The "Writing on the Sound" conference in Seattle exposed me to new places, people and writing. I'd never been to the area before, so seeing the natural beauty of the outdoors - trees, mountains, ocean, rivers and city - was impressive. I also appreciated the respect for First Nations/indigenous peoples arts and stories, and in turn attention to/reverence for nature, in this area and for me that was a huge takeaway. I moved to Michigan from northern Arizona, which is home to a large population of Native Americans, including Navajo/Dine and Hopi peoples, among others. While both UM and my former college (Northern Arizona University) pay attention to and care about Native populations in a variety of ways, it was really cool seeing a much more public appreciation for First Nations art and stories woven into the every day in the area from Seattle up to Vancouver. It re-emphasized to me the need for celebration of indigenous cultures in the every day and not just in special exhibits and on certain days, but all around, all the time with language and artistic representations. As a writer and a teacher, I felt this was an important reminder and bonus on top of actual conference content, though it is related because the "nature" (pun intended) of the workshop I was there to attend was focussed on nature writing and the art and culture of the First Nations represented around Edmonds (the small suburban seaside town where the conference was held) hold the same focus of nature - particularly on the sea and the orcas that swim in the waters there. The conference did achieve the goals of enhancing my knowledge, skills and techniques in nature and environmental writing, with the bonus of adding a lens of First Nations-perspectives on such. I've updated my course this semester and will continue to further update for the future based on what I learned thru the whole experience. In fact, I'm working on developing a whole course with a nature/outdoors focus.