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        Home / Classes / Creative Writing / Fiction

        Retreat at Ragdale - February 2020

        Register Now
        Retreat at Ragdale – February 2020
        Instructor: Audrey Niffenegger
        Categories Fiction, Creative Writing Tags Audrey Niffenegger, Non-Fiction

        SHORT DESCRIPTION

        CLASS INFO
        DETAILS
        INSTRUCTOR
        QUESTIONS?
        NOTES
        CLASS INFO

        Ragdale and StoryStudio Chicago are pleased to announce an exceptional writing retreat in February with best-selling author Audrey Niffenegger at the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois, a spectacular setting that offers the best of nature and architecture.

        For over 100 years, Ragdale has provided the time and space for artists and writers to delve deeply into creative endeavors, and today it has a tangible energy that feeds your work from the moment you arrive.


        Past, Present, Future: A Brief Consideration of Time and Memory

        Stories are made by playing with time and by creating artificial new memories that can be as meaningful as anyone’s reality. This workshop retreat is open to fiction and non-fiction writers who are interested in experimenting with methods of shaping memory and shifting time. We will discuss structure, tense, unreliability, physics, the science of memory, and various narrative techniques and party tricks that offer surprising, subtle possibilities for writers.

        Please prepare for the retreat by bringing a draft of a short story, essay, or book chapter whose structure, time management or use of memory you would be happy to rework. 3000 word maximum, please. These will be sent ahead of the workshop to all participants; please read these before the workshop meets. Instructions and other readings will also be sent beforehand.

        Students are welcome to bring laptops and notebooks to the workshop. There will be in-class writing exercises and reading aloud. This is a workshop for intermediate and advanced students. If you aren’t sure if this workshop will suit you, please get in touch and we’ll help you figure that out.

        In addition to scheduled programming, we’ll take advantage of the winding paths, secluded benches, and fifty acres of pristine prairie. The history of Ragdale, the unique setting, and the spirit of so many writers who have written in these spaces before are sure to inspire us all. This retreat will offer everyone the opportunity to stop and look and wonder, and sometimes learn. All attendees will be fed by Chef Linda.

        How to Register

        You can choose to stay overnight on the Ragdale grounds, or just come for the programming and meals. Rooms are assigned randomly. A small number of Ragdale rooms are en suite (you can reserve for an additional $100 fee), and some rooms share a bathroom with just one or two other writers. They are broken down in to different price ranges. We can guarantee that all rooms have that special Ragdale spirit!

        1. I want to stay overnight in an en suite room with a private bathroom ($785) SOLD OUT
        2. I want to stay overnight on the Ragdale campus in the “Barnhouse,” sharing a bathroom is fine with me ($685) SOLD OUT
        3. I want to stay overnight on the Ragdale campus in the “Friends Studio,” sharing a bathroom is fine, and I don’t mind climbing some stairs ($650) SOLD OUT
        4. I’ll come in each day for programming and meals ($510) SOLD OUT

        PUT YOUR NAME ON OUR WAITLIST IN CASE ANY AVAILABILITY OPENS UP.

        DETAILS
        Location

        Chicago Studio

        Day(s) of the Week

        Self Directed

        Level

        Intermediate

        Instructor

        Audrey Niffenegger

        INSTRUCTOR

        Audrey Niffenegger

        Audrey Niffenegger is a writer and visual artist who lives in Chicago and London. Her first novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, was an international best seller and is being adapted into an HBO series by Steven Moffat. Her second novel, Her Fearful Symmetry, was set in London’s Highgate Cemetery, where Ms. Niffenegger has been a guide since 2003. She has been published by The Guardian, Bust, Granta, British Elle and many other periodicals. She is currently at work on a sequel to The Time Traveler’s Wife.

        QUESTIONS?

          NOTES

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          • Writing Classes
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          • In-a-Year Programs
            • In-A-Year Student Publications
            • Memoir in a Year
            • Novel in a Year: First Draft with Abby Geni
            • Novel in a Year: Revise and Launch
            • Novel in a Year: YA/Middle Grade with Jame Klise
            • ONLINE: Novel in a Year: First Draft with Michael Zapata
            • Novel in a Year: First Draft with Rebecca Makkai
            • Essay Collection in a Year with Megan Stielstra
            • Novel in a Year: Speculative Fiction
          • about
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            • FAQs
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          • Workshops, Camps, Services
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            • CHIRBy Awards
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            • Stories Matter Foundation Masters Award
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