Journaling Place | 7 Sunday Sessions | Nature Journaling School

Nature Journaling School is designed for you to process, document, and celebrate your life and the world around you. In this series we will focus on Place.

We'll look at the nature without and the nature within.

School will be

• 7 Sundays in a row between Jan. & Feb. 2026
• hour-long sessions
• each Sunday afternoon
• 5-6 pm Eastern US/Canada Time
• starting Jan. 11, 2026
• ending Feb. 22, 2026

Sessions will take place on Jan. 11 | Jan. 18 | Jan. 25 | Feb. 1 | Feb. 8 |

Feb. 15 | and Feb. 22.

This is not a single event. This is a workshop with 7 sessions.

You only need to sign up once. The Zoom link you will receive is the same for all sessions.

Nature writer Janisse Ray will inspire and guide you in nature journaling to celebrate your life journey, experience nature around you, record sightings, and write about places you have known and loved in a meaningful and creative way.

In addition, you will get a chance to study with guest artists.

REMEMBER

When you sign up, you're signing up for all 7 sessions. Jan. 11, 2026 is the first session and Feb. 22 is the last. On Eventbrite this may look like a single event, but it's a 7-session course.

The Zoom link you receive will be the same for all 7 sessions.

TUITION IS UP TO YOU

Cost of the course is by donation, which means you get to determine the class's value to you. Pay what you wish.

The amount you pay remains private.

MORE SPECIFICALLY...

phase of the moon~clouds~phenology (what's happening where you are)~wildflower identification~ be astonished~a simple banner~a cool page border~5-steps breathing exercise~ map your place~how to increase your creativity~your favorite places~phenology wheel~signs of winter~enso~3 stages of observation~poem templates~shading~outline drawing~getting insects on paper~your natural history observations~adding color~wisdom quadrants~simple wildflower watercolors~the weather~rainfall~fragrances~anyone can draw~what place means to you

WHO IS JANISSE RAY?

Janisse is a nature writer, naturalist, and teacher with a passion for place. Her latest book is a guide to a sense of place, Journey in Place: A Field Guide to Belonging. She lives in southern Georgia.

GUEST ARTISTS

Janisse has arranged incredible guest artists and flash-speakers during this 7-week course on Journaling Place, including

• Clare Walker Leslie
• Madeleine Jubilee Saito
• Jane Pike
• Jeanne Malmgren
• Alma Ramiro Alonzo
• Melissa DeSa

IN THE COURSE WE EXPLORE

• nature observation
• phenology (what happens when)
• writing, including craft
• simple art exercises, including shapes
• borders, corners, spirals, dividers, banners & other page designs
• what place mean to us
• our favorite places
• our personal spaces
• weather
• mapping
• natural history
• perspective
• healing
• ancestral healing
• the breath
• as well as your thoughts and feelings about it all

The course is a chance to acknowledge and transcribe the enjoyment, contentment, sense of wonder, and inspiration that you get from place, plus the complicated feelings you have about it. We will highlight amazements you have seen and experienced.

ON OR OFF

The vibe will be loving, inspirational, and hopeful.

You are not obligated to share your thoughts or your writing in any way. You will be welcome to turn off your video. Level of participation is your decision, and participation is always optional.

Show up on Sunday afternoons this winter at 5 pm Eastern Time for an hour directed toward curiosity and wonder. You can come for one session or for all 7 sessions.

YOU WILL NEED

• your journal (unlined paper is best)
• sharpened pencils
• your pens
• crayons and/or colored pencils or pens are wonderful but optional

RECORDINGS

We make recordings available afterward, through a Google Drive, in case you need to miss a session or want to watch a session again.

WHAT YOU GET

1. all the benefits of keeping a journal (see below)
2. a deeper relationship with nature
3. seven hours of flow
4. at least 15 pieces of writing that you can use for social media posts or as part of essays or books you are writing
5. a chance to explore art without fear of judgement
6. the space to be in community with like-minded folks

THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU IF YOU...

• brim with thoughts and feelings about the natural world.
• know that journaling about them would be helpful and healthful.
• think a lot about place.
• are willing to give form to your creativity.
• are caught in patterns of disconnection.
• would benefit from being in the same space with others like you.
• would like to have in hand at least 15 pieces of writing at the end of 7 weeks.
• want to put more color, art, and design in your life.
• want to learn more about the natural world around you.
• want to be introduced to more ideas, thinkers, and colleagues.
• could be inspired by prompts and handouts.
• could be inspired by Janisse.

BENEFITS OF JOURNALING

1. Journaling can assist you with processing natural history and other information.
2. Journaling can help you develop a greater appreciation of the environment.
3. Journaling helps you become intimate with your place.
4. Journaling asks you to observe and record, increasing your powers of observation.
5. Journaling leads to more creativity, which brings more ideas.
6. Journaling is a system of record-keeping.
7. Journaling is a way to reflect.
8. Journaling hones your curiosity and sense of wonder.
9. Journaling deepens your sense of connection.
10. Journaling is great for meditation and healing.

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

We honor the inherent dignity and beauty of all persons regardless of identity, nationality, ethnicity, belief, age, or any other divides. We agree to create a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for all. We especially welcome members of historically underserved or excluded communities, understanding that in order to end the fragmentation of the earth's systems, we need every voice of every person to be as elevated and functional and unencumbered by oppressions as humanly possible. This is a safe space where all are welcome.

OFFICIAL BIO FOR JANISSE

Janisse Ray is an American author who explores nature and life in her work. She gained a following after the release of her first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood. The memoir was a New York Times Notable and a bestseller. Since Ecology, she has published 11 other books.

Her latest book Journey in Place: A Field Guide to Belonging has just been released.

She has won an American Book Award, Pushcart Prize, Southern Booksellers Award, Southern Environmental Law Center Writing Award, and the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence, among many others. Her books have been translated into Turkish, French, and Italian.

Janisse writes the popular Substack newsletter, Trackless Wild. She leads highly respected writing workshops online and in person that are always inclusive, confidence-building, and encouraging. If you are interested in writing your own stories, Janisse teaches a Summer Memoir Course, one hour per week for 12 weeks. You can find more information at her website, janisseray.com.

Janisse lives on a farm in rural southern Georgia, near Savannah. She loves dark chocolate, the blues, and anything in flower.

out of the box and into the spiral

PRAISE FOR NATURE JOURNALING SCHOOL

I know I should have better a vocabulary for this, but what I can say is wow. Wow, and thank you. These sessions (and all of your teaching) are both inspiring and grounding. Thank you for so generously sharing your time and talent. —Patty

🍃

Truly enjoying your nature journaling class. I’ve never been a natural artist in a visual sense, but I’ve embraced the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. Now I find myself constantly looking for anything to log in my nature journal! Looking forward to many years of nature journaling to come. —John

🍃

This is the first time I have taken any kind of drawing or journaling class, and I am totally enjoying it. Thank you for all the wonderful ideas and insights. —Joy

🍃

I loved the course and wished it had been longer. I enjoyed the poetry, writing prompts, and many different drawing tools and ideas. I especially enjoyed the community of like-minded journalers. If you have another class let me know; the Zoom appt on the calendar had me showing up and prioritizing something I had been putting off too long. —Pam

🍃

I love the journaling class. Each class is unique and I'm enjoying the guest speakers. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I have included my comics 1 and 2. I don't consider myself an artist but this exercise was fun. Many thanks for sharing your brilliance and the moments of your life. —Rebecca

🍃

This workshop is so amazing, I love it. Yesterday I worked on my weed study for mullein. Thank you! —Rebecca

🍃

I’m really enjoying the course—something a bit out of the box for me, and most welcome. —Kelli

🍃

I’m loving your workshops—glorious, generative & generous atmosphere! Thank you for all you do. —Elizabeth

🍃

Enjoying the journaling class! Thank you for getting the inspiring speakers, especially my friend Clare! Love the format, poems, meditation and handouts!!! Nice job🌞 Take care and thanks. —Tom

🍃

Thanks so much! The course is fabulous! I am very inspired in my own work! —Kimberly

🍃

There is so much to learn in this practice as a beginner to this craft. Yesterday, in our breakout session, I was speaking with another participant who said she was an accomplished writer but that the illustration was new to her. While I am just beginning to learn a little more about both disciplines, I’m truly enjoying the class and I thought I would share a page out of my journal. Thank you for leading this well-organized class each Sunday afternoon. —Holly

🍃

I am so enjoying this course 💚 Here are a few pieces from my journal. Best, —Maria

🍃

Thank you for Sunday's session! It was so good, in every part—so convivial, and clarifying. I love the space you're making. And I have been wanting to explore poetry comics more, so it was a perfect way to go deeper in! Love from NC, —Anna

🍃

Thank you for the remarkable and inspiring class today with Madeleine Jubilee Saito. So interesting the way combining mediums adds layers to the exploration. I've just ordered a few of her books as gifts. —Rebecca

🍃

🌷It was such a pleasure to be well & present for the inspirational nature journaling class today! Your guests, as always, are delightful and you are truly a treasure. Have a wonderful week ahead and I look forward to enjoying all that spring has to offer us, sunshine, flowers and poetry blooming in abundance😉 —Wendy

🍃

Thank you for cultivating such a warm, charming group of people. What a fun afternoon! Thank you again for thinking of me, I hope we can find a way to collaborate again! —Madeleine

🍃

The course is wonderful and I am already enjoying great benefits from being part of this community. —Holly

🍃

This is my first sketch in my nature journal, something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. Thank you so much! —Mary

🍃

Thank you again for last night's "sit" on the garden bench. So much good information. The Sunday sessions allow me to slow down. You (and the bench) have a gentle way of calling me to create, to be my better self. I enjoyed meeting the other participants in the break-out room. You have attracted some very intelligent earthlings! —Bonnie

🍃

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for facilitating a very inspiring nature journaling class. I really looked forward to each Sunday evening to see what the writing prompts would be and what our focus was. The class helped me to establish a regular nature journaling practice and helped me to explore my observations and thoughts through writing, not just drawing or listing (what I generally do). I wanted to include one of my favorite exercise, which I actually went back and expanded on because it just stirred something in me to explore further. I’ve attached it to this email. —Debby

🍃

Thank you so much for these beautiful workshops! —Kayla

🍃

I love this so much! You're helping people use the nature journal to not just record what they see, but to explore what they know and feel. Beautiful. —Rachel

🍃

Thank you for another wonderful workshop. I think it’s fascinating how drawing and freewriting seems to open up my creativity so much that when you ask us to write down something we know is true, really interesting things come up. My truth today: at the heart of everything is a dance. —Monica

🍃

Just want to say how much I am enjoying the nature journaling course with you. It has sparked an almost daily practice in journaling and observations. —Debby