Writing Wild: A Poetry Writing Intensive with Pam Uschuk – G231047
Writing Wild: A Poetry Intensive will concentrate on writing poetry inspired by the wild, by land and cultures in and around Ghost Ranch. The main goal of the intensive is to write poetry concerned with ecological issues such as species loss and climate change as well as to give shape to the wild inside by observing the wild outside. Come prepared to write and share your work. The instructor will provide constructive written feedback on poems generated during the week.We will focus on writing techniques such as figurative language, sound imagery and uses, line breaks, lyric, narrative and hybrid poetry. American Book Award-winning poet, editor, environmental activist, and Black Earth Institute Senior Fellow, Pamela Uschuk will lead the course.
Thoreau wrote, “In wilderness lies preservation.” Joy Harjo wrote, “We must turn slaughter into food.” We will write toward that hope. Just as we need to preserve the last wildernesses on our planet, poets need to to speak their truths about pressing environmental issues as well as to preserve what’s wild within themselves. Each day will include an encouraging discussion of participant poems and discussion of model pieces by many poets. We will write together and in solitude. We will talk about the state of our planet and the creatures who live on it. We will walk the beautiful wild lands of Ghost Ranch for inspiration. You can expect to take home 8-10 finished new poems.
5-Night Program Package Price (Includes Lodging, Tuition and Meals):
- Private Room – $1,696
- Semi-Private Room – $1,596
- Dorm – $1,321
- Suite – $1,871 to $2,371
- Campsite/RV – $1,046 to $1,096
*Pricing for Single Occupancy
HELP
Please use the options below to find helpful information regarding Ghost Ranch Workshops and Retreats
If you need shuttle service, please reach out to Kevin at White Buffalo Shuttle 831.359.8077 | nivek@cruzio.com
Virtual Events: Payments made for Virtual Events are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend the event, recordings will be made available to you after the event. For events with multiple sessions, every attempt will be made to make the session(s) available to you before the next scheduled session.
In-person events: Written notification must be received no later than 45 days prior to the start date of your workshop in order to receive a refund, minus a $150 processing charge. No refunds can be processed after that time. We reserve the right to announce a change in leadership or cancel any program 31 days prior to the first day of the workshop. In this event, you may transfer to another workshop without charge or we will refund the full workshop payment. (Many participants have found it helpful to purchase travel insurance). If the cancellation is received less than 31 days prior to your start date, your funds can be left on deposit for another Ghost Ranch workshop or future stay during this calendar year, but you must know the exact dates of your next stay. Or you can choose to make it a tax-deductible donation to support Ghost Ranch. This cancellation policy does not apply to January Term.
We understand there are some with special dietary restrictions. In order for us to best serve all, prior notice of any special needs is required.
Because we are a cafeteria style foodservice and our number of guests can be quite large, we are unable to accommodate individual meals for any guest. We are, however, always looking to be sure that we have an option that will fit one or more common and crossover restrictions.
Any severe allergies are taken most seriously, yet we cannot promise there will be no cross contamination in the assembling of products here. We highly recommend some personal option be brought along. We do have a few public refrigerators available, but there is no access to a kitchen or cooking.
We are also unable administer any medication, so please have your personal Epi-Pen” readily available.
We are glad you are planning to visit the ranch, and want your trip from beginning to end to be smooth.We rely on White Buffalo Shuttle for our guests. Kevin Spitzer picks up at the Sage Inn in Santa Fe the afternoon of the first date listed, and returns to the Sage Inn the morning of the last date. His phone number is 831.359.8077. Email is nivek@cruzio.com
The best way to get to Santa Fe Sage Inn is Groome Transportation. They are very helpful in assessing your flight info and getting you on the right shuttle at the right time. 505.474.5696/ groometransportation.com
EVENT FAQ's
Click here to see a full list of FAQs
What day/time does the workshop start and end?
In-person workshops begin with check-in at 3:00 p.m. and a ranch orientation in the evening on the first date listed for the course and end at 10:00 a.m. with checkout on the last date listed.
Virtual workshops will have a varied schedule that is identified within each workshop description.
What is the difference between a room with private bath, a room with semi-private or shared bath, and a room with communal/dorm bath?
Private bath refers to the type of bathroom, not single occupancy
Private Bath Room: There is a bathroom in that one room that is not shared between or with any other rooms. The highest rate tier of Ghost Ranch lodging.
Semi-private/shared: There is a bathroom between two rooms that is shared by the occupants of the two adjoining sleeping rooms. These rooms will only be used as family or group suites, not to be shared by unknown neighbors as in the past.
Communal/dorm: There is a communal bathroom/shower in the lodging building and participants will need to exit their room to reach these facilities.
I EAT A VEGAN/GLUTEN-FREE/DAIRY-FREE (ETC.) DIET. WHAT ARE MY MEAL OPTIONS?
- The ranch Dining Hall serves three meals a day on a fixed schedule. We offer a vegetarian option at each meal. While the Dining Hall offers gluten-free items and vegan dishes at some meals, we cannot guarantee that these options will be available for each meal. Let us know about this need in your registration notes. If it is necessary for a guest to eat a specific diet or if a guest has food allergies, the surest option is to bring personal food items to the ranch. There are refrigerators available for guest use in a few common/public spaces.
Instructors
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Pam UschukPamela Uschuk has eight books of poems, including Crazy Love, winner of a 2010 American Book Award. Her new collection, Refugee, Red Hen Press, was named by Orion as one of their fourteen recommended 2022 books of poems. Translated into more than a dozen languages, her work appears worldwide, including Poetry, Ploughshares, Agni Review, etc. Her awards include Best of the Web, Dorothy Daniels Writing Award from the National League of American PEN Women, and prizes from Ascent and Amnesty International. Editor-In-Chief of CUTTHROAT, A JOURNAL OF THE ARTS, and Black Earth Institute Fellow, Uschuk lives in Bayfield, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona. She edited the anthologies, Truth To Power: Writers Respond To The Rhetoric Of Hate And Fear, 2017, Puro Chicanx Writers of the 21st Century, 2020, and Through the Ash, New Leaves, 2022. The month of September found her in Alaska on a writing fellowship where she finished work on a hybrid memoir called Hope’s Crazed Angels: An Odyssey Through Ovarian Cancer.