WRITING FROM THE LAND WORKSHOP

Writing from the Land Workshop

May 18-21, 2023
Torrey, Utah

A workshop at the Entrada Institute
on the edge of Capitol Reef National Park

What to Expect

Join us in Torrey Town, Utah, for a four-day event designed to:

• Inspire your creativity.
• Hone your work in a friendly atmosphere near Capitol Reef National Park.
• Learn new skills in small classes with dedicated presenters and faculty.
• Share your work with editors and peers.

THE ENTRADA INSTITUTE hosts its annual Writing from the Land Workshop in Torrey, Utah, at Robber’s Roost from May 18–21, 2023. Open to writers at all levels of experience and genres, the workshop offers instruction from well-known writers, editors, and journalists; readings by faculty and participants; manuscript consultations; panel discussion; and informative presentations by experienced professionals in the field. The workshop provides inspiration, skills development, professional contacts, and opportunities for writers to further their work and careers—deep in the inspiring redrock terrain of Capitol Reef country.

Writing from the Land Workshop honors the memory of François Camoin, who co-founded the Entrada Institute almost 30 years ago, and recognizes the contribution of François’ family through the Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation.

Faculty at this year’s workshop features Sara Zarr, a National Book Award finalist and two-time Utah Book Award winner, best known for her young adult publications; Brandon Griggs, a seasoned journalist who is Senior Editor with CNN Digital, overseeing coverage of culture, race, religion, and immigration; Dawn Kish, international documentary filmmaker and photographer; Zac Podmore, author, journalist, and film producer who covers conservation issues and Utah politics; and Kevin Avery, biographer, journalist, short story writer, and editor.

Registration

• The cost is $175 for the workshop (fee is subsidized by a generous grant from the Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation).
• To apply for a tuition scholarship, apply here: writer@entradainstitute.org

Lodging and Meals

• Make room reservations soon, as hotels are already getting booked up (evenings of May 18, 19, and 20).
• Other than a continental breakfast on the 21^st, meals are on your own.
  • Motel Torrey is closest to the workshop site and reasonable.
  • Pine Shadows in Teasdale is a good place.
  • AirBnBs may be available.
  • Camping in Capitol Reef National Park (limited).
  • Helpful link: https://capitolreefcountry.com/lodging/

Manuscript Review

Manuscripts (all genres, six-page limit) need to be submitted for review no later than May 10, 2023, at: writer@entradainstitute.org

Program at a Glance

• Thursday, May 18, 6:00-8:30 pm at Robber’s Roost:
  • Refreshments and introductions, 6:30-7:00 pm.
  • Opening presentation by Sara Zarr (7:00-8:00 pm, live-streamed and open to the public).
• Friday, May 19, 9:00 am at Robber's Roost:
  • Zac Podmore reports on his residency and other writings.
  • Sara Zarr and Brandon Griggs conduct morning workshops.
  • Lunch on your own.
  • Afternoon workshops and manuscript reviews.
  • Participant readings.
  • Dinner on your own.
  • Presentations and film screening by Dawn Kish and Zac Podmore (7:00-8:30 pm, live-streamed and open to the public).
• Saturday, May 20, 9:00 am at Robber’s Roost:
  • Kevin Avery discusses his work and paths taken as an author.
  • Morning workshops.
  • Lunch on your own.
  • Afternoon workshops and manuscript reviews.
  • Participant readings.
  • Dinner on your own.
  • Closing presentation by Brandon Griggs (live-streamed and open to the public).
• Sunday, May 21, 9:00-10:30 am:
  Panel discussion about the importance of the written word in our daily lives and how writing helps us sort through and clarify personal and global issues. The panelists include Sara Zarr and Brandon Griggs, workshop co-organizers Barry Scholl, Dawn Kish, Zac Podmore, and Kevin Avery.

FACULTY

Sara Zarr is a National Book Award finalist and two-time Utah Book Award winner. Her young adult books have been named to the prestigious annual best books list and have been translated into many languages. Her first book, Story of a Girl, was made into a television movie directed by Kyra Sedgwick. Sara is the acclaimed author of nine novels, most recently A Song Called Home and Goodbye from Nowhere. She’s also written two book-length works of nonfiction. In addition to writing, Sara hosts the long-running podcast This Creative Life , accompanied by a book and a newsletter. She divides her time between Utah and California and is currently on the MFA faculty at Lesley University.

Brandon Griggs is a Senior Editor with CNN Digital, overseeing coverage of culture, race, religion, and immigration. He manages a small team of senior writers who have won national recognition for their enterprise journalism. Before coming to CNN Brandon spent 13 years as an award-winning reporter, editor, arts critic, and columnist at the S alt Lake Tribune. He is the author of Utah Curiosities, a guide to the Beehive State’s roadside attractions and other offbeat places to visit. Brandon was a 1999-2000 fellow with the National Arts Journalism Program at Columbia University. He lives in Atlanta.

Dawn Kish creates photos of her journeys, whether they are stories of Native Americans in her Arizona homeland, hanging off a cliff wall in Yosemite, or other worldwide adventures. Dawn’s life is full of activities: snowboarding, rock climbing, backpacking, and white-water boating. She has worked as a river guide in the Grand Canyon for the USGS. “The river is part of me. It is in my heart and soul.” Her work has been published in Arizona Highways, Audubon, Grand Canyon Trust, National Geographic, Patagonia, and Sports Illustrated. Dawn has many awards and is a featured photographer in the book, National Geographic Field Guide to Adventure Photography , plus, honored in the top 30 photographs in 30 years of National Geographic Traveler, and the top 50 photos ever in Arizona Highways Magazine . She will discuss her work as a photographer and present her documentary film, Tad’s Emerging World: Glen Canyon Exposed.

Zac Podmore is an author, journalist, and film producer who covers conservation issues and Utah politics. He is currently a staff reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune. His work has also appeared in Outside, Slate, Sierra, USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, High Country News, Four Corners Free Press, High Desert Journal, Canoe & Kayak, and HuffPost. His first book, Confluence: Navigating the Personal & Political On Rivers of the New West, was published by Torrey House Press and selected for Outside magazine’s 12 Favorite Earth Day Reads and the Pacific Standard‘s 25 Must-Read Books for the Fall of 2019. Zac's upcoming book, to also be published by Torrey House Press with support from The Ellen Meloy Fund for Desert Writers, will cover Lake Powell’s decline and the rebirth of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon.

Kevin Avery is the author-editor of Everything Is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson, Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979 – 1983, and It's All One Case: The Illustrated Ross Macdonald Archives. His fourth book, I Like People That Can’t Sing: Paul Nelson Interviews Leonard Cohen & Lucinda Williams, will be published in the summer of 2024. He has also written for publications as diverse as Mississippi Review, Penthouse, Weber Studies, and Salt Lake Magazine. Though born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kevin considers himself a New York expatriate.

WORKSHOP ORGANIZERS

Marci Milligan, president; Don Gomes, vice-president; Barry Scholl, treasurer; Frank McEntire and Kevin Avery, board members; and Amiee Maxwell, workshop administrator.

Writing from the Land Workshop is made possible by the Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation.

We encourage you to check out all of Entrada Institute’s offerings, information about our capital campaign to develop a cultural center, and ways to donate: https://www.entradainstitute.org/