Spring Break Writer's Retreat March 22 - 28th

Yep - it's camp for grown-ups!

Seven-day writing workshop & retreat at Stewart Mineral Springs in Northern California

Spend a week writing and attending daily writing workshop with Ariel Gore in the spectacular Trinity Mountains of Shasta National Forest.

Here's the plan:
Sunday, March 22 - Arrive at Stewart Mineral Springs in the beautiful Trinity Mountains of Shasta National Forest, get settled into your room, meet Ariel and your fellow writers for an evening quick-write, and share a vegetarian dinner.

Monday - Friday March 23rd through 27th - Writing workshops will be held each morning from 10 a.m. to Noon. We'll produce new material, workshop stories you've come with or stories you've begun to craft here in the mountains. You'll have the afternoon to write, hike, swim in the creek, and sweat in the sauna. We'll share three simple, hearty vegetarian meals each day.

Saturday, March 28. We'll have breakfast together-- and end the week by joining the sacred sweat lodge purification ceremony on the grounds of Stewart Mineral Springs at 1 p.m.

One Writer - $650 - Price includes all writing workshops, six nights lodging in a shared room (bring a friend or bunk with another writer), unlimited sauna use, vegetarian dinner on Sunday, three hearty vegetarian meals per day on the weekdays, breakfast on Saturday, and Native American sweat lodge on Saturday.

$200 deposit saves your spot

Writer's Companion - $380 - Companion rate includes six nights lodging in a shared room, unlimited sauna use, all meals, and Native American sweat lodge on Saturday. (No writing workshops).

$100 deposit saves your spot

Mineral soaks and massages cost a little extra. Stewart Mineral Springs is 350 miles south of Portland, Oregon and 280 miles north of San Francisco -- near Weed, California.

New Online Class Starts in January - CLASS FULL

This was best writing class I have ever taken! Almost painlessly you got us to write, write, write. And for me got at some new great material.

--Kitty Torres

January 5 - March 1
LIT STAR TRAINING
Taught by Ariel Gore

The creative jolt we all need -- for writers wanting to work on either memoir or fiction -- we'll make time to write, create new material with weekly deadlines, and improve out craft with practice and critique. In the beginning of the workshop, you'll choose an organizing theme that will allow you to produce seven new stories--either thematically-related short pieces or parts of a longer project. And you'll be off! You won't even have time to worry about creative blocks. Class combines online discussion/critique, email, and telephone coaching. Class size is limited.

$275

CLASS FULL - EMAIL IF YOU WANT TO BE ON A WAITING LIST

$75 deposit saves your spot - balance due when class starts

I have a voice that I have been working on, mining you might say. I have always had a deep longing to unearth the missing parts of myself that have been buried. In order to survive growing up, I had to bury myself along the way.

--Karin Marsh

home from mexico

Maybe it wasn't the most relaxing trip ever, but it was beautiful... Got stuck in Houston for two days on the way down over a couple of snow flurries and a lot of Continental Airlines lies & incompetence.

Finally busted out of the airport to go to free night at the Houston Children's Museum and stay at the lovely ho-mall Travelodge totally not on the airline's dime.

But on the third day we finally flew away to Mexico City, and flew again, and landed in Oaxaca, and we ran from the little airport and told the taxi driver to please hurry because the baby's grandmother was waiting for him in the church. We made it in time for the last mass on Guadalupe day and presented him to the Virgin... He was the only gringo Juan Diego there. All blessed with his eyeliner mustache.

And then the writing workshop! And twelve witchy women with wild and true stories of love and church and the violence of life.

And the power of literature because even when they weren't true we believed them. And we believed in them.

And there is more. But I am just home. And it is snowing. And I am tired and want some more coffee. And it seems that all the pictures of Mexico are pictures of Max...

Oaxaca love

Woo hoo! Going to Oaxaca next week for the writing workshop. Check out this amazing slide show about the "muxes" of Juchitan in Southern Oaxaca...