How do writers bring vivid natural environments to life on the page? Join us for a free craft class and reading with writer Erin Cecilia Thomas, whose debut short story collection I Watched You from the Ocean Floor highlights various natural settings, from the rugged California coast to Tennessee farmland to the Finger Lakes.

In her one-hour craft talk, "Writing Natural Settings,” Erin will discuss various techniques used in her own writing as well as by writers who have inspired her to use more nature-based settings. Participants will have the chance to experiment writing their own scene based in nature through a short writing prompt. Attendees will leave with practical techniques to strengthen their natural setting work.

Following the class, Erin will read from I Watched You from the Ocean Floor and discuss the writing process with fellow writer Melissa Jean. You are welcome to come to just the class, just the reading, or both! This event is free to attend, but if you’re able, please consider making a donation of $10–$30 to help us sustain these valuable programs at The Porch.

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Erin Cecilia Thomas is from upstate New York and currently lives in Nashville. She graduated from Berklee College of Music and received her MFA in fiction from Lesley University. Her work has appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review, Arts & Letters, and Redivider Journal, among others, and in 2021, she was the recipient of the Beacon Street Prize in Fiction. I Watched You From The Ocean Floor is her debut book.

Melissa Jean is a professor of environmental studies. She received an MFA in Fiction Writing from Lesley University, and a PhD in Human Dimensions of Ecosystem Science and Management from Utah State University. Her writing has appeared in The Colorado Review and the anthology Reckoning: Tennessee Writers on 2020, as well as a variety of online journals, including most recently Roi Faineant, Backchannels, The Hopper, Dream Geographies, Waxingand Waning, and Causeway Lit. Melissa is also a Forest Therapy Guide, certified through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.

You are welcome to come to just the class, just the reading, or both! This event is free to attend, but if you’re able, please consider making a donation of $10–$30 to help us sustain these valuable programs at The Porch.