HIgh-Country Writing Retreat
General Description:
This is an opportunity for new and experienced writers alike to take inspiration from the Sierra’s spiced air and rushing waters, its loamy ground and craggy heights. Group sessions in forest, meadow, and mountainside settings provide guidance and prompts as well as time to write and share work without judgment. Unstructured periods allow for individual writing, wandering, and optional one-on-one instructor conferences. You determine the focus and form as well as the amount of writing you produce. Come to the Field Campus and experience the creative renewal that flourishes on a mountain retreat.
Instructor
Writer, editor, and visual artist Sarah Rabkin is an award-winning UC Santa Cruz instructor in writing and environmental studies. She thrives at the intersections of image, language, and landscape, and loves teaching in wild places. Sarah has led scores of field workshops around the Sierra and the western U.S. Her essays, poems, articles, and reviews have appeared in regional and national publications; her illustrated field journals have been exhibited formally and informally. Sarah has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Harvard and a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz.
Class Schedule
There will be a get-acquainted meeting on the evening of July 14 at 7:00 PM ; last meeting finishes at 3:00 p.m. on July 18.
Class Equipment
Please bring your favorite writing implements and a notebook or a supply of writing paper with clipboard. Opportunities to charge laptop batteries may be limited, so come prepared to write mainly by hand.
Field gear
Bring binoculars and/or a hand lens if you think you'll want to use them.
Camping gear
- warm sleeping bag
- foam pad
- flashlight
- bring your own tent or use tents with beds provided at the field campus
Clothing
Although days are generally warm, or even hot at lower elevations, be prepared for temperatures as low as freezing at night. Variable weather clothing that may be layered is best. Long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, warm sweater and jacket, t-shirt and shorts or skirt, tennis shoes or hiking boots, sun hat, rain gear, and a warm hat or gloves for cold weather or night activities. Old sneakers, rubber boots, or hip-waders may come in handy for marsh prowling.
Miscellaneous:
- day pack
- sunscreen
- insect repellant
- alarm clock
- water bottles
Required Reading
- Sarah will supply a collection of readings. Please bring a check or cash for $8-$12 to reimburse her for photocopying.
For carpool email jsteele@sfsu.edu
