Board of Directors Meeting of the Ellen Meloy Fund, Helena, MT

The Ellen Meloy Fund for Desert Writers grants a $5,000 award in the spring of each year. Proposals for literary or creative nonfiction book projects will be considered. The Fund supports writing that combines an engaging individual voice, literary sensibility, imagination and intellectual rigor to bring new perspectives and deeper meaning to the body of desert literature. All applications will be reviewed through a peer-panel process. 

Dates: September 26-27, 2025

A six-week online class devoted to writing about birds.

Writing about birds is compelling for a bunch of reasons. Birds are all around us — we don’t have to look far to find one that has a story to tell. They are potent indicators of what's happening to the planet. They are symbols of freedom, fragility, courage, endurance, hope, and spirit. They can teach us about ourselves and how we navigate the world. And writing and thinking about birds amidst the current political circumstances may be a salve and an opportunity to stay connected to the things that really matter to us. 

As part of the class we’ll read and discuss exemplary writing about birds, work in small groups, take turns reading aloud from our own writing, work with prompts, and give each other feedback and encouragement that will make us stronger, more confident writers. If you want to, we’ll talk about getting our work published. We'll also have a few guests drop in to talk about writing, birds, or both. 

And of course we'll inevitably talk a lot about birds. Although I’ve taught this class a dozen times or so, I’ve never taught it during spring migration, and that will be very fun. 

Although this class focuses on writing about birds, anyone whose writing is devoted to other dimensions of the natural world — elephant seals, marine invertebrates of the Devonian Period, flowers, or just nature in general — is welcome. It’s all in the game of becoming better at writing about nature. 

The size of the class is limited to 16; participants will be admitted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To register, please email me at chip@chipblake.com

Dates: Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on April 24 and running until May 29, 2025

Cost: $275

Unlike my classes in which participants generate a number of shorter pieces, the goal of this class is the creation of a single, longer, sustained piece.

The first class will be designed to get participants going in the right direction. Focusing on the elements that make a compelling essay — a form that is capacious and has a long and wonderful history — students will incorporate techniques and ideas into their own work to become stronger, more confident writers. We will discuss craft elements, work in breakout groups, read examples of outstanding essays, and end the class with a finished piece of work worthy of being shared with the world.

This class is an opportunity to re-commit to your writing, freshen your practice, start on a new project, or finish an essay you’ve already been at work on.

Dates: Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on September 26, 2024. No class on October 31, 2024.

Cost: $250

A six-week online class about nature writing.

We will focus on understanding elements of craft that make us better writers. We will share our writing with each other and take advantage of the presence of a strong and supportive writing community. We’ll read some good examples of nature writing by other authors and talk about them. We'll have guests at most classes -- established writers who will share what they’ve learned about leading a successful and satisfying writing life. And we’ll probably talk a lot about birds and nature and weather, because that always happens.

Above all, we will use the class to help us develop a strong writing practice and to maintain momentum with our writing and writing projects.

Dates: Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on May 14, 2024.

Cost: $250

A six-week online class devoted to writing about birds.

Writing about birds is compelling for a bunch of reasons. Birds are all around us — we don’t have to look far to find one that has a story to tell. They are potent indicators of what's happening to the planet. They are symbols of freedom, fragility, courage, endurance, hope, and spirit. And learning and writing about them can teach us a great deal about ourselves and how we navigate the world. In this class we’ll read and discuss exemplary writing about birds from accomplished writers, work in small groups, take turns reading aloud from our own writing, work with prompts, and give each other feedback and encouragement that will make us stronger, more confident writers.

Dates: Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on March 21, 2024.

Cost: $250

A six-week online class about nature writing.

We will focus on understanding elements of craft that make us better writers. We will share our writing with each other and take advantage of the presence of a strong and supportive writing community. We’ll read some good examples of nature writing by other authors and talk about them. We'll have guests at most classes -- established writers who will share what they’ve learned about leading a successful and satisfying writing life. And we’ll probably talk a lot about birds and nature and weather, because that always happens.

Above all, we will use the class to help us develop a strong writing practice and to maintain momentum with our writing and writing projects.

Dates: Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on November 2, 2023.

Cost: $250

A six-week online class about nature, writing, and slowing down

Our lives are so busy that we are often left feeling hurried, exhausted, and disconnected. Yet we are surrounded, every day, by natural wonders that offer to refresh us and remind us of the wider world we are part of — if not the higher purposes of our lives. In this class we will use writing as an excuse to slow down, recharge, and bring our lives back into alignment with nature, and into balance within ourselves. Along the way we will discuss writing craft and what it means to become better, stronger, more confident writers. This class is meant for writers of all levels. All that’s required is a willingness to listen to your senses, to your fellow participants, and to your own hopes, fears, and dreams.

Dates: Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on September 14, 2023.

Cost: $250

A six-week online class about nature writing

This is the sixth in a series of online nature writing classes I have taught since 2020. We will focus on understanding elements of craft that make us better writers. We will share our writing with each other and take advantage of the presence of a strong and supportive writing community. We’ll read some good examples of nature writing by other authors and talk about them. We'll have guests at most classes -- established writers who will share what they’ve learned about leading a successful and satisfying writing life. And we’ll probably talk a lot about birds and nature and weather, because that always happens.

Above all, we will use the class to help us develop a strong writing practice and to maintain momentum with our writing and writing projects.

Dates: Tuesday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on April 4, 2023.

Cost: $250

Deadline: March 31, 2023

A six-week online class about nature writing

Winter is the season when nature goes quiet, the days get shorter, and many animals hibernate. The same is true for us humans in many ways — we become more introspective, slow down, turn inward, and restore ourselves through our own kinds of hibernation. In this six-week online class, participants will work to become better writers at the same time that we focus on and learn about nature in winter. We will devote our attention to the bare trees, night skies, unpredictable weather, and the birds and animals that stick around through these cold months. The winter will be the prompt we use to keep learning about writing — and about ourselves, our inner lives, and our need for sustenance.

Dates: Monday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern Time, starting on January 9, 2023.

Cost: $250

Registration deadline: January 2, 2023