Hike & Write at Hacklebarney State Park
by DIG-IT
A Nature Writing Workshop with Mary Jasch
Enjoy outdoor writing at Hacklebarney State Park on Saturday, April 26, from 10am to 1pm with Mary Jasch, publisher/editor of DIG IT! Magazine and writer/author of Best Hikes with Dogs – New Jersey. Fine tune your writing, observation and self-reflection skills while enjoying a walk in Nature.
This easy-to-moderate walk in the woods encapsulates New Jersey’s glacial terrain in a 3-mile loop: boulder fields, clean trout streams, a ravine, waterfalls and wild flowers. There are perfectly-placed benches so we can sit, observe and write "en plein air," the way of natural historians such as Thoreau and Muir. Participants may also wish to take photos to document their writing and use as reference.
Designed for writers of all genres and levels, this workshop will take you through a step-by-step process of observing and describing a distinct habitat and its flora, fauna and terrain through a focused use of the senses. Participants will leave with a nature essay ready for publication and lifetime skills of nature writing, honed observation skills, ability to use a scientific key and an appreciation of New Jersey’s trails. No experience necessary, just wide-eyed curiosity.
This program combines nature exploration with creative arts. The 4.5-hour workshop includes 3-hour workshop outdoors, homework, personal attention and suggestionss and a 1.5-hour follow-up group review. Class size is limited to 15. For ages 18 and up. Advance registration and payment required.
DATE: Sunday, April 26, 10:00am-1:00pm. Light Rain or Shine. Review TBD
COST: $35/person
REGISTER HERE.
Mary's freelance articles on nature and gardens have appeared in The New York Times, Backpacker Magazine and other national and regional publications in addition to DIG IT! Magazine. Her hiking experience throughout New Jersey’s complex landscape has led to an expertise and appreciation of its natural and cultural history that she enjoys sharing. A BS in Natural Resources Management, Applied Ecology enhances the experience.
"I went to the woods to feed my soul, to gain back energy drained by a fast paced life. I found what I was looking for at Hacklebarney State Park, tucked away between Chester and Long Valley. It was a massage for the senses, elixir for the mind, balm for the body. Hacklebarney offers the sighs of tall trees on a hot summer day, beams of sunlight straight off a prayer card, and melodies of birds for my ears only. Life is cooler in the woods, too, under the shade of the forest."
-- An excerpt from Walkin' the Dog by Mary Jasch about the virtues of Hacklebarney State Park on Skylands Visitor Magazine.
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