If you’re an aspiring writer with a personal story to tell, and you’re ready to get out of your isolation and into a pleasant haven in the woods, join us for our first-ever in-depth exploration of the art and craft of writing memoir, Workshop in the Woods with Joyce Maynard, best-selling author and longtime teacher of personal narrative.

It will take place (Marin County regulations permitting) August 7-9 in Inverness, one of the most magical places in Northern California, at a historic, nine-bedroom former inn above Tomales Bay, surrounded by gorgeous forest and less than an hour north of San Francisco. 

It will be rustic. Think camping but with bedrooms, indoor plumbing, space to write and good cheese. Attendance is limited to 10 lucky writers who seek to develop their skills in long or short-form storytelling.

Covid-19 precautions will be in place with limited contact between attendees, and gatherings taking place in the great room or the airy wraparound porch (pictured below).

Over the course of the weekend, the work of each writer will be individually workshopped, with a close, tough-love approach that examines issues of story structure, language, voice, dialogue, point of view, and emotional authenticity.  

Beginning by examining the raw material of our experiences, Joyce will look at the difference between simply reporting what happened and creating a story arc for readers and listeners that lets us explore not simply what happened, but what it meant, as well as the core question, what is my story really about? She’ll examine a writer’s personal responsibility when telling stories from his or her own life, and look at how to establish a daily writing practice. 

To participate in the workshop, each writer will be expected to submit, in advance, a work of memoir (a free-standing essay or excerpt from a longer work) of no more than 2000 words or—alternatively—a letter that lays out, briefly, the story she or he wants to tell. We’ll take it from there.

Workshop in the Woods will take place over two nights and days, from Friday at 5 until Sunday at 1 PM. Tuition includes housing (single or shared room), dinner Friday night, breakfast and lunch Saturday, breakfast Sunday, and hearty amounts of beverages - adult and otherwise. (Dinner Saturday is on your own, in Inverness town or nearby Point Reyes Station.) 

All bathrooms are shared, and students are responsible for their own linens and towels. Like we said, rustic. But stunningly beautiful and quiet and ready to kick your creative process into high gear. Parking is plentiful. And there will be time for hiking, which can be done from the Inn’s front door.

Costs
Single bedroom + meals + workshop $1050
Shared bedroom* + meals + workshop $725

(*Let us know if you have someone you want to share with; otherwise we’ll pair you with someone. And yes, beds can be six feet apart.) 

For more information, contact [email protected]. 

The Fine Print

• If Marin County’s ban on tourism is in force as of July 31, workshop must be canceled and tuition will be refunded in full. 

• All bedrooms are up one or two flights of stairs. (Location is a private home and not ADA compliant.) 

• If a student feels they need to cancel after registering, it can be done without penalty.

About Litquake
Litquake’s diverse live programs are created with the aim of inspiring critical engagement with the key issues of the day, bringing people together around the common humanity encapsulated in literature, and perpetuating a sense of literary community, as well as a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing. We believe in literature as a public good, so we work to produce events that are accessible to all. www.litquake.org

Litquake is grateful for the support of the following funders who help make our programming possible. Institutional Giving: Adobe Employee Community Fund, Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, California Arts Council, California College of the Arts, California Institute of Integral Studies, Center for the Art of Translation, California Humanities, Chronicle Books, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Fleishhacker Family Foundation, Grants for the Arts, HarperOne, Margaret and William R. Hearst III Foundation, Mary A. Crocker Trust, Miner Anderson Family Foundation, Mystery Writers of America, Northern California Chapter, National Endowment for the Arts, The Bernard Osher Foundation, The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Stanford Continuing Studies, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Zellerbach Foundation. Individual Giving: Frances Dinkelspiel and Gary Wayne, Margaret and Will Hearst, Scott James and Gerald Cain, Nion McEvoy, Craig Newmark, and Nicole Miner and Robert Mailer Anderson. Media Sponsors: San Francisco Chronicle, 7 X 7, KQED, Bay Area Reporter, Johnny Funcheap, and KALW 91.7