Poetry Workshop: “Poems and Reflections from the Quarry”

Charlotte Matthews is author of five poetry collections, a novel, an essay collection, and a memoir, which was a finalist for Indie Awards’ best creative non-fiction. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, The Chautauqua Literary Journal, Tar River, The Virginia QuarterlyReview, and storySouth. Associate Professor in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at The University of Virginia, she teaches writing to non-traditional students. Matthews invites us to slow down and listen deeply to the natural world. Matthews will explore the quiet marvels of nature: its capacity to astonish when we radically pay attention. Surrounded by the majesty of the Quarry Gardens, Matthews will also reflect on Rachel Carson’s enduring legacy and her prescience of today’s environmental challenges. Matthews will remind us that poetry is not merely a form of expression—it is a way of being in the world. In a time when distraction is constant and ecological urgency grows, this talk will offer a space to reconnect with the rhythms and wisdom of the earth. We will end this 75-minute workshop by composing a community poem.

Writing materials will be provided.