Description
WE’RE SORRY, THIS ROOM IS SOLD OUT! PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME ON THE WAITLIST.
Purchasing this room will put you in the Ragdale main house. You will be in one of these rooms: Top of the Stairs, Sarah’s Room, Blue Room, or Albert’s Room. This is an overnight purchase, with a private bathroom. Rooms are on the second story, accessible by stairs.
This is for the December 4-9 week-long retreat with Nami Mun and Eula Biss.
As part of Ragdale’s new series of Master Workshops, StoryStudio is proud to offer this week-long experience, led by two instructors: Nami Mun and Eula Biss.
Part retreat, part mini-residency, this Master Workshop for writers will focus on providing space and community for your work-in-progress. Outside of structured writing time and mini-lessons, the week has been crafted to provide ample writing time to yourself.
The Retreat’s Theme: Obsession
Much of writing is made up of obsessions. We might use our obsession as catalyst and fuel, something that gets us writing and, if lucky, keeps us writing. And sometimes we write about our obsession directly, hoping (perhaps futilely) to be purged free of it, once and for all. Susan Sontag, while talking about writing and the writer’s life, said it simply: “You have to be obsessed. It’s not something you’d want to be—it’s rather something you couldn’t help but be.”
During our time together, we’ll explore “obsession” from two main angles: personally and textually. On the personal level, and as a way to generate work, we’ll discuss and identify subjects we keep returning to—from harmless infatuations to downright obsessions. Is Kendrick Lamar or the soundtrack from Mama Mia playing nonstop on your headphones, for example? Is there a painting you keep seeing in your mind’s eye? What exactly is your relationship with a well-made cheeseburger? On a textual level, we’ll together short stories and/or essays that deal with obsession in one form or another, or reveal the linguistic obsessions the author held while writing them.
Unlike traditional workshops, this week-long retreat will be more consultation, generative, and discussion based. Participants will be led throughout the week with guided prompts and exercises, followed by afternoon lessons. This lesson slot will comprise of craft talks, close-reading of a story or scene, some student readings and brief on-the-spot workshop.
There would also be slots during which participants will meet one-on-one with Nami or Eula to discuss an element of their writing that they want. There isn’t meant to be pre-reading of work, so this will not be workshop-based, but rather a conversation of your ideas, where you’re at in the process, discussing the publishing industry, etc.
*Please note: rooms are limited, and we cannot guarantee you a spot at any of our retreat spots.
