| Summary: | In a presumably ‘post-material’ digital age, the turn to materialism has been unmistakeably pronounced in recent years. Renewed critical attention to ‘thing theory’ and material culture also points to fertile ground for writers and teachers of writing. This paper offers an exploration of how writing about ‘things' – in this case, a ‘garbage land' full of discarded things – can teach students to engage with the world in innovative, alert, and ethical ways. It considers such sites as rich repositories for creative research and embodied observation that can help beginning writers move beyond the ‘radical subjectivist expressionism' (in D. G. Myer's phrase) often associated with ‘creative writing’. From a case study in material ecology, the paper ultimately progresses to a consideration of the cultural ecology of the workshop environment itself, and the value of ‘situated learning.' Ultimately, I argue that thinking through material culture at the local level can help clarify – for us, no less than for our students – the value of a convergent mental and physical presence, of a critically honed sense of emplacement, or a sense of creative residency in its fullest reach.
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