Environmental writing & SEO: Teaching two classes with the Porch

Teaching has proven to be among the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a writer. This came, at first, as a surprise even to me. I taught my first creative writing class as a Fulbright fellow in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Most of my students, who were in high school, had never taken a creative writing class before. The exhilaration I saw in their eyes as they explored approaches to writing they had never tried before — and expressed themselves in ways that were incompatible with the strict requirements of academic writing — is something I’ll never forget. A few of them gifted me with copies of their poems when that school year closed. I still hold on to those poems.

I next had the chance to teach creative writing at the University of Washington as a part of my MFA.

I had primarily taught Spanish language courses during my time at UW, because I was also pursuing my MA in Spanish and Latin American literature. Teaching Spanish was fascinating and challenging, and offered an opportunity for me to learn as well, as I answered my students’ sometimes-obscure grammatical inquiries and dove into the intricacies of geographical language variation.

But when I stepped into a creative writing classroom for the first time at UW, I was reminded of the powerful, infectious energy that, I believe, is unique to a creative writing classroom. So many people are waiting for the time or permission or inspiration or tools to explore something about themselves or their world through writing. As a teacher, my job is to just help them get out of their own way.

That’s why I’m so excited to be returning to the classroom this fall. I’ll be teaching two classes with the Porch, a Nashville-based literary organization. Here’s some more information about each of these classes, and about how to sign up.

SEO Writing 101 for Creative Writers

September 6, 12:30–1:30 p.m. ET

As a poet and fiction writer, I’ve spent many years trying to find my way in the professional world, alternately pursuing paths in photojournalism, academia, copyediting, and copywriting.

But for more than a decade, I’ve also worked in marketing, and a big part of content marketing is knowing how to write for SEO. In fact, I don’t think any content marketer or copywriter can really do their job well without knowing the basics of search engine optimization.

So on Sept. 6 at 12:30–1:30 p.m. ET, I’ll be teaching “SEO Writing 101 for Creative Writers,” which is designed to jump-start SEO writing skills for anyone looking to pursue a career in marketing or copywriting.

If you’re looking to improve your visibility online as a writer — for instance, help your website show up higher in Google search results — this class can help you do that, as well.

The class is $15. I’m excited to share everything I’ve learned in a room full of creative writers who, like me, are trying to carve a path in the world that will help them make a living while still carving space for their own creative work.

Environmental Writing in the Current Climate

October 18–November 8, 6–8 p.m. ET

Themes around the environment, climate change, and extinction have pervaded my work for as long as I can remember. One of my poetry manuscripts, Wrecks, was inspired by the great auk, a flightless seabird driven to extinction in the mid-1800s.

That’s why I’m thrilled for the opportunity to delve into the challenges of writing about the environment — and interrogate what “nature writing” can and should aspire to do — in a four-week class with the Porch.

“Environmental Writing in the Current Climate” will be a multi-genre course in which students can learn from the brilliant work of Camille Dungy, Vievee Francis, and others to create work that critically engages one of the most urgent topics of our time — and in which the writer’s own subjectivity comes more sharply into focus. We’ll do free writes and in-class writing prompts, and attendees will have a chance to workshop one or more pieces.

The class is weekly on Wednesdays for four weeks starting on Oct. 18. Learn more and register on the Porch’s website.