Wildacres Writing Retreat - 2011

A poet lays a poem by my breakfast plate . . . a student’s reading moves me to tears . . . my class erupts in laughter at what is now a shared joke . . . a farm bell summons us to classes and meals… and always there is the beauty of the wooded campus and the pleasure of being surrounded by like minds -- others whose joy it is to play with words.

Faculty like Ron Rash and Phebe Davis. . .

Beautiful surroundings in which to socialize. . . or be alone with your hula hoops. . .

 

A faculty room much more interesting than the one you remember from high school . . .

Somebody else doing the cooking . . .

High atop the Blue Ridge Mountains, just off the Parkway . . . they call it the magic mountain.

I taught Commercial Fiction -- a grueling two hours a day with one day off. Back in June, each of the campers workshop participants  submitted about fifteen pages of their work in progress and all of us gave these pages our closest attention. During class, we discussed these pages, praising what we thought were the strengths and (gently) pointing out the weaknesses and suggesting ways to fix these problems.


We were dealing with all sorts of popular fiction -- thriller, sci-fi, chick lit, women's fiction, mystery, relationship stories -- and I was impressed with the level of writing and with the excellent critiques that emerged from our combined wisdom.

When the campers writers weren't in class, they were free to sit in on other classes, goof off, sight see, write, sleep . . .

 A lot of time was spent just hanging out. . .

There were faculty readings and student readings . . .  but it wasn't all work; there was considerable silliness.

Hollywood Night brought out some amazing characters. . . 
many of whom, I'd thought deceased. . .

 
Michael Jackson made an appearance --

Groucho and Harpo  looked on . . . and Marilyn was ravishing. . .

But wait! There's more! The final night was given over to skits and many an inside joke . . . The Gong Show is a yearly tradition and there's a whole room full of costumes, wigs, and props of various ilks.

A week at Wildacres Writing Workshop is an opportunity to hone one’s craft, to delight in the art of others, to sit at table with strangers who quickly become friends.

A little like summer camp with the bells, the communal meals, the skits, and the dress up night . . .

A little like beach week with the sense of having escaped from care and the jello shots, loud music, and dancing on the patio till the wee hours . . .

   And a little like Shangri-la, a place apart where wisdom can be found -- the Wildacres experience is probably slightly different for each attendee.

I highly recommend it.