All active or aspiring poets are invited to join this informal gathering to re-connect with wild nature through the art of poetry. As always, bring poetry to share, your own or a favorite poet’s, or a relevant prose reading. After sharing we’ll split up to wander, gathering observations and inspirations, or find a special spot to sit and write. This is why we’re here: once we leave the company of other people behind, we’re more open to what the woods may have to whisper in our ears. A little after noon we’ll re-converge for more sharing or just to talk. Don’t forget warm clothes, writing supplies, drinking water, shoes for hiking, a blanket or camp chair (optional).

Sweetwater Creek State Park is a historic site where the fast-moving creek once powered an antebellum cotton mill, burned down by Sherman’s army during the Civil War. The brick-walled ruin is still there, though a magnificent forest has grown up where workers’ dwellings once surrounded the mill. Several hiking trails traverse the 2,549-acre park, and its Visitors’ Center houses a small but well-stocked museum.

The address is 1750 Mt. Vernon Rd., Lithia Springs, GA 30122. But that’s a bit deceptive; you’ll turn off Mt. Vernon Rd. onto Factory Shoals Rd. That road passes several boat ramps with parking, but keep going, following signs to the Visitor Center. As you approach the building, just before you reach the parking lot you’ll see a picnic table on a little knoll to your right – we’ll gather there for our sharing.

Sweetwater is a Georgia State Park, so we have to pay $10 for parking. (The price has gone up since we went to Panola Mountain.) If that’s an issue, get in touch and I’ll try to arrange car-pooling. If parking is not an issue, get in touch anyway in case someone needs a ride! You can pay via a QR code issued at the gate, or inside the Visitor Center with cash or card.

I look forward to seeing you! Click here for directions.

Earth blessings, Wing
404-645-5590

p.s. Spread the word to any Earth Poets you know! Email me at swing1027@gmail.com to join my email list for future workshops, once each season in a different nature preserve or urban wildspace.