Mountain Writing Retreat: Cal-Wood Again!

We're doing it again! Join Fireside Ink cofounders, Brenda Kahn and Loie Rawding, for an exclusive one-day retreat! We have partnered with Cal-Wood Education Center in Jamestown, CO to spend a day exploring the power of memoir and fiction on their stunning 22,000 acre property. The day includes two workshops, ample time to explore the bountiful nature of the Colorado Rockies, open writing time, and an evening campfire to celebrate our time together and share what you’ve accomplished. Lunch is provided for an additional fee, or pack your own! Please bring everything you need to enjoy a day of creativity and writing in the wilderness. Indoor workshop space, beverages and restrooms are on site and ADA accessible. Limited to 12 participants. All genres and experience levels welcome!

SCHEDULE:

9:30-10am – Arrival and get settled on site

10:00-11:30am – Workshop with Brenda or Loie

11:30-Noon – Independent writing time & Time to wander

Noon-1pm – Lunch & Time to wander

1:00-2:30 – Joint Workshop with Brenda & Loie

2:30-3:30 – Independent writing time & Time to wander

3:30-5pm – Campfire Celebration & Open Mic

* If you’d like to have lunch provided by the Cal-Wood chefs, please purchase a ‘Lunch Ticket’ for $22. Leave a note with any allergies or dietary restrictions. PLEASE register by AUGUST 6 for to guarantee lunch availability. 

Workshop Options:

Nature & Sensuality w/ Loie Rawding – In this generative workshop, we’ll explore the rich intersection between sensuality and the natural world, using the landscape to explore our longing, pleasure, restraint, and potential for transformation. Through writing prompts, close reading, and discussion, we will practice translating physical experience, texture, scent, sound, temperature, into vivid, embodied storytelling. You can expect a supportive, intimate space where curiosity leads, and where the act of deep noticing becomes a powerful creative tool. 

Letters from the Rockies: Writing in Place – Grounded in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, write a letter from the present moment to someone from your life, past or present. We’ll begin with the physical world around us, the light through the trees, the air, the sounds, and use that as an anchor. Each piece will open from place: I’m writing from the woods… and move from what’s in front of you into what needs to be said. Choose your direction, a letter of love, memory, forgiveness, or letting go, but the focus is on writing directly to someone, allowing the setting to shape the voice and the emotional arc of the piece. We’ll work toward a finished letter, using techniques from memoir and poetry that strengthen voice and ground the writing in sensory detail, so the experience on the page feels lived-in and immediate. Stamps not included.

From Life to Fiction (and back) w/ Loie Rawding & Bren Kahn – Fiction or memoir? Poetry or lyric essay? Ever wonder which direction your project needs to take to arrive at its most successful destination? In this seminar, we will explore the fine line between real life and fiction in order to better understand what we’re writing and why. We will look at craft elements unique to each genre as well as the approaches that fiction and memoir share, try out some writing exercises geared towards clarification, and discuss project samples from the group to help answer the age-old question: what is this? 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions at: info@firesideinkwriters.org

Brenda Kahn is a Boulder-based artist, celebrated for her lyric-driven music that blends personal narratives with broader social commentaries. She gained acclaim in the ’90s with her punk-folk music, leading to a deal with Columbia Records and praise for her album “Epiphany in Brooklyn.” She’s toured with musical greats Bob Dylan and Jeff Buckley and authored “Ode to Chores,” a humorous take on motherhood in verse. Her 2024 single “Alright OK” is available on YouTube and Spotify. Kahn’s memoir explores the transformative power of music and writing against the backdrop of the ’90s East Village music scene and is currently on submission.

Loie Rawding is the author of the hybrid novel, Tight Little Vocal Cords (KERNPUNKT), a Finalist for the Big Other Book Awards and a Lambda Literary’s Most Anticipated Books of 2020. She is an editor, creative mentor, and teaching artist with arts organizations across the country. Loie grew up on an island off the coast of Maine. A recovering actor and dancer, she studied performing arts in Boston and worked in publishing in New York, before earning an MFA at the University of Colorado. Loie is certified in Narrative Medicine (Columbia) and works with medical practitioners to improve patient outcomes through the power of storytelling. For more: www.loierawding.com