Writing for Biodiversity and Climate with Jane Robinson

Course Summary

In association with Dublin Book Festival and supported by Science Foundation Ireland as part of Science Week 2023

During this taster course, participants engage with brief samples of excellent poetry and prose, and then write their own short piece inspired by workshop prompts and writing games. The subject of climate change is so worrying that it is helpful for writers to have a toolkit of fun they can open in times of need.

Course Outline

In this two-hour taster class you will have the opportunity to read and discuss very brief snippets of classic prose texts (by Rachel Carson, Bill McKibben, and Robin Wall Kimmerer) and a couple of poems from the local cannon. Then, inspired by prompts, you’ll be invited to write on the spot. All Jane’s workshops are carefully designed to allow diverse writing to emerge. How we decide whether our new work is suited to end up as prose or poetry will be a topic for discussion.

Course Outcomes

Participants should feel fortified by focusing on craft. You can expect to go home with the first draft of a new and original piece of writing.

Jane Robinson lives in Dublin. Her recent poetry collection, ‘Island and Atoll’ (Salmon, 2023), ‘alternates enthralling visions of the natural world with poems that explore how the loss of our environment disorientates us at the level of sense and meaning’ wrote Jessica Traynor in the Irish Times. Jane’s first book, Journey to the Sleeping Whale (Salmon, 2018), received the Shine-Strong Award. She has also written scientific papers and essays. Other recognitions include the Strokestown International Poetry Prize.