Photo by BJ Lecrone

Ten people participated in the September Writing in Nature workshop about cicadas and what they teach us. We began with a quick review of some of the health benefits of writing and spending time in nature. The timing of the workshop and cooling weather begged the question of what back-to school memories come to mind — that moment when we say goodbye to summer and nature and retreat to the classroom? Workshop leader Nancy Morgan read a Howard Nemerov poem on the topic to allow some reflection time, then each person in turn shared their recollection.

For our activity, we considered what attention getters  cicadas can be with their loud cacophony. When we strive to let our feelings or point of view be known, how could we gather collective voices to reach others?  And if we had that loud chorus, what message would we send?  We wandered out across the grounds to consult with cicadas and other natural teachers to compose our response.