Rewilding the Pen: Immersive Techniques for Nature Writing with Josh Wagner

Course Summary

This course invites writers to move beyond viewing the natural world as mere scenery, repositioning it as a vital method and creative collaborator. Drawing on four years of doctoral research into forest-based arts practices and grieving, we will explore techniques for writing about, as, through, and in collaboration with nature. Through a blend of philosophical inquiry and practical prompts, participants will examine modern ecological alienation/disenchantment, and learn to re-wild their prose and poetry, fostering a craft that is deeply situated in the living world.

Course Outline

• Week 1: Re-enchanting the World. We begin by examining modernity and our perceived alienation from the environment. We ask: “Where/what is nature?” and explore the concept of (re)wilding both our lives and our creative process.
• Week 2: The Inner Landscape. Focusing on the intersection of nature, society, and emotion, participants will practice “observing nature to observe the self” in ways that engage the environment as a mirror for the human condition.
• Week 3: Ecopoetics in Crisis. An exploration of site-situated writing. We will discuss how to write authentically about a world in crisis without losing the aesthetic beauty of the craft.
• Week 4: Writing About Writing As. Moving from “observation” to “immersion”, we explore the shift from traditional nature writing (aesthetic inspiration) to “making kin” by attempting to incorporate non-human perspectives in our work.
• Week 5: Nature as Collaborator. This session introduces experimental techniques for writing with We will look at how external environmental factors—weather, decay, and chance encounters—can dictate the form and content of our work.
• Week 6: Integration and Portfolio. A final review of student work. Participants will share pieces generated from the course prompts and discuss how to sustain a place-based practice in their future projects.

Work Production: Participants will be expected to engage in weekly short-form writing exercises (approx. 300–500 words) and one final “place-based” piece for peer feedback in the final session.

Course Outcomes

Participants will emerge with a renewed relationship with the environment and an emerging “toolkit” of ecopoetic techniques to deepen their descriptive, narrative, and thematic power. By the end of the course, writers will have:

• A portfolio of new work generated from site-specific prompts.
• The ability to move beyond “setting” to treat nature as a character or collaborator.
• A deeper understanding of how to address ecological themes with nuance, ecological ethics, and artistic integrity.

For over 25 years, Josh Wagner has written, produced, and published award-winning work across fiction, poetry, theatre, and experimental media. Following his emigration to Ireland in 2021, his PhD research at University College Cork focused on intersections between creative practice and the natural world, specifically forest-based grief processes. His multidisciplinary background allows him to guide writers through the technical and philosophical boundaries of nature-infused storytelling.

Booked out? To be added to the waiting list for this course, please email bookings@irishwriterscentre.ie.