Path to Pen writing workshops offered in Port Oneida Historic District
From staff reports
Calling writers of all skill levels to workshops in Port Oneida’s historic district. Join agroecologist and science educator Elise DeBuysser, and National Park artist, Nancy McKay, on a writing tour of Port Oneida farms, gardens, and landscapes, on Aug. 17. The tour, offered by National Park partner Historic Sleeping Bear, is an opportunity to experience the historic district while providing a reflective writing experience. The path leads to discovery and inspiration from both tangible and intangible qualities of this beautiful and serene landscape. Through their layered approach invoking history, science, and art, instructors aim to deepen participants’ experience of Port Oneida.
The program is four hours long, from 9 a.m.–1 pm with ample time for snacks, water breaks, and reflection along the way.
McKay has developed a lifelong fascination with places, people, and their stories. She earned her bachelors’ degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan, and later pursued her creative interests with a masters’ degree in Textiles and Related Arts from Eastern Michigan University.
In 2011 she began developing and leading interpretive programs that invoke creative means for tuning into cultural, ecologic, and geologic features of protected landscapes. She served as artist-in residence at Grand Canyon, Acadia, Badlands, and Hot Springs National Parks, Legacy Land Conservancy, and the Michigan Legacy Art Park. She has lead site-based programs for the Schoodic Institute of Acadia National Park. Last fall, she and her husband prepared content for a soon-to-be-released Sleeping Bear Dunes mobile app.
DeBuysser’s passion is connecting people to the landscape. Born and raised in the Great Lakes, she grew up with an appreciation for natural beauty and rural places. She has since gone on to study Earth Systems at Stanford University with a dual focus in agroecology and environmental education. She currently teaches middle school Earth Science in California, where she enjoys sharing her passion with the next generation. She is happy to be back in her native Michigan during the summer volunteering in garden education and pursuing outdoor adventures.
The tour starts at the Olsen Farm/Port Oneida Farms Heritage Center, 3164 W. Harbor Hwy. four miles north of Glen Arbor. Participants should bring a journal and pencil or pen, water and a sack lunch or snacks. Wear walking shoes and socks. Hats, sunblock, and insect repellent are helpful. Raingear if necessary. Cameras are optional. Reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome. For further information visit Phsb.org.
