This program offers LA youth an opportunity to experience nature and write about it at the Bowtie.

Writing in Nature was a creative writing program for youth ages 12 to 16 which happened at the Bowtie over the course of two Saturdays in September. Through physical exploration and writing exercises, youth participants wrote, though, and experienced how being in a different geographical space affected their bodies and the way they envision Los Angeles. 

Under the guidance and mentoring of published writer and educator Andrea Richards, each youth participant produced three works of writing. The following week, they shared one of those completed pieces at Clockshop’s Reading by Moonrise event, an outdoor reading that happens around a campfire. Additionally, youth participants worked collaboratively to create a zine of their writing, including visual illustrations, photographs, and/or other artifacts from their time together.

Andrea Richards is the author of three books, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Cocktails, and Girl Director: A How-To Guide for the First-Time, Flat-Broke Filmmaker. She writes about cultural trends, cities and nature, and forgotten philosophical systems for such publications as The Believer, BUST, make/shift, and Los Angeles magazine. A founding member of Narrated Objects, she works on projects to help find “a venue for every voice,” and served as co-editor of their book, We Heart P-22, celebrating the puma that lives in L.A.’s Griffith Park.