A creative writing workshop for victims and responders impacted by the 2020 Bobcat Fire
On September 17, 2020, Southeast Antelope Valley residents watched in horror as the Bobcat Fire crested Pleasant View Ridge after a long march from the other side of the San Gabriel Mountains. On September 18th all hell broke loose in our northern slope communities. So many had their lives turned upside down by the devastation, and more than a year later the grief and trauma remain.
The practice of writing can lead us to examine our experiences from different perspectives. The Other Side of the Mountain: The Bobcat Fire Remembered was designed to renew our sense of community by sharing stories in a safe, workshop environment; to help us heal through the act of writing; and to bring public awareness to the effects of the California wildfires.
Antelope Valley poet and educator Nicelle Davis generously guided the two-part workshop. Her poetry colleagues Arminé Iknadossian and Brian Sonia-Wallace provided additional support.
On September 18, 2021, the one-year anniversary of The Fire, the workshop group read their work at a commemorative gathering hosted by the Juniper Hills Community Association. Click the button below to read a PDF of the collected pieces.