attendees are inspiring. Your class (Writing is for the Birds) yesterday was such a pleasure! I was very impressed with your approach to commenting on the work attendees shared. You not only encouraged them but also highlighted specific details of what they did well. Thank you! I love your idea of letting birds help set a scene in place, time, season, and mood. And I’m hoping to add more birds to present and future writing projects. I’m also looking forward to your class on writing about fur-babies! With much appreciation, Rosemary Poole-Carter
I really enjoyed the presentation (Writing is for the Birds)! Your enthusiasm for birds is contagious and makes me want to try my hand at including birds in my own writing. Also loved the idea of your Pet Project course coming up and will keep an eye out for that. Thanks again and best wishes to you! –Julie Flanders
Great presentation! Lots of food for thought and future writing. Writing is for the Birds was just the right amount of each element…the examples, the writing to prompts, the resources, etc. Thank you for doing this! – Betty McCreary
Ashley, Writing is for the Birds was an absolute JOY AND DELIGHT! The presentation, the participants, the prompts, the poems, the pacing…I loved every minute! – Michelle Seitzer
TO REGISTER:
I hope you’ll join us on Friday! To register, go to Let’s Get Dirty! Writing From the Garden – Live Zoom Class with Ashley Harris and scroll down to the end of the page.
Until then, I hope you’re enjoying the summer and all the gifts this season has to offer, especially our dear honeybees! They’re a great source of inspiration for any writer. In the words of zoologist Karl Von Frisch: “The bee’s life is like a magic well: the more you draw from it, the more it fills with water.”
Ashley
Ashley Harris 