What can you expect from our week together as part of the inaugural Hellbender Gathering?
Well, we’ve got some ideas:
The first is that of a deep and abiding safety for all involved, creating a sanctuary of space and time from which joy and creativity will thrive.
The second is that our time together will largely be generative. This means that our workshops—led by some of the most renowned poets today who are also phenomenal teachers—will be a mix of craft discussions, readings, and exercises designed to get you back to the page to find the words you most need during this time. There will be opportunities to share your work—and to celebrate the work of others—but with the exception of only a few poems you’ll send beforehand, the work you’ll share will largely be created during our time together.
The third is a belief in the importance of both environmental science and poetry and the magic that happens when the two are brought together. Our mornings start with a three-hour poetry workshop, and after lunch, you’ll be invited to learn from our ecology faculty. Weather permitting, these sessions will be outside as you stroll the stunning land here at the Blue Ridge Assembly. Our aim is that these encounters—while not physically challenging—will bring you back to your own body andfill you with awe as you come into communication with the plants, mushrooms, lichen, and wildlife of the incredibly biodiverse region of these mountains. Our master naturalists will guide you through experiences which will hopefully inform and inspire your poems for some time to come.
And fourth, while we’ve planned a rich and full schedule, we also recognize the need for restoration and ease. Every day, there will be time in the schedule set aside for your writing, and there’s also a great deal of flexibility to take time as you need it.
Finally, like all true gatherings, we believe our week together will be made of thecommunity of which it is formed, which means that we’re seeking like-minded wonderers and word nerds, those that believe as much as we do in the power of poetry. It also means that after the week in which we gather, Hellbender will be doing all it can to keep bringing us together so that we might continue to grow the poems that took seed in workshop and to nurture the warmth, generosity, and courage it may take for us to lift one another so that, together, we may rise.
So what then, exactly, does our week together include? Here’s the list:
-Craft talks from our poetry faculty(4 total) as well as a group panel featuring both our ecology and poetry faculty.
-Four nights of readings and book signings, including those by our poetry faculty and our special keynote guest. We’ll also have readings for fellows, interns, and all participants (which may just mean you!) to share their work.
-Invitation to our mid-week dance party celebration.
-Invitation to our ceremonial American Chestnut tree planting.
-Personal time set aside for your writing (8.5 hours)—though you might make far more time, these hours are intentionally set aside to help assure that you’ll have time for your poems.
-All meals from Monday evening to Sunday morning (6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 6 dinners).
-Six-night stay in hotel-style room with private baths, air conditioning, and elevator access to all floors.
