Many More Than Three Beautiful Things 06/23-26/08: The Writing Retreat

1. I've never been a visiting writer before and I wondered if the plans I had for unlocking the writers at this retreat would be welcome or effective.

2. They have been both.

3. The writers wrote lovely poems that look at writing in terms of something in their life they enjoyed, including swimming, arranging flowers, cooking, lying in the sun on flat river bank rocks, and a host of other things. You can read InlandEmpireGirl's poem here.

4. InlandEmpireGirl has told me many warm and vivid things about her friend Bev and getting acquainted with her has been wonderful.

5. Mary is a tribal judge for the Coeur d'Alene tribe and we talked for an hour about her work, her life's history, the writing she has done about genocide and the writing she is doing about salmon and the Columbia River. She read me a moving children's story she wrote about a goose being given a new name and a poem she wrote about her father, an Indian, having been called a nigger. It was an emotional and enriching hour.

6. Laurie, Silver Valley Girl's sister-in-law sang two songs at open mic. Her singing visibly moved us all. Earlier, Laurie and I talked about a piece she had written and about locating the emotions she is exploring in her body, not so much in her head.

7. Wilma was born and raised in working class family in Kamiah and struggles with the how to straddle the worlds of her home and the world of her education and work now that she has earned a doctorate, an achievement which sets her apart from her hometown and her family. We had an earnest talk about this challenge and she brought it up in our group's workshop and her concern unlocked an energetic discusson.

8. Ellen wrote and read a stunning poem about finnan haddie.

9. Nightly campfires have been a robust way to end each day of our retreat and have featured terrific conversations and much laughter.

10. There is so much more. But it's getting close to 1 a.m. Breakfast is at 7. I have a workshop to lead in the morning at 10. I need to pack it in and get some sleep.