Reserve your spot HERE

Learn how to turn your field notes into a first-draft ecopoem, with author and eco-poet, Hillary Gonzalez.

From Field Notes to First Drafts: Writing Poetry in the Wild

An in-person interactive poetry writing workshop, where participants will learn how to translate their observations in the field, to first-draft poems.

Course | In Person

Course Information

Date & Time: April 28th, 11:00 AM

Duration: 2.5 hours

Skill Level: Beginner - Intermediate

Price:

• Standard Fee: $50 per participant

• Abundance Tier: $60 Higher fee includes pay-it-forward option for another participant & supporting the artist. For those with financial stability who want to support others’ access to the workshop. Helps cover community access and artist labor.

• Sustainer Tier: $40 covers the cost of the workshop only.

• Supported Tier: $15, for students, disabled folks, or anyone with limited income.

• Community Scholarship: a few fully supported spots available upon request–limited availability.

Course Description:

This regenerative and reflective workshop is designed for poets, birders, nature lovers, and writers of all levels who are interested in crafting poetry grounded in the natural world. Participants will learn to engage with their environment through sensory awareness and guided field notes, then transform their observations into compelling poetic drafts. The workshop draws on Hillary Gonzalez’s process of writing Wild, Unfelt World–a collection written entirely outdoors while birding across forests, marshes, and meadows.

Set in a natural environment, this workshop invites writers of all levels to slow down, pay attention, and gather sensory details directly from the landscape. No prior experience with poetry or birding is required.

The class begins with a brief introduction to ecopoetry, exploring how contemporary poets engage with place, ecology, and environmental awareness. Participants will learn practical techniques for taking field notes with the specific intention of later shaping them into poems: focusing on sound, texture, movement, light, and emotional response.

Through guided observation, structured writing prompts, and quiet reflection time, participants will begin crafting their field notes into first-draft poems on-site. The workshop emphasizes presence, curiosity, and attentiveness rather than perfection.

The session concludes with optional sharing and group discussion, allowing participants to reflect on the creative process and the relationship between noticing and writing.

Participants Will Learn:

• What ecopoetry is and how it connects writing to place

• How to take effective field notes for poetry

• Techniques for translating sensory detail into vivid imagery

• How to move from observation to first draft

• Ways to cultivate attention and creative presence in nature

• Strategies for continuing a personal nature-writing practice

This workshop encourages participants to see the natural world not only as subject matter, but as collaborator and kin, reminding us that poetry often begins with listening.

https://www.parksandpeople.org/events/nature-poetry-open-mic

Nature is a movement/Water is a force: Poetry to reckon with
on nature, wonder, and our environment

Hosted by Gabriel David Carter & Hillary Gonzalez

@ Parks & People
2100 Liberty Heights Avenue
Inside the Stone House

Join us for an Earth Liberation Reading & Open Mic featuring eco-poet and activist Hillary Gonzalez, author of Wild, Unfelt World, a luminous collection of eco-poetry rooted in birdsong, seasons, and radical attention to the living world.

The evening will begin with an open mic, inviting attendees to share original poetry or prose centered on climate justice, environmental grief, resistance, healing, and love for the natural world. Pieces may be polished or in-progress. All voices are welcome.

Following the open mic, Gonzalez will read from Wild, Unfelt World and join us for a conversation and audience Q&A. Written during early-morning bird walks, the collection is shaped by forests, marshes, and mountains, inviting readers to slow down, notice, and reconnect. To smell salt marshes, feel bark beneath their hands, and listen as owls call the evening in.

A queer, genderfluid, and AuDHD poet who grew up on a farm in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Gonzalez writes at the intersection of neurodivergence, queerness, disability, spirituality, and environmental advocacy. Their work asks a simple but urgent question: why have we stopped listening?

RSVP and sign up for the Open Mic here: https://www.fourseasonsbooks.com/gonzalez.html#/

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/snug-books-presents-an-evening-with-poets-open-mic-book-readings-tickets-1984392967785?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join Baltimore based poets, E. Doyle Gillespie and Hillary Gonzalez. Both Gonzalez and Gillespie will be reading from their new collections.

Bring a poems to read with you for the Open Mic portion of the evening!

Event timing:

6:15 - arrival & signup for the Open Mic

6:30 - Open Mic begins

7:00pm - Readings with Hillary Gonzalez & E. Doyle Gillespie

Bring a poem about how paying attention to this beautiful and fragile world we belong to might be what we need to save it.

Wild, Unfelt World (Gnashing Teeth Publishing), a spiritual collection of ecopoetry, rooted in the landscape of the Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva Peninsula, is an urgent plea to reconnect with this beautiful world we call home, resist the greed of capitalism that's destroying it, and a lesson on how to see the world with new eyes for a better tomorrow. Red Emma's spirit of resistance in this capitalist society we find ourselves in, would be the perfect setting for my book.

Hillary Gonzalez (she/they) is a queer, genderfluid, and AuDHD ecopoet and activist, whose work explores themes of identity and healing. Writing from the unique perspective of a birder, Hillary's poetry draws deeply from personal experiences in forests, marshes, and mountains–weaving together reflections on the natural world with a call to protect it. Growing up on a farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, it was there where Hillary’s love of nature was kindled. They are the author of the poetry collections, Seasons, Wild, Unfelt World (Gnashing Teeth Publishing), and Where the Osprey Nest (Palewell Press). Their poems have been published by South Broadway Press, Canid Press, and in the following anthologies: Bi All Accounts (Bi+ Book Gang) , Unfurl (Yellow Arrow Publishing), In Praise of Despair (Beyond the Veil Press), The Body Archive (Cosmic Daffodil Journal), and Understory (Loblolly Press), a fundraising zine to benefit the victims of Hurricane Helene. Hillary lives in Baltimore, MD, with their husband and dog Wilbur, where they continue to connect with readers on the intersections of neurodivergence, queerness, disability, and environmental advocacy.

@hillarygonzalezpoetry (Instagram and Threads) www.facebook.com/hillarygonzalezpoetry

New Poetry Open Mic Alert!

Join us between the stacks of Dreamers & Make Believers as the sun sets, where your poetry becomes the light in the dark. This is a space to speak your truth–setting words alight.

This once monthly open mic is for writers, artists, and poets. If you have a piece, whether poetry or prose, we want to hear you. Whether you’re raising your voice and stepping to the mic for the first time, or are an experienced veteran of verse, we welcome you to Afterlight! Verse poets, spoken word poets, slam poets–all are welcome.

This poetry after hours open mic, is led by Baltimore City eco-poet, activist, and author, Hillary Gonzalez.

Artwork by the incredible Adelaide Ritter.

Sunday April 12, 2026 at 4pm, The HOT L Poets Series continues at The Ivy Bookshop (Baltimore) with poets John Wall Barger & Hillary Gonzalez! The reading includes an open mic so bring a poem (1 poem, 3 min. or less). Now in our 8th year, the reading series is sponsored by Baltimore Poets Theatre and Smartish Pace. Hosts: Clare Banks, David Yezzi and Stephen Reichert.

John Wall Barger was born in New York City and grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He’s the author of six books of poems and one book of essays. His new poetry collection, Resurrection Pie, just came out with LSU Press. He is a contract editor with Frontenac House, lives in Vermont, and teaches at Dartmouth College.

Hillary Gonzalez (they/she) is a Baltimore based queer, disabled, and AuDHD poet, whose work explores themes of eco-poetry, identity, and healing. They are the authors of Seasons, and the eco-poetry collections, Wild Unfelt World (2026 Gnashing Teeth Publishing), and Where the Osprey Nest (Palewell Press 2026). Their poems have been published by South Broadway Press, Canid Press, and in anthologies by Bi+ Book Gang, Yellow Arrow Publishing, Loblolly Press’ anthology: Understory, a fundraising anthology for the victims of Hurricane Helene, The Body Archive by Cosmic Daffodil Journal, and In Praise of Despair, an anthology for disabled artists and writers by Beyond the Veil Press.

Join me at the Virginia Osprey Festival, April 11th from 9am-4pm. I will be vending, and will have copies of Wild, Unfelt World on hand for purchase.

https://www.virginiaospreyfoundation.org/2026-festival

More about the festival & guests:

Keynote Speaker
Dr. Richard (Rob) Bierregaard

Dr. Richard (Rob) Bierregaard is a research associate of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia and president of the Raptor Research Foundation.

From 1979 to 1988, working for the World Wildlife Fund and the Smithsonian Institution, he directed—in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon—the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, which has been described as the largest and most ambitious ecological experiment ever undertaken.

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Upon his repatriation in the late 80s, he taught in the Biology Department of UNC-Charlotte and returned his studies to his true passion—birds of prey.

His work over the past three decades has focused on Barred Owls in Charlotte, NC, and Ospreys in northeastern North America. In 2014 he was the lead author on a paper chronicling the post-DDT return of the Osprey population in southern New England. From 2000 to 2017, Rob and his colleagues deployed satellite transmitters on 108 Ospreys, from South Carolina to Newfoundland. The data from 67 juvenile Ospreys, tracking their first migration to South America and back, have provided startling insights into how naïve Ospreys discover the migration route taken by virtually all adults.

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In 2018 he published his first children’s book, Belle’s Journey, a narrative non-fiction account of a young Osprey’s first migration to southern Brazil and back again. Belle’s Journey received one of two Honorable Mentions in the 2018 National Outdoor Book Awards' Children's Division, was placed on the National Science Teachers' Association list of outstanding trade books for 2019, and was listed in the University of Wisconsin's Cooperative Children's Book Center's Choices 2019.

Dr. Ann-Marie Jacoby

The Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project (pcdolphinproject.org) is a nonprofit research organization based out of Georgetown University with the mission to better understand and protect the Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

Dr. Ann-Marie Jacoby is the associate director of the Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project and a postdoctoral associate at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on reconstructing the historical occurrence of dolphins in Potomac River and establishing a baseline of their current occurrence in the region using interdisciplinary approaches.

Will Poston 

Will Poston is a lifelong fisherman, hunter, and conservationist, who has leveraged these passions for a career in conservation and fisheries policy. He currently works for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as its Forage Campaign Manager, primarily working on menhaden issues in the Bay. In this role, Will serves as CBF's point contact on menhaden, coordinating the organization's advocacy, policy, and education efforts around this critical forage fish.

Will's background as an avid outdoorsman and experience in fisheries management assists his work to build a broader group of effective and passionate advocates to promote much-needed menhaden conservation and awareness here in Virginia. Will can be reached at wposton@cbf.org. 

Romaric (Remy) Moncrieffe
Policy Manager, Marine Conservation

Romaric (Remy) Moncrieffe is the Marine Conservation Policy Manager for the National Audubon Society. His focus is on promoting a healthy marine ecosystem, particularly fishing regulations, wetland and estuary protection, and the expansion and creation of marine national sanctuaries and marine protected areas. Remy is located near Washington, D.C., and works to engage the Audubon network in ocean conservation.

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Prior to joining Audubon, Remy studied fisheries policy and aquaculture in the European Union. There, he led research on microplastics and their effect on bivalves. Remy has a B.S. in Biology from George Mason University and a joint M.S. in Aquaculture and Fisheries Policy from the University of Nantes, University of Crete, and Scottish Association for Marine Science.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-unfelt-world-book-launch-party-poetry-reading-tickets-1984248964066?aff=oddtdtcreator

In partnership with Urban Reads Bookstore, join author Hillary Gonzalez, for the launch of their new collection of eco-poetry, Wild, Unfelt World.

Hillary will be joined by local Baltimore and DMV poets, Retro, Katia Matychak, Ted Eccleston, Micki Topham, Gabriel Carter, and hosted by Keith Pinkston II. This is a true evening of revolutionary poetry. In the spirit of eco revolution, each poet will read a piece of their own, before we hear the poems from Wild, Unfelt World, followed by a panel discussion. Signed copies of Wild, Unfelt World will be available for purchase.

Hillary Gonzalez (they/she) is a Baltimore based queer, disabled, and AuDHD poet, activist, birder and wildlife photographer, whose work explores themes of nature, identity, and healing. They are the authors of Seasons, and the ecopoetry collections, Wild Unfelt World (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, April 2026), and Where the Osprey Nest (Palewell Press, August 2026). Their poems have been published in numerous publications, including South Broadway Press, Canid Press, and in anthologies by Bi+ Book Gang, Yellow Arrow Publishing, Loblolly Press’ anthology: Understory, a fundraising anthology for the victims of Hurricane Helene, The Body Archive by Cosmic Daffodil Journal, and In Praise of Despair, an anthology for disabled artists and writers by Beyond the Veil Press.

Jason Jackson commonly known as “Retro” is a Baltimore Native. His poetry is considered both raw and prolific. He uses poetry to both examine and interrogate unique challenges and complexities that young Black men face in the inner city. He was ranked top five of Baltimore’s grand slam in 2024. He has been featured at open mics around the region, and competed in slams throughout the united states. In March of 2025 Nevermore slam a Baltimore slam team he was a part of placed 3rd in Chicharra regional slam in New Mexico.

Katia Matychak (she/they) is a Baltimore-based poet, inspired by her Ukrainian and Appalachian upbringing. She is the author of 4 poetry collections, including her latest, Poems about Death and Transformation. Her work has been featured in many literary collections, such as Overgrowth Press, reference mollusk, and Pennsylvania's Best Emerging Poets. Being a neuroscientist, she explores the aesthetics of the human body and how we react to the world, from molecule to measure.

Gabriel David Carter is a Baltimore writer tracing grief and grace through worlds seen and felt. He writes about big feelings and the natural world, moving as both witness and wanderer. His work is featured in Reverie Literary Magazine, Campfire Three of the Campfire Poets Anthologies, and the Baltimore Tree Trust's Canopy Literary Magazine.

Micki Topham (she/her) is a spoken word artist and poet. She has participated in countless poetry events, slams, and competitions, and has taught poetry workshops and performed across the nation, including featuring at an official 2025 World Pride poetry reading. Her poetry has been published in the Mid-Atlantic Review. She was a finalist in the 2025 DC Poet Project and is now an assistant editor with The Mid-Atlantic Review. You can find her most weeks passionately snapping for the incredible poets and performers across the DMV.

Keith Pinkston II is a designer, storyteller, and mentor with 10+ years of experience shaping brands and visual narratives. As he continues stepping into teaching, he’s driven by a passion for creativity, connection, and expression. With a sharp eye and an engaging presence, Keith is excited to guide tonight’s conversation and celebrate the power of poetry.

Ted is a person, husband, father, friend and poet living in Baltimore City. His poetry spans ten years trying to build relationships with the creatures and beings living in city neighborhoods. Ted turns to the page to share the lessons that the creek, the winged ones, and the blossoms share with him, inspiring readers to remember our intimacy with the living, breathing world. Ted's writing was first published in Baltimore Tree Trust’s Canopy Lit Magazine. You can often find him in Stony Run, lightly crossing the creek or perched up on a boulder with his gaze toward the sky. To read more of his work you can go to: tedinbaltimore.substack.com

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seeds-of-resistance-poetry-open-mic-tickets-1983988538125?aff=oddtdtcreator

A poetry open mic in honor of Stony Run Park and the Remington Ave trees. Join host Hillary Gonzalez, of Sacred Parks and Waterways, and Crow’s Nest Baltimore, for an evening of poetry on climate justice, the Baltimore City parks we love, trees, and the harms of AI.

Each poet will have 5 minutes to perform. This is a free event, but space is limited, so be sure to RSVP!

RSVP HERE

The Poetry of Noticing is a gentle, accessible poetry workshop that teaches participants how to transform attention into language. Designed for writers and non-writers alike, this class invites participants to slow down and rediscover creativity through observation of the natural world.

Through guided video footage and curated nature soundscapes of birds, water, wind, and seasonal environments, participants will practice mindful noticing even from inside their homes. The workshop demonstrates that meaningful connection to nature does not require wilderness or prior knowledge of poetry. It begins with paying attention.

Participants will learn how poets gather sensory details, record field notes, and shape those observations into a first draft poem. Short writing prompts and reflective exercises will help students translate sight, sound, memory, and emotion into language. The focus is not on critique or perfection, but on presence, curiosity, and wonder.

By the end of the session, participants will:

1. Understand the concept of “noticing” as a creative practice

2. Learn simple techniques for collecting sensory details

3. Write at least one original poem draft

4. Develop tools they can continue using independently

The workshop is suitable for beginners, experienced writers, educators, nature lovers, and anyone feeling creatively stuck or overwhelmed. It is particularly supportive for participants who may find traditional workshop environments intimidating.

The Poetry of Noticing emphasizes that attention itself can be restorative, and that writing can become a way of reconnecting with both the natural world and one’s inner life.

Come to our Boozy Local Author Fair and meet an amazing group of local authors! This is an opportunity to learn about incredible new books directly from the authors themselves. That means you can get them signed, personalized, and ask any questions you may have! All while enjoying great food and drinks from Cushwa & Rad Pies Taproom. We can't wait to see you there!

RSVP HERE

Electric Euphoria is featuring powerful poetry by Hillary Gonzalez, and musical artist Just Iris, and hosted by Casey Catherine Moore.

Sign ups for the open mic will begin in person with Casey at 6:45pm. Show starts at 7:15-7:30.

Live ASL interpreters.

Hillary Gonzalez (they/she) is a Baltimore based queer, disabled, and AuDHD poet,
whose work explores themes of ecopoetry, identity, and healing. They are the authors
of Seasons, and the ecopoetry collections, Wild, Unfelt World (Gnashing Teeth
Publishing 2026), and Where the Osprey Nest (Palewell Press 2026). Their poems have
been published by South Broadway Press, Cosmic Daffodil Journal, Canid Press, and
in anthologies by Bi+ Book Gang, Yellow Arrow Publishing, Loblolly Press’ anthology:
Understory, a fundraising anthology for the victims of Hurricane Helene, and In
Praise of Despair, an anthology for disabled artists and writers by Beyond the Veil
Press.

Iris (she/her) is an indie pop/electronic artist from Loudon County, Virginia. She writes, records, and produces all her music in her bedroom, and her goal is to make music that sounds like how the sky looks.

Casey Catherine Moore (she/her) is a bipolar, bisexual writer, educator, and writing coach. She holds a Ph.D. in CompLit from U of SC with a focus on Latin poetry, invective, and gender studies. Her disability and mythology-inspired poetry collection, Psyche, was published by Anxiety Press (2024).

Special thanks to the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities for funding this project.

Join Hillary Gonzalez and E. Doyle-Gillespie, for an evening of poetry at Snug Books, in Baltimore, Maryland on September 14th from 6:30-8:00pm.

E. Doyle-Gillespie is a long-time Baltimore resident who enjoys writing, reading, and learning as part of Hampden’s creative community.

He holds a BA History from George Washington University, and a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University.

He is the author of Gentrifying the Plague House, Father of the Red Grotto Used Bookstore, Aerial Act, and other books.

He was this year’s grand prize winner in the Iridescence Award for Horror and SciFi from Kinsman Quarterly. He won third place in this year’s Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Literary Contest, and an honorable mention in the Rhonda Gail Wiliford Human Rights Poetry Competition.

Join us for a Conversation and Q&A with Hillary Gonzalez, author of Seasons.

Friday, June 14 @ 7:00pm
Little District Books
737 8th St SE
Washington, DC 20003

RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET HERE

"Seasons" is an exploration of grief, love, abuse, bisexuality, and the neurodivergent experience. "Seasons" is divided into four sections, according to the seasons of the year. Each season corresponds with a life event reflecting the beauty of spring and summer, the harsh chill of winter, or the retrospective contemplation of autumn. "Seasons" is a journey that will lift the reader up, make them cry, and act as a light in the dark for others who have felt abandoned in the shadows. 

Hillary Gonzalez is an autistic adult with ADHD, currently residing in Baltimore, Maryland. Hillary is bisexual and identifies as gender-fluid, using she/they pronouns. 

Hillary has been a writer her entire life. Hillary began storytelling at a young age, as a means to escape the abuse they experienced as a child. Through poetry, Hillary has been able to begin the healing process and acknowledge the abuse they experienced early in life from their parent, and from abusive boyfriends as an adult. 

Hillary’s poems span her experiences as a child, the queer experience and dealing with homophobia, religious trauma, domestic violence and child abuse, being neurodivergent, and learning what it means to have healthy relationships in adulthood. 

Hillary hopes that through sharing their story, those who had similar experiences in life will also be able to begin their healing journey. 

FREE COMMUNITY EVENT IN THE COMMUNITY SPACE AT PARK BOOKS!

All are welcome!
 

Teach Truth Day of Action is when educators, students, parents, and community members defend the right to #TeachTruth.

The right has declared war on teaching the truth about structural racism and sexism and on LGBTQ+ youth. Books by Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, and Palestinian American writers are increasingly being banned.
 

While claiming to “protect” young people, the right-wing legislators block any efforts to address gun violence (the leading cause of death for young people) and the existential threat of climate change.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. community organizations will share information and there will be activities and presentations every hour on the hour where all are welcome to come and learn about these important topics. Please continue to check back here for the schedule as it continues to fill in!  

This is a family-friendly event and all are welcome to come and go throughout the day. While there will be banned books and books on the topics available for purchase, no purchase is necessary to come and learn! 

10:00 Doors Open: Come explore the various tables of community partners joining us for Truth Day.

If you'd like to come and want to add the date to your calendar, click here: RSVP today!