Project Title: Writing in the Woods

 

Essential Question(s):

How does going out into nature and “getting off the grid” effect the creative process

Statement of Purpose

For my senior project, I will be reading my favorite nature writers and analyzing their work so that I can go out into nature myself and create my own. This writing talks about mental health, current issues with a poetic way of describing whats around me  

 

Overview: Describe your topic and project to the committee.

I would like to make a poetry book by the end of this. Something like Terry Tempest Williams, Thoreau’s and Edward Abby’s own writing. The focus is mainly on Terry Tempest Williams beacause her writing is not the normal poetry you usually see. It is poetry in the language she uses but in the actual form it is more like small essays. I would also include photos from these hikes and quotes from Terry Tempest William herself. Whenever I’m not hiking I will be reading Terry Tempest Williams, taking notes from her work, and  analyzing the things she writes. This also gives me the space to continue with any X-block, clubs and/or sports if they are available during the Spring.

I can do most of this from home. Obviously, I will have to travel to different places to do the hikes. But at any week where I’m not able to do that I can always walk to Central Park which is near my house and do place based writing there. The best part about place based writing is that you can be anywhere and do it.

 

How will you measure your success?

 

I hope to not only learn more about Terry Tempest Williams and her writing,  But also more about this kind of poetry, how my creative brain works through quarantine, and thinking deeper about current events happening around me.  I will have a completed poetry book by the end of this,  which will include my own writing, my analysis on Terry Tempest Williams writing, and quotes from conversations I’ve had about this.  The story of my project will show through my own writing and how am I creative process went.

Resource List 

I will be reading Erosion by Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest William, Walking by Thoreau, and Down the River by Edward Abby.

 

Daily Plan & Schedule

At least once a week going upstate for a hike or just walking over to central park and writing. Throughout the rest of the week, I will be reading Erosion by Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest William, Walking by Thoreau, and Down the River by Edward Abby. 

From April 7-14, I will be going to Utah with my family to hike, during that time I plan on writing every day. We are going to drive to different campsites through states beyond that. This time is really dedicated to writing and experiencing off the grid mindset and creativity. When I get back I hopefully will be done with some books and start analyzing them compared to my own work while still producing new essays as well. Throughout the rest of the trimester, I will still be reading, writing, and analyzing. I plan to meet with my old semester school English teacher once a week to discuss my essays, if she is not available I will meet with Candace (my mentor). I have no materials needed for this, just my hiking boots, journal, and a large number of sharpened pencils. At the end of the trimester, I’m going to type up my writing and a few essays that inspired me to create my own book of essays describing my mental state through nature as these authors did as well. 

 

Documentation Plan

 

I am going to try to simulate some of the places they’ve been to dive into their experience and their mindset. Terry Tempest Williams spent a lot of time in Utah hiking and off the grid. Thoreau spent a lot of his time just “walking:” with no set destination but more sauntering around and experiencing wherever his feet take him. Edward abbey describes this nature retreat during a big political time, and not knowing exactly what was going on. All in a poetry book of my own

 

Material Needs

Luckily the only materials I truly need are my book and pencil and space outside. There are many places like Central Park if I can’t go somewhere else like upstate or somewhere out of state that my family and I go to. 

 

Backup Plan

The only thing that would stop my project from working is not being able to travel. Luckily there is a lot of nature around New York City that may be man made but still give me the creative mindset to write