Truth and Beauty

A Poetry Workshop with Marie Howe and Ellen Bass

Taos, New Mexico
May 27-31, 2009

Marie Howe and Ellen Bass are poets who know how to tell the truth in ways that show us the beauty of life, even in the midst of heartbreak and loss. If you want to encounter more truth in your poems, if you want to tell that truth in the most beautiful way possible, if you want to craft poems that reflect the inextricable marriage of truth and beauty, love and death, the luminous and the ordinary, please join us for this special workshop.

We will evade, elude, and distract the censors that silence or limit us. We'll approach our experience from new angles to find the poem within the story. We'll question the stories we think are true and experience the power of not-knowing and discovery.

Marie and Ellen will talk about the craft of poetry, we'll have ample time to write and share our poems. This is a rare opportunity to work with two poets who are not only extraordinary writers, but generous and insightful teachers.

Dear Writers,
I'm delighted to offer you this opportunity to participate in a workshop with the amazing poet, Marie Howe. Marie rarely teaches in a small retreat setting, so this is a special chance to study with one of the most admired and beloved poets writing today.

Marie Howe is the author of three books of poetry, the most recent being, The Kingdom of Ordinary Time (January 2008, Norton). Her previous books include The Good Thief (which was chosen for the 1987 National Poetry Series) and What the Living Do (1998). She has also co-edited In the Company of My Solitude: American Writing from the AIDS Pandemic. Her poems have appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Agni, Harvard Review and New England Review, among many others. Marie Howe received a Guggenheim and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She teaches at The Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas in Austin.

In the words of Stanley Kunitz: "Marie Howe's poetry is luminous, intense, and eloquent, rooted in an abundant inner life. Her long, deep-breathing lines address the mysteries of flesh and spirit, in terms accessible only to a woman who is very much of our time and yet still in touch with the sacred."

- Ellen Bass

Please scroll down for poems by Marie and me.

The place:
This workshop will be held at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house in Taos, New Mexico. This is a remarkable place, where some of the greatest minds of the 20th century were inspired. Situated at the end of a quiet road not far from the center of town, the inn has housed Georgia O'Keeffe, D.H. Lawrence, Ansel Adams, Martha Graham, and Carl Jung, among many other notables.

As an historic inn and conference center which offers retreat-style setting and artistic and literary workshops, the Mabel Dodge Luhan House continues to build on its 80-year history of personal, intellectual and artistic ferment.

As a guest of the house expect to enjoy warm adobe charm, early century elegance, historic relevance. Herringbone vigas, traditional arched doorways, kiva fireplaces, and carved pillars. A welcoming hearth and relaxed ambiance. Panoramic view.

There are two houses where we will have rooms, the Juniper House and the Big House.

To see more of the Mabel Dodge Luhan house, visit www.mabeldodgeluhan.com

The structure of the workshop:
We will write poems, share our writing, and hear what our work touches in others. We'll also read model poems by contemporary poets and discuss aspects of the craft. But mainly this will be a writing retreat-- time to explore and create in a supportive community. Though we'll focus on poetry, prose writers who want to enrich their language will find it a fertile environment.

Although this workshop is appropriate for beginning poets, with much support and encouragement offered, it is also recommended for experienced poets, including those who have published books or chapbooks, are teaching poetry, or have simply been working at the craft for a long time. If I weren't teaching the workshop, I would definitely sign up for it myself!

This workshop is oriented toward generating new work. We'll start each day with a talk about some aspect of the craft of writing. Then the rest of the morning will be devoted to writing. Unlike workshops where there are multiple short writing prompts, we prefer to schedule longer writing sessions so that there's time to go deeply into your writing. You may not be actually writing that entire time, but there's space for writing, reflection, starting off on a whole new topic, maybe taking a short walk to refresh yourself and beginning again.

Then we'll have lunch together and there'll be a little free time--to enjoy the locale, its craft galleries and local art, hike, read, relax, or, if you're burning, to keep writing. In the afternoon, we'll meet to share our work. For these sessions, we'll divide into two smaller groups, one led by Marie and one by me. Everyone will have a chance to read and to receive responses, encouragement, and support. Marie and I will also provide guidance and suggestions for those who need or want that.

Then we'll have dinner and the evenings are usually free for relaxing, socializing, talking about poetry--whatever you'd like to do. On the last evening, we'll have a group poetry reading.

Costs and registration:
My assistant, Shalom, will be taking care of all registration for the workshop. The basic cost of the workshop is $1250, which includes double occupancy lodging at the Juniper House at the Mabel Dodge Luhan Inn, all meals, and the workshop.

Single occupancy rooms at the Juniper House have a surcharge of $300 and single occupancy rooms at the Big House have a surcharge of $500. Double occupancy rooms in the Big House have a surcharge of $100 per person.

A deposit of $500 is required to hold your place and the remainder is due February 1, 2009. The workshop is limited to 25 participants. Registration is on a first-come basis. If you need to adjust the amount of your deposit or make a different payment plan, just talk to Shalom. We're flexible and we'll do our best to accommodate your needs.

To register, please make your check payable to Ellen Bass and mail to Shalom Victor, at 338 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. If you find that you cannot attend the workshop, let Shalom know as soon as possible and she'll try to fill your space with someone from the waiting list. If she can fill your space, she'll refund your payment, minus $50 which is non-refundable.

Getting there:
You can fly into either Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Santa Fe is closer if you can arrange it, but not as many flights go there. From there you can rent a car (if some people want to rent a car together, we can help you coordinate) or there's a convenient shuttle that goes several times a day (you can time your arrival with the shuttle). The round trip cost of the shuttle is $85 and takes you directly to the Mabel Dodge Luhan Inn.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email Shalom at victors75@rattlebrain.com or call her at 831-423-3064. If there's anything she can't answer, of course feel free to ask me.

I hope you can join us!

- Ellen