CWU Libraries presents NEA Big Read: Strangers Maybe Never Again: Writing Odes to Urban Wilds

This writing and walking workshop is inspired by Gay's poem "To the Fig Tree on 9th & Christian" in which a group of strangers passing by a woman cleaning up the ruined fruit of her overburdened fig find themselves united in a haphazard harvest of figs. Likewise, join us as a group of strangers to embark on a walking and writing workshop in downtown Ellensburg, guided by writer and poet Wendy Lee Spacek and a KEEN (Kittitas Environmental Education Network) naturalist, composing odes to oft-overlooked urban wild spaces while learning about local plants and habitats. Participants will receive a free custom notebook and pencil, a walking map illustrated by Heather Dappen, and a copy of Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. Location: This workshop will depart from the Ellensburg Public Library and will circle back in time for the Brass Band of Gratitude Celebration. No registration required. Maximum attendance: 25 The CWU Libraries has received a 2023 NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Big Read grant for its proposed community events and activities featuring Ross Gay's collection of poetry, A Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. Visit our online guide https://libguides.lib.cwu.edu/nea23 for information on the author, the collection, and on our planned events. For additional information contact Maureen Rust at mrust@cwu.edu, Student Engagement and Community Outreach librarian.