Nature Writing with Dr Inga Simpson

This half-day nature writing course is ideal for fiction and non-fiction writers at all levels with an interest in the natural world. You’ll focus on techniques for bringing landscapes, flora and fauna to life on the page, including evocative description, authentic characters, effective use of emotion, and the importance of story. You’ll also consider the challenges faced when writing with an environmental message.

Throughout the course, Inga will use a combination of instruction, inspiring examples of nature writing and practical writing exercises, with plenty of opportunity for group discussion. You’ll come away with a stronger understanding of nature writing – past and contemporary, Australian and international – and a practical toolkit for sharing your love of nature with your audience.

"When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world” – John Muir

Dr Inga Simpson is a novelist and nature writer. Her new novel, The Thinning, to be released 30 October 2024, is set in the Warrumbungle National Park, the Pilliga and Mount Kaputar National Park.

Her previous novels have all been listed for numerous awards, including the Miles Franklin and Stella Prize, and Understory: a life with trees was shortlisted for the Adelaide Writers Week prize for nonfiction.

Inga has PhDs in creative writing and English literature, with her most recent thesis exploring the history of Australian nature writing. Her essays and short stories have been published in On This Ground: Best Australian Nature Writing, Griffith Review, Wonderground, Chicago Quarterly Review, Openbook, Review of Australian Fiction, Clues, Writing Queensland, and The Dictionary of Literary Biography.

She was also the winner of the (final) Eric Rolls nature writing prize for her essay “Triangulation” about ironbarks and her family property near Grenfell.

For more about Inga: www.ingasimpson.com.au or you can follow on Instagram @NestofPages