We celebrated our Lady of Guadalupe Day with oranges and chocolates, with poems and wood smoke on our clothes. For a week we were released from our outer lives in order to explore interior landscapes, our responsibilities to ourselves. I wrote seven poems in seven days. I have never done that before. Our ages ranged from 35 to 65, our geography, diverse. In March, Carolyn Forche will run another "Master Class" at Hedgebrook and if you can find your way there, you won't be sorry. She is a generous teacher, a fun person to hang out with, and of course, a stunning poet. Applying to the Master Class gets you into Hedgebrook, but it doesn't effect your ability to apply again. Do it.
(photo credit: Kelli Russell Agodon) P.S. The March class isn't listed yet, but it is happening. Contact Amy Wheeler and she can get you the exact dates and the application. And yes, this is a retreat exclusively for women, the only one in the world.
Susan, how wonderful for you to have had this respite! And such inspired productivity, too... I'm convinced that the combination of land, water, tasty and nourishing food, solitude, and the companionship of other women at Hedgebrook are what makes it possible, and for so many, year after year. And sorry that you're having a hard re-entry... it's not surprising!
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing you have been there, too. The hard part is coming home - even when home is a good place ...
ReplyDeleteYes - Fir Cottage for six weeks in April-May 1999. It was a significant experience for me, not so much for external productivity while there, but for internal productivity. The external came later...
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