Amy Tan, bestselling author, avid birder, artist, and nature journaler

Ishita Jain, artist, illustrator, and author of Searching for Sunshine

John Muir Laws, author, educator, artist, and principal innovator of the global nature journaling movement

Jean Mackay, artist, teacher, and author of the Nature Explorer's Sketchbook

Sushma Hegde, artist, teacher, and author of the bestselling book Wildflower Watercolor

Douglas Tallamy, bestselling author of Nature's Best Hope and co-founder of the Homegrown National Park

Rosemary Mosco, author, cartoonist, and creator of Bird and Moon comic

Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director, National Wildlife Federation

Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix

Maria Coryell-Martin, artist-explorer and founder of Art Toolkit

Ian de Hoog, Canadian artist and teacher

Ben Goulet-Scott (L) and Jacob Suissa, co-founders Let's Botanize

Rosalie Haizlett, nature illustrator, teacher, and author of Watercolor in Nature

Learn about P22, the mountain lion in our conference art by John Muir Laws.

2023 Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference: Sept 13-17, 2023

The Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference is an annual event that gathers people who are passionate about nature, art, science, curiosity, and wonder to share ideas, learn from each other, support each other, inspire each other, and have fun together in nature’s beauty.

Sharpen your pencils! The 2023 online event includes more than 25 classes, panels, and lectures. You can look forward to learning from more than 30 teachers, journalers, writers, artists, authors, and thought leaders in nature, nature journaling, nature writing, visual thinking, and conservation, including Ian de Hoog, Tony Foster, Sushma Hegde, Ishita Jain, John Muir Laws, Rosemary Mosco, Beth Pratt, Isaiah Scott, Douglas Tallamy, Amy Tan, and many others.

Meet all of the teachers & speakers

Explore the Conference Schedule

“My start in nature journaling and drawing came through workshops with John Muir Laws, president of the Wild Wonder Foundation. I not only learned to draw, I discovered I could live more deeply in the moment, with curiosity, awe, and gratitude. It was restorative in a time of turmoil. I hope you can join me and share the joy.”
—Amy Tan, avid nature journaler, birder, bird artist, and bestselling author. Learn more and preorder a signed copy of her forthcoming book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles (April 2024).

Tickets

Registration Tips: You can only purchase one pass per order and per email address (as your access is linked to a specific email). All programs will be held online through the Sched.com interface, which will be set up as a virtual conference center. After your Eventbrite purchase, you will receive information on how to log in to Sched.

VIDEO PASS: Video Pass holders will receive an invitation by October 15 to watch the videos after the live event ends. Video Pass holders do not have access to any of the live events, social gatherings, or office hours.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Applications are now closed.

Refunds: We are not able to offer refunds.

Questions? First, please review our Frequently Asked Questions. If your question is not addressed there, please email us and we will help you within 3 business days. We are a very small team and we appreciate your kindness, patience, and understanding.

2023 Wild Wonder Auction

Our 2023 Wild Wonder Auction, which is now closed, featured numerous fantastic donated items such as art originals and prints, art and journaling supplies, binoculars, books, classes, and more. We even had several exclusive items such as a private journaling trip with John Muir Laws, a signed owl comic poster by Amy Tan.

Big thanks to the many generous auction donors, including Swarovski, John Muir Laws, Tom Bihn, Pentax, The Foster Museum, Heyday, Amy Tan, Sushma Hegde, Morro Bay Bird Festival, Greenleaf & Blueberry, Daniel Smith Watercolors, Etchrlab, Art Toolkit, and so many others.

Explore auction items (bidding closed)

Check Out Our Wild Wonder Reviews!

Each year, we gather ratings and feedback on the Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference, and attendees rave about this event. Here are a few of the many glowing reviews of the event:

“These classes made a huge difference in the way I see the natural world.”
“Thank you to all the folks that made this the Wildest, most Wondrous Nature Journaling Conference EVER! Wow, wow, wow! What a fantastic job you’ve all done!”
“These classes have enriched my life beyond measure!"
“I took all the classes and enjoyed every minute. Because it is online, the carbon footprint and use of resources for this conference was very low, and I appreciate that for all the reasons.”
“This conference was beyond wonderful. I was so impressed by the speakers, and I learned so much about so many different aspects of journaling in nature.”
“I just want to express tremendous gratitude for all who made this conference spectacular! Every presenter was extraordinary, the spirit was of the highest, logistics perfect (that alone is amazing). I leave wonderfully energized, motivated, happy, and in awe.”

Thank you to our 2023 Wild Wonder Partner and Sponsors

We are grateful for the generous support of our Partner and Sponsors, which helps make this event possible. We welcome additional sponsors. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please email us at wildwonderconf@gmail.com.

Partner

The Foster Museum: The mission of The Foster Museum is to unite and celebrate artist-explorer Tony Foster’s watercolor wilderness Journeys and inspire connection to art and the natural world.

Thank you to our Wild Wonder 2023 Planning Team!

John Muir Laws, Creative Director
Beth Kelley Gillogly, Founding Director, Marketing Director
Roseann Hanson, Logistics Director
Anne Marie Bergen, Auction Manager

Learn about the history of the Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference here.

SPECIAL NOTE: We are aware that the Jewish New Year began during the 2023 Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference when it was live in September. This oversight was unintentional, and we apologize sincerely for this overlap. In the future, we will be certain to take steps to prevent such scheduling conflicts. Happy New Year, and Shalom.