RUIN AND RESURRECTION

How do we re-collect and re-member ourselves after being dismembered by ruin? During this intensive 3-day, 10 hour Guided Writing Tour, we will recognize a moment of ruin in order to resurrect something essential in ourselves. 

The redwoods surrounding the remains of Jack London’s devastated Wolf House have grown back as Fairy Rings; circles of young trees sprout from the roots of burn-hollowed stumps. Ruin and Resurrection is designed to help us discover, through experiential writing, that we each possess the resilience to re-emerge from our own personal ruin in magical ways.

Day 1 – Recognition

Friday, June 16

Benziger Winery Tour & Tasting

Day 1 will be about establishing a safe container for sharing, getting to know where we are with our writing, and setting intentions for our 3-day exploration.

Our first prompt will be an opportunity to revisit an episode we might label as “ruin” that feels as yet unresolved. We’ll endeavor to write about ruin in a way that will make it more accessible and malleable – such as shifting from first person-present tense to third person-past, or casting a fictional character to stand in as ourselves.

After our tour, we can share and continue to discuss our discoveries.

Day 2 – Ruin and Resurrection

Saturday, June 17

9:30AM – 4:00PM

Wolf House Ruins - Jack London State Historic Park

We’ll walk among the mossy redwoods to view the ruins of Wolf House. In the presence of London’s shattered dream, we’ll scavenge for metaphors that mirror our own remembered ruin, and write. 

Picnic Lunch and Wine tasting - Mantanzas Creek Winery

Here we can taste wine, picnic, and share, never far from the fragrance of calming lavender fields. We might select a lavender item in the gift shop to carry with us on our path to resurrection.

Therapeutic Animal Visit - Forget Me Not Farm

These animals provide therapy for at-risk youth. During this special visit, we’ll interact with the animals, to prompt us to write.

Day 3 – Restoration

Sunday, June 18 

Brunch - The Girl and The Fig

On Day 3, we’ll write once more upon rising. This will help set up a new practice of writing to timed prompts on our own. Over brunch we’ll review and share what we’ve written, and appreciate the scope of our discoveries.