Happy Honeybee Day! Let’s Write about Nature!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

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

Enjoy Your Spring Writing “To-Do” List!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Writers, I hope that you’re as inspired by spring as I am! For April, I was honored to write the newsletter introduction for the acclaimed Women on Writing community. I’m reprinting it here below with a link to the complete edition at the end.

While we never had more than snow flurries where I live, it’s been a long winter—wet, gray, and cold. So last week when I brushed away the dead leaves from my hydrangeas, I was thrilled to see new shoots emerging from the roots.

And since we’ve had a warm spring so far, my strawberry plants and roses have also sprouted new leaves. Hallelujah! It made me wonder—what writing inspiration longs to spring up from my dormant imagination?

With my knees in the dirt, prepping flower, berry, and vegetable beds for another busy year of gardening, I couldn’t help observing even more parallels to writing. Just for you, I’ve compiled a special list of chores to stimulate your own writing “buds” for a productive literary “spring” of your own. But no worries, very little physical labor is required. These are fun chores.

Rake. Clear away the winter detritus and make way for sunshine! If your desk is covered by a blanket of odds and ends—old sticky notes, tattered magazine clippings and unopened junk mail—it’s time to rake them to the recycle bin. Or maybe the files on your laptop need a little organization—consolidation, deletion, or migration to a thumb drive. Whether it’s your physical or virtual space, leave plenty of room for fresh new files to sprout and grow.

Sow. Now the real fun begins! You’ve cleaned your literary “garden” and you’re ready to “sow” your own seeds of inspiration. Look out the window and observe the natural world. Or better yet, stroll outside. Take a few moments to describe the swelling leaf buds of the trees. Sniff the nascent flowers of fruit blossoms such as peach or plum. Observe the acrobatic feats of the squirrels. Record these impressions as you make them and be sure to note any themes that come to mind—such as rebirth, recovery, new beginnings. Ask yourself how these ideas might influence your own writing—the motivations of yourself (nonfiction) or your characters (fiction).

Fertilize. I look forward to many new blooms this year from my favorite roses, both old and new, such as “Summer Romance,’ “Scepter’d Isle,” and “The Poet’s Wife.” But unless I deliver a healthy dose of food, such as aged cow manure and alfalfa, they’ll be late to flower and they may never truly flourish. The same goes for writers. Are you as healthy as you can be? I’ll admit to indulging in some major comfort food during the winter doldrums, but now it’s time to fortify myself with healthier fare. More greens, less sugar, and more fiber. And in order to energize myself for writing, I need to get more rest. Take some time to set (or recommit to) habits that strengthen your mind and body.

Water. For the first time, I’m planting perennials such as chives, verbena, and armeria. These tender plants will require regular watering to establish firm roots and truly thrive. Humans, like plants, require the most basic element of all to exist—good ole H20. Are you properly hydrated? Last year, I didn’t drink enough water and the brisk winds and sun exposure dehydrated me, leading to a nasty eye infection and the inability to write for two weeks. I’m not letting that happen again! It should go without saying, but since I’m the worst offender, I’ll say it again. While writing, whether you’re thirsty or not, do yourself a favor and keep a tumbler of water nearby and sip frequently.

Nurture. This year I’ve planted more roses than I should, but as you can probably tell, I’m more than a little obsessed with them. Tending these notoriously difficult bushes, which are subject to a host of diseases in the South, will be challenging, but I remind myself that nothing of value comes easy. In terms of writing, I must keep the commitments I make to myself, whether it’s to finish that poem, start that essay, or meet the deadline to write that blog entry! In other words, keep the faith. Believe in yourself. Don’t let the demands of the external world interfere with your writing.

Share. Last year, I was blessed with so many strawberries that I frequently invited my friends over to pick all the fruit they wanted. Later, I divided the plants, potted them, and shared them with my fellow gardeners. Giving away the bounty of nature made me so happy. This act reminds me of the importance of submission. Nurture the world with your writing and send it out for others to savor. In a similar spirit, comment on the writing of others and encourage them in their work. Just like my strawberries, I promise that the rewards will only continue to multiply!

Repeat. Now that you’ve raked, sowed, fertilized, watered, nurtured and shared, it’s time to repeat all of the above! The first frost is months away, so make the most of the spring (and summer) to cultivate your own “literary” garden. I predict that you’ll enjoy “blooms” for not just months, but for many years to come.

For more writing advice, along with a “wheelbarrow” full of submission markets, check out the complete April 2024 WOW newsletter.

Nothing Ever Happens Around Here

Posted on by Ashley Harris

When I first moved from an urban area to the wilds of Randolph County, what I believed was the middle of nowhere, I admit to being a little concerned. Would I make new friends? What about my favorite chain restaurants, not to mention the malls? What about the silence? The scenery? What if the all the green fields just blended together into monotony? And most importantly, what would I write about? What if nothing ever happens around here?

Six years later, I can truly say that none of my worst fears came to pass. I’ve made plenty of friends, many of whom are farmers, and I’ve learned just what these fields can do. One of my friends even raises donkeys, and recently I held my first 5-day old donkey jack! I also keep in touch with cherished friends from far away as New York City through Zoom and other platforms.

Meet Baby Copper–just 5 days old and 25 pounds!

It is not quiet in the country. Oh no. The birdsong here is deafening, from the wood thrush to the pileated woodpecker soaring overhead with his eerie primeval cry. We’re close to the local airport, so there’s always a new whir circling overhead. A special thanks to Mom, who introduced us to the terrific flightradar24 app, so now we know that the Boeing overhead came from Atlanta and is on its way to Liege, Belgium! So much for being in the middle of nowhere. My pilot grandfather would definitely approve.

Meet Max, my new work-out routine!

Boredom remains the least of my worries. In fact, I was more bored in the city! We’ve had at least one fugitive in the woods, two rattlesnakes (this year alone), a stranded racoon, and just recently, a stray Siberian Husky pup came our way.

I don’t miss the malls at all, which is a good thing since the pandemic seriously altered the world of shopping. And nobody here cares about fashion anyway — it’s more about comfort! As for the fancy restaurants, I’d rather live three miles from from my beloved niece, who sends me a text such as “Hey, can I come over and make pumpkin cheesecake cookies with you?”

Cooking is just one of the things I’ve found to write about, and there’s been so many more, from sewing and building to gardening and butterflies. In fact, if there were any more going on around here, I wouldn’t have time to sleep!

For the next few months, I’ll be concentrating on my memoir, a project that I hope will blend together many of my experiences through the years. So for this reason, I hope it slows down here just a little bit.

Poem #9 – Wild blackberries, friend or foe?

Posted on by Ashley Harris

blackberrySpringtime along Whale Tail Road in southwestern Randolph County brings abundant joys but I’m on the fence when it comes to the plethora of wild blackberries. They have more “volunteers” than any other plant and seem to pop up in the most unlikely places–even in the gravel!

So today’s poem addresses the mixed blessing of wild blackberries. Want to read it? Scroll down in the alphabetical list for Day #9 to read “Pulling up the Wild Blackberry Bushes.”

If you love poetry, I hope you’ll consider supporting a poet this month.  Please do read my work (and those of the other poets) if you can, and consider supporting me with a small donation. Supportive comments on this blog are also very welcome because they inspire me to keep going!

Many, many thanks to all of you have contributed to the cause so far — either through a monetary donation or moral support, which are equally valuable.

Please know that your contributions are going to a great cause. Tupelo Press is a prestigious non-profit press, and for 17 years their mission has been to publish new voices. They are giving my work some exposure, and bringing me into a community of over 350 alumni helping each other publish our work.

Dig Deeper

Posted on by Ashley Harris

I recently read a profile of writer Pat Conroy and his wife, Cassandra King, also a novelist. I can’t remember his exact words, but in the article, Pat stresses the importance of “digging deeper” when he reaches an impasse in his writing. The answer is there, but he must dig deeper within himself to find it.

As an itinerant gardener, I found this advice to be very useful. My efforts are mostly confined to container gardening—quick payoff for minimal effort—but I’ve always admired the true gardeners, those who know what they’re doing. They’re willing to invest the time to make sure the soil is properly prepared. They, too, “dig deeply” to tender the loving care necessary to yield maximum blooms.

It’s the same way with writing. When I’m struggling, I can drift off the page for “research” but the truth is that most solutions are within my reach if I think carefully enough. Curiously, some of the best solutions happen when I’m not writing. They happen when I’m gardening, cooking, or walking the dog. Or, they can also arise during time spent with other writers.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a workshop hosted by the Burlington Writer’s Club in Graham. Young adult writer Maureen Wartski, novelist and teacher, led a group of us on revision. From description to flashback, we spent time on the little tricks that writers use to propel their stories. At the end, she encouraged us all to created detailed outlines—much in the way that a gardener might create a landscape blueprint—to help guide our stories. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much writers and gardeners have in common. Gotta go…it’s time to prune my bushes!