Day 1
6 - 9:00pm
who we are, and why we're here
what to expect from this weekend: how to retreat
ethical disclaimers and sundry other practical information
on health and literature: only connect
dipping your toes in: a short introduction to morning pages
Day 2
9:00am - 12:00pm
where we meet: a short talk on writing that's a short talk on health
up close: kissing the page (or, all art is theft)
writing activities for the essentials: scene and voice
Lunch
12- 1pm
1-4pm
writing a poem requires thinking poetically: a defense of poetry in the wards, clinics, and socially distanced practises during COVID
what does it take to write poetry and how should I write it? About what?
exercises to start, keep going, change, and alter your writing of poetry that are all based in attention
Break 4:00 - 6:00
6 - 9:00pm
including
reading
discussion
interview/qna
Day 3
9 am- 12pm
writing activities: talking to your pets, taking a notebook into the shower, and other ways to start writing a story
the black book: or, learning from the classics
on not peeling up the tiles in the kitchen: how to do this every day
Lunch
12 - 1pm
1 -4pm
Ian Williams’s novel Reproduction begins in a hospital room and some of the most significant plot points of the novel—and our lives—take us back to hospitals. Indeed, in the West, our lives are bookended by hospitals. During this event, Williams will read from Reproduction and together we will consider how hospitals bring people together, take people from us, introduce us to new life, how the great drama of being human unfolds in hospitals.
including
reading
discussion
interview/qna
Break
4 - 5pm
5-7pm
a pragmatic qna: going on, learning more, getting published, and other disasters
what we've learned and why it matters - a roundtable review with Damian and Shane