The Leopold House Environmental Writing Series Presents:
Meditational Writing and Medicinal Land-Based Healing
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WHEN: August 29th and 30th The workshop will take place from 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM on Saturday, August 29th. Students will have an opportunity to read their works at a public reading at the Leopold House on Sunday, August 30th from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. WHERE: The Historic Aldo Leopold House 135 14th St SW Albuquerque, NM 87104 COST: $198 PER PARTICIPANT Students are required to apply for the workshop. |
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP Together we will explore the innate stillness within the mind and body through various artistic modalities, medicinal meditation, and guided writing prompts. Attendees will be able to write in a safe space intended to provide connection with their workshop peers as led by instructor Jessica Helen Lopez, City of ABQ Poet Laureate, Emerita. The first part of the workshop will be hosted at the Aldo Leopold Historic House, the latter a short walk to the Bosque in which participants will engage in land-based learning and healing creative writing. This workshop is dedicated to fostering environmental and land-based stewardship, honoring our diverse cultural identities and creative perspectives. The writing workshop will take place over six hours on Saturday. Attendees will produce 1-2 complete writing pieces to be performed the following day at the Leopold House Backyard performance. |
JESSICA HELEN LOPEZ
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Jessica Helen Lopez is City of Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Emeritus and the host of arts-based PBS, ¡COLORES! She has also been a featured writer for 30 Poets in their 30’s by MUZZLE and named one of the “10 Up and Coming Lantinx Poets You Need to Know” by international digital publisher and agency, Remezcla. Lopez is a nationally recognized award-winning slam poet, and holds the title of 2012 and 2014 Women of the World City of ABQ Champion. Lopez has published three collections of poetry; Always Messing with Them Boys (West End Press, 2011), Cunt. Bomb. (Swimming with Elephants Publication, 2014), and The Language of Bleeding: Poems for the International Poetry Festival, Nicaragua (SWEP). A Pushcart Prize nominee, she is the founder of La Palabra – The Word is a Woman collective created for and by women and gender-identified women. Lopez is a Ted Talk speaker alumni and her talk is titled, Spoken Word Poetry that Tells HERstory.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How would you describe the core theme or takeaway for participants?
The land is medicine and it carries, cradles and continues to tell the stories of our ancestors. In a world of modern chaos and cacophony, together we will utilize the act of collective meditation to still the mind and then express our inner thoughts onto the page, through verse, memoir, prose and/or poetic expressions of the participant's choice. We will participate in writing exercises that promote mindfulness and spark creativity. We will also immerse ourselves by writing on the land with a short walk to the Bosque. Workshop participants will create 3 pieces of writing as guided by the facilitator and will also share their work in a supportive environment to gain constructive feedback. Additionally, participants will read/perform their original work in a community reading at the Leopold House as a celebration of community, art and as good stewards of the land.
What genres or forms will the workshop support?
Most genres, including prose, memoir, poetry, online-content, fiction and nonfiction.
What level of writing experience is the workshop best suited for?
All levels. Bring your enthusiasm, imagination and eagerness to write.
Are there any materials participants should bring?
Notebook, pen/pencil, water bottle, sunblock and bug spray. Remember to bring comfy walking shoes and a blanket or camping chair. Please bring snacks and a sack lunch. Full kitchen and refrigerator are on-site.
How is the class structured?
We will begin with a fun introductory icebreaker and guided meditation. The facilitator will conduct a mini-reading of their published work and then a short writing prompt. Participants will also engage in light stretches and other activities to stimulate the writing process. A multi-layered land-based healing and learning centered writing prompt is at the heart of this workshop. Together we will exercise best practices for peer sharing and healthy critique protocol. This class includes a short walk to the neighboring Bosque and meditative writing exercise. Together we will also prepare for our collective live reading at the Leopold House.
How do I sign up?
You are required to apply for this workshop. After you submit your application, you will receive an email informing you if you have been accepted into the workshop. If you do not receive this email within three days, contact [email protected]. If accepted, you will be emailed a payment link. Payment must be submitted through our payment submission portal or via check within three days of acceptance.
What is the refund policy?
Refunds will only be administered in cases of emergency (health, family, or natural disaster).
The land is medicine and it carries, cradles and continues to tell the stories of our ancestors. In a world of modern chaos and cacophony, together we will utilize the act of collective meditation to still the mind and then express our inner thoughts onto the page, through verse, memoir, prose and/or poetic expressions of the participant's choice. We will participate in writing exercises that promote mindfulness and spark creativity. We will also immerse ourselves by writing on the land with a short walk to the Bosque. Workshop participants will create 3 pieces of writing as guided by the facilitator and will also share their work in a supportive environment to gain constructive feedback. Additionally, participants will read/perform their original work in a community reading at the Leopold House as a celebration of community, art and as good stewards of the land.
What genres or forms will the workshop support?
Most genres, including prose, memoir, poetry, online-content, fiction and nonfiction.
What level of writing experience is the workshop best suited for?
All levels. Bring your enthusiasm, imagination and eagerness to write.
Are there any materials participants should bring?
Notebook, pen/pencil, water bottle, sunblock and bug spray. Remember to bring comfy walking shoes and a blanket or camping chair. Please bring snacks and a sack lunch. Full kitchen and refrigerator are on-site.
How is the class structured?
We will begin with a fun introductory icebreaker and guided meditation. The facilitator will conduct a mini-reading of their published work and then a short writing prompt. Participants will also engage in light stretches and other activities to stimulate the writing process. A multi-layered land-based healing and learning centered writing prompt is at the heart of this workshop. Together we will exercise best practices for peer sharing and healthy critique protocol. This class includes a short walk to the neighboring Bosque and meditative writing exercise. Together we will also prepare for our collective live reading at the Leopold House.
How do I sign up?
You are required to apply for this workshop. After you submit your application, you will receive an email informing you if you have been accepted into the workshop. If you do not receive this email within three days, contact [email protected]. If accepted, you will be emailed a payment link. Payment must be submitted through our payment submission portal or via check within three days of acceptance.
What is the refund policy?
Refunds will only be administered in cases of emergency (health, family, or natural disaster).
About the Environmental Writing Workshop Series
The Leopold House Environmental Writing Workshop Series is designed to support writers in exploring the relationship between storytelling, place, and environmental consciousness. Hosted at the historic Leopold House and surrounding bosque landscape, the series combines generative writing, land-based learning, peer feedback, and public sharing. Where better to write about nature than in Aldo Leopold's home?
Through generative writing, land-based learning, reflection, and guided peer exchange, writers cultivate work that is attentive to both inner and outer landscapes. Alongside local writers (new and established are welcome), participants become part of a creative community shaped by curiosity, care, and environmental awareness.
The series culminates in a public reading and community gathering, offering participants the opportunity to share their work and step into Albuquerque’s wider literary and cultural conversation.
