Rewilding Through Writing
Together, we’ll dig deep, run wild on the page and share.
Writing is a potent, accessible way to explore who we are. Through writing we can howl onto blank pages, deepen dialogue with our bodies, play with our imaginations, and build intimacy with the natural world. When we write regularly, beyond enclosures of self-doubt or social conditioning, we can see — even for a moment — into our vast interior landscapes and explore the wonder of our ‘inner wild.’
We begin each class with a grounding meditation and move into readings, writing prompts and discussion. You’ll be asked to write from where the energy is. Some writing may therapeutic, just for you, while other pieces may evolve into work you’d like to read and share with our community.
Stay engaged between classes with suggested practices, readings, supportive check-ins and writing exercises.
The creative process may ask us to wander in the woods, create personal space, and endure boredom or emotional discomfort before we break through. Thus, your ‘homework’ (in addition to carving out time and space to create) may include mindful walks in nature or a nearby park, interviewing a loved one, handwriting a letter, or starting a new movement practice. Suggested exercises are designed to inspire your writing, bring intention into each day, and to nourish your animal body. Your creative source.
Sessions meet live on Zoom
Contact us if you’d like to join and payment plan is needed.
Each cohort will share notes & practices via Google Doc for continuity & connection between gatherings.
YOUR GUIDE:
Vanessa Chakour
Author, naturalist, and former pro boxer, Vanessa Chakour fosters intimacy with inner and outer wilds through writing, herbalism, martial arts, and land stewardship. Drawing on her vast personal experiences over two decades, she designs courses and retreats, inspiring creative expression through writing and movement workshops, and fostering intimacy with nature through an understanding of the plants, fungi, and animals who share our ecosystems. Vanessa facilitated experiences in partnership with organizations like the Wolf Conservation Center and the Jaguar Rescue Center, and is a Project Coyote Ambassador. She is the author of Awakening Artemis, a memoir told through the lens of 24 medicinal plants, and Earthly Bodies: Embracing Animal Nature, which delves into the parallels between human struggles and the experiences of our wild neighbors, offering insights on self-discovery and coexistence. Vanessa’s writing and work have been featured in Orion, Terrain, The Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation, Psyche/Aeon Magazine, Yes! Magazine, Pyschology Today, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Ravenous Zine, and more. A USA Boxing certified coach, Vanessa lives in Western Massachusetts where she coaches boxing, facilitates writing and land stewardship groups, and is a devoted student of nature.
Rewilding Through Writing FAQs
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A women’s group offers a welcoming space to release freely onto the page. A writer’s sense of safety is crucial, and since personal material is often shared, it’s important that everyone feel free and uninhibited. Vanessa will have additional offerings for all soon.
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With the permission of everyone in the course we will record a class if you let us know that you will not be able to make a session. You can watch the course at your own pace and catch up for the next one.
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There are suggested practices and assignments between our time together. However, the assignments are what you make them and if life gets in the way that is always understood in the group. Each class shares a Google Doc with notes, suggested readings and prompts pertaining to the weekly or bi-weekly theme. It is also space to share writing or resources between classes and stay in touch with fellow writers.
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This is a nurturing environment for writers of all levels and stages in their careers.
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Vanessa offers one on one mentoring separate from the writing classes. If you’re interested in this option, you can learn more here.
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We want to make sure this is a space where everyone feels comfortable to listen and to share. We understand that writing about traumatic events is healing and important work but can also be triggering to listeners. At the start of the class we make sure that everyone understands if they are sharing, possibly triggering information to let the group know before sharing. It is important to note that this is a craft class so the feedback you recieve will be about your writing, not the events that happened.
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It is important that the Rewilding through Writing is accessible to all who want to join. If you are unable to pay in full upfront you can email Vanessa to set up a payment plan.