If you are longing to connect more deeply with natural places and learn to write from the taproot of your creativity, this single-session writing program at The Morton Arboretum is for you.
Through the lush interplay of foraged plants, guided writing invitations, and sensory prompts, you will uncover words, phrases, and story threads that root you to place and bear fruit with time.
This is a “Writing W.I.L.D.” experience—Writing with Wonder, Intuition, Love, and Daring—which means it is co-created with nature and will be held outdoors, rain or shine. Come prepared for the weather and be ready to explore with walking shoes on and something to write with and on.
This program meets in person at the Arboretum.
Instructor: Kristy Belton, certified forest therapy guide, Prairie Pathways
Age: 16 and older
Course number: A094
Instructor
Kristy Belton, certified forest therapy guide, Prairie Pathways
Kristy A. Belton is a certified forest therapy guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, a native plants enthusiast, and an Illinois master naturalist. She loves engaging in earth-centered practices, whether through gardening, volunteering for the DuPage County Forest Preserve, or guiding people in forest therapy and outdoor yoga practices. She is the founder of Prairie Pathways, an organization that offers rewilding practices to reconnect people to the land they live upon. Belton holds a PhD in political science and has more than twenty years’ experience in higher education, serving in diverse roles. For more about Belton and other Writing W.I.L.D. adventures, visit Prairie Pathways.
What to Know
This program meets outdoors. Check the forecast and dress for the weather.
Be prepared to walk about a mile on uneven terrain.
Bring a notebook, pen, and water bottle.
Program Schedule
Sunday, October 5, 2025, 9:00 a.m. to noon
Thornhill Education Center (parking lot P-21), West Side
