Write! Chicago Garfield Park Conservatory workshop

Write! Chicago

Saturday, April 20 ~ 10 a.m.

Garfield Park Conservatory
300 N. Central Park, Chicago
Led by Sheila Elliott

FREE

Register by email before April 20th

Meet fellow poets.
Visit a renowned conservatory.
Find poetic inspiration.

Poets & Patrons’ Write! Chicago program is sponsoring a visit to one of the Midwest's largest and most prestigious collection of horticultural masterpieces — the Garfield Park Conservatory — as we turn to local history and nature for poetic inspiration.

Register by email before April 20th
1. Email: sheilakelliot@hotmail.com
2. Put Write! Chicago in the subject line.
3. Include your name in the message.

There is no charge for this workshop.

A wonderful experience at a great time of year!

The Conservatory features a spectacular array of plants, trees, cacti, and other growing things in several exhibit spaces, including the Palm House, Fern Room, Show House, Aroid House, Desert House, and Horticulture Hall. There is also a wonderful prairie just west of their campus.

Plus, the Conservatory Spring Flower Show will be going on. This year the theme is What’s in a Name? featuring the history and science of botanical nomenclature alongside a beautiful flower show full of blooms.

Participants will meet at 10:30 am in the parking lot immediately adjacent to the Conservatory grounds. Plan to spend about 90 minutes (longer if you choose) exploring the greenhouses and, if possible, the wonderful prairie just west of their campus. Around noon, the group meet up in the Conservatory to go over notes and drafts for new poetry.

Location and Transportation
The Garfield Park Conservatory is located at: 300 N. Central Park, in Chicago, near the intersection of North Central Park Ave. and Lake St. By car: the Conservatory is about half a mile from the Eisenhower Expressway's Pulaski Road exit/entrance ramps. There is a FREE parking in the Visitor’s Parking Lot just south of the Conservatory entrance. By train: the Conservatory is a few steps from Green Line to the Conservatory Stop.

For more information on the history, exhibits and Spring Show as well as a visitor’s guide, visit: https://garfieldconservatory.org

About Write! Chicago and
Write! History

“You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.” 
Pablo Neruda

Several ago we decided we needed a writing workshop in addition to the bimonthly critiquing sessions.  Hence, Write! Chicago was born.  We normally hold 4 or 5 workshops a year and have met in such venues as the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, Garfield Park Conservatory, the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Field Museum, the Chicago History Museum, the Hemingway House in Oak Park, and many more.

Generally, interested poets meet at a museum, disperse to view the art or exhibits, then gather once again to write together and share their poetry (only if they wish!). If you would like more information, please e-mail us at poetsandpatrons@gmail.com. Or stay tuned to our website for the latest poetry outing.

Past
workshops

We are always seeking new venues for our Write! Chicago and Write! History trips. Please e-mail us if you have suggestions.

Write! History

The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. A Poets & Patrons online Write! History event in celebration of Women’s History Month. Participants met up on Zoom and visited the Museum. After receiving some guidance on navigating the museum’s website, each participant selected an exhibit or an object from the museum as inspiration for writing a poem. Participants who wish to shared a draft of the poem they had written. Hosted by Wilda Morris on Mar. 11, 2023, via Zoom.

The DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago, and the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. To celebrate Black History Month we visited both museum websites and wrote poems based on the exhibits. Led by Caroline Johnson on Feb. 12, 2022.

Write! Chicago

The Fullersburg/Graue Mill Nature Preserve, Oak Brook, IL — led by Sheila Elliott.
Turn to local history and nature for poetic inspiration. The Fullersburg/Graue Mill Nature Preserve is part of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, with centers situated along beautiful Salt Creek. Graue Mill once served as a site on the Underground Railroad and its trail system offers plenty of places to stop, observe the flora and fauna, and make notes for the first draft of a poem.  

Museum of Contemporary Photography, 600 S. Michigan Avenue. The exhibit for our August visit was “Beyond the Frame” and included pictures from the college’s permanent collection.

Cantigny Park and Gardens, 1s151 Winfield Road, in Wheaton, Illinois
Cantigny, with its combination of nature and history, was a great source for first drafts. Around 2:30 p.m. we gathered at Cantigny’s Cafe for writing, refreshments, and socializing.

Field Museum on Lake Michigan’s shore, after meeting up participants dispersed to view exhibits. After a few hours of exploring exhibits, we met up to write.

Chicago Maritime Museum in Bridgeport

National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen to view the Day of the Dead exhibit, among others.

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, 220 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst
The museum has a unique collection of gemstones, jade carvings, and cameos, and a temporary exhibit about Italian shell cameos and Chakra Stones.

Hemingway House, 339 N. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park
About 15 of us met at the Hemingway House at 339 N. Oak Park Avenue in Oak Park on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. A guide gave us a private tour of the home, then we gathered for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Some of us drafted a poem or prose piece and shared it with the group.

American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Second Floor, Chicago 
About 10 of us met at the newly constructed American Writers Museum on Saturday, June 10, 2017, the same weekend as Printers Row Lit Fest. The museum sports permanent and temporary exhibits, including one about poet M.S. Merwin. It's definitely worth a trip if you haven't done so already!