Leslie Barnard Booth and Elizabeth Haidle

In this free, interactive workshop, author-educator Leslie Barnard Booth and author-illustrator-educator Elizabeth Haidle invite audiences of all ages to explore the ways in which birds and birding sharpen our skills of observation and spark creativity. Connecting nature, literature, and art, this workshop is intentionally intergenerational and open to all skill levels.

​

The workshop opens with a reading of I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive, a new poem-as-picture-book by Leslie Barnard Booth that was inspired by the urban crows of Portland. Next, Elizabeth Haidle leads a wide-ranging romp through the adventures of line and dot—showing ways to approach the sketching of birds using contrast, shape, tone, and texture. Highlighting the power of spontaneity and collaboration, Elizabeth and Leslie lead participants in a series of drawing and writing games with birds as the vital jumping-off point.

​

Leslie Barnard Booth writes lyrical picture books about nature and science. Her 2024 release, One Day This Tree Will Fall, was named an ALA-ALSC Notable Book, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book, and an Oregon Book Award finalist. Her most recent book, I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive, explores the social lives of crows. Leslie has taught at preschool, elementary, and college levels, and lives in Portland, Oregon.

 

Elizabeth Haidle is an acclaimed author-illustrator who specializes in nonfiction comics. She is the art and editorial director at Illustoria Magazine. Her illustrations have appeared in graphic novels, picture books, and magazines such as The Nib and The New Yorker. Her most recent release, Drawing Is . . . Your Guide to Scribbled Adventures, is an affirming and inspiring book about drawing.