Please note there is a special schedule for this course. View below or download as PDF here. Breakout session descriptions can be found in the participant letter that will be sent upon registration.

FRIDAY

4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Check In (Rooms available after 5:00 p.m.)

8:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Welcome/Kickoff Keynote with Susan Brearley
In this welcoming address, Susan speaks and engages with the audience, encouraging and setting the tone for the weekend via thought-provoking exercises.

9:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Blitz Writing Activity with Gary Chapin
Gary launches us into a fast, wildly creative hour of activity that has you creating an instant first draft—and getting feedback on it. Lots of movement. Lots of synaesthesia. Brain spinning. Writing, doing.

SATURDAY

9:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• A Conversation with Tony Stubblebine
  Join CEO of Medium, Tony Stubblebine and visionary Susan Brearley for an inspirational conversation about how community forms around writing. Writers have the ability to shape and reframe stories with our words and perspectives, and when we do it in community, we can shift how people view the world. Tune in to hear updates on the future of Medium and its community of creators.
• You Think You Can't Draw? Think Again with Stephanie Wilson
  Join Stephanie for some tricks and tips on how to make hand-drawn images for your stories. She will demo fundamental, easy methods for how to teach yourself to draw, you'll draw, and we'll have a grand old time--all supplies included.
• Writing the Body Politic with Lisa Cooper Ellison
  The things we most need to write aren't reasoned but felt. This session combines active listening exercises, meditation, writing prompts, and an audience avatar exercise to help you understand your body's deeper truths, connect them to your audience's needs, and generate pieces that resonates with the people who need your stories most, whether you're currently writing for yourself or trying to broaden your reach.
• The Psychology of Writing with Carol Lennox LPC, M.Ed
  Learn to tap your inner psyche and the power of creative energy to embody and write from flow. This experiential workshop helps you tap into your well of creativity and energy to create flow In your writing. You’ll learn to relax, open to inspiration, and write in this energizing workshop.

10:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• So That Happened: How To Make A Comedy/News Love Child with T. Kent Jones
  In this workshop we will examine how to mine the daily news cycle for rich veins of comedy gold. We'll break down actual stories and ask: Is this funny? Why is this funny? What are some ways to make this REALLY funny?
• You Think You Can't Draw? Think Again with Stephanie Wilson
  Join Stephanie for some tricks and tips on how to make hand-drawn images for your stories. She will demo fundamental, easy methods for how to teach yourself to draw, you'll draw, and we'll have a grand old time--all supplies included.
• Writing the Body Politic with Lisa Cooper Ellison
  The things we most need to write aren't reasoned but felt. This session combines active listening exercises, meditation, writing prompts, and an audience avatar exercise to help you understand your body's deeper truths, connect them to your audience's needs, and generate pieces that resonates with the people who need your stories most, whether you're currently writing for yourself or trying to broaden your reach.
• The Psychology of Writing with Carol Lennox LPC, M.Ed
  Learn to tap your inner psyche and the power of creative energy to embody and write from flow. This experiential workshop helps you tap into your well of creativity and energy to create flow In your writing. You’ll learn to relax, open to inspiration, and write in this energizing workshop.

11:00 a.m.-noon
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• Discover Your Writing Ritual with Emily Kimelman
  Geared toward fiction authors, we’ll explore practices that make it easier to immerse yourself in your writing. How do you write a novel that grabs you immediately, takes you on a ride, throws in a bunch of excitement and suspense, and leaves you happy and satisfied? The plot moves like a steam engine, and the characters are all people you want to spend time with (except the villain who … booo, hissss). Also, the dog does not die. Emily Kimelman, author of the Sydney Rae mystery series will let us in on her process and method, and provide comfort, insight, and inspiration to aspiring novelists.
• Part 1: Fresh Verse: Habits, Disruptions, and Prompts to Enliven Your Poetry with Anne Jennings Paris
  Anne will poke your poetry bear in a two hour session that provokes new channels of writing for you. Some activities are very fast, some slow, and there is always feedback. You will write.
• Why Editing is the Most Joyful Part of the Writing Process with Susan Brearley
  For some writer’s editing is TORTURE. They get the first draft down and need to be DONE. This, of course, is impossible. Good editing is as necessary as breathing, and it’s just as fun! Susan will share tricks, dodges, and methodologies to help you realize that, when the editing begins, that’s when the good times roll. Bring a draft. It will be edited!
• Feedback Circles
  Join us in this flexible writer’s space. A free-form space where you can strike up a conversation, meet 1:1, discuss publishing or suggest your own topic circle and have conversation with other writers at the retreat.

2:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• Writing Funny with Scott Dikkers
  Join the founding editor of The Onion and author of the "How to Write Funny book series" to learn about, and practice, polishing your humor and comedy writing to level up the laughs and reads. Scott is a seasoned writer, editor, teacher, and performer. Lean in and learn from the best.
• Part 2: Fresh Verse: Habits, Disruptions, and Prompts to Enliven Your Poetry with Anne Jennings Paris
  Building from the morning session, Anne will continue to poke your poetry bear in a way that provokes new channels of writing for you. Some activities are very fast, some slow, and there is always feedback. You will write.
• Talk it Out, Scenes and Speed Bumps with Nanci Arvizu
  This is an engaging workshop designed to tackle the challenges within our writing head-on. In this collaborative environment, participants will delve into the intricacies of their projects, focusing on the areas that aren’t quite hitting the mark. Whether it’s a snag in the storyline or a hiccup in the dialogue, this workshop provides a platform to address and resolve these issues effectively. “Working it Out: Scenes and Speed Bumps” is not just about identifying problems—it’s about finding solutions and pushing boundaries to create compelling, polished work.
• Feedback Circles
  Join us in this flexible writer’s space. A free-form space where you can strike up a conversation, meet 1:1, discuss publishing or suggest your own topic circle and have conversation with other writers at the retreat.

3:30 p.m.-4:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• Managing the Chaos in Your Writer's Brain with Shaunta Grimes
  Shaunta has developed a set of systems over the past twenty or thirty years that have helped her to manage what she learned in 2022 (at age 50) is severe ADHD. Shaunta shares three systems that can help anyone (trust me, Anyone) manage chaos in their brain, stick with long-term projects (like writing novels), and hold themselves accountable.
• Writing Funny with Scott Dikkers
  Join the founding editor of The Onion and author of the "How to Write Funny book series" to learn about, and practice, polishing your humor and comedy writing to level up the laughs and reads. Scott is a seasoned writer, editor, teacher, and performer. Lean in and learn from the best.
• Making an E-book of Your Medium/Social Media Posts with Toni Crowe
  Take your existing Medium essays or any blog content and turn it into an e-book. Get the detailed step-by-step process needed to make you a published author.
• Writing with Comics with David Milgrim
  David will explore the craft of telling stories and lampooning humanity with comics and text. He will focus on developing initial ideas until they are poignant, relatable, and funny.

4:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• My AI Collaborator with Anne Jennings Paris
  Using Generative AI Tools for Fun, Profit, and Creative Transcendence.
• Writing Funny with Scott Dikkers
  Join the founding editor of The Onion and author of the "How to Write Funny book series" to learn about, and practice, polishing your humor and comedy writing to level up the laughs and reads. Scott is a seasoned writer, editor, teacher, and performer. Lean in and learn from the best.
• Making an E-book of Your Medium/Social Media Posts with Toni Crowe
  Take your existing Medium essays or any blog content and turn it into an e-book. Get the detailed step-by-step process needed to make you a published author.
• Writing with Comics with David Milgrim
  David will explore the craft of telling stories and lampooning humanity with comics and text. He will focus on developing initial ideas until they are poignant, relatable, and funny.

7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Off-Campus: Bonfire at the Brewery
Join authors at a local brewery, a short walk down the lane. Purchase books at the Omega book store and get your copy signed tonight. Strike up a conversation, make a new friend! We'll see you at Slow Fox!

8:30 p.m.
Movie Night with the MuddyUm Crowd
Join the MuddyUm crowd to laugh and have a good time! The movie? The Thing, viewed Mystery Science Theater 3000 style.

SUNDAY

9:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• Quaker Comedy with Susan Brearley and the MuddyUm Team
  The Quaker Comedy Service is a tradition stretching back one whole year! In such a service, any participant speaks their funny thoughts or ideas as they occur to them. Who knows what will happen? Not us! Join us for this celebratory and irreverent hour.
• Curating a Collection of Poems Workshop with Gary Chapin
  You've got a stack of poems and you want to choose a selection and organize them into a chapbook or collection? What are different ways you can do that? How can you get the collection out into the world? Join me in this workshop and discover how.
• Is This a Good Idea? Workshop with Shaunta Grimes
  Shaunta has a unique and intriguing method for developing and testing fiction ideas. Bring your ideas for examination, feedback, and revision!
• Feedback Circles
  Join us in this flexible writer’s space. A free-form space where you can strike up a conversation, meet 1:1, discuss publishing or suggest your own topic circle and have conversation with other writers at the retreat.

10:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions Choose One:

• Calibrating Your Editorial Compass with Lisa Cooper Ellison
  Many first drafts contain unvarnished, powerful truths that get dismissed, deleted, or overwritten during the revision process, either because writers fail to recognize their importance or work to please beta readers instead of going with their guts. This session uses meditation, generative writing exercises, self-assessments, and opportunities to share to help you build the creative intuition needed to self-edit well, maximize the benefits of feedback, and capitalize on your early draft’s most powerful moments.
• Branding for Fiction Authors with Jamie Davis and Emily Kimelman
  Together we’ll explore the building blocks of branding for fiction authors and how they help build solid relationships with your readers.
• Is This a Good Idea? with Shaunta Grimes
• So That Happened: How To Make A Comedy/News Love Child with T. Kent Jones
  Building on his Saturday presentation, In this workshop we will examine how to mine the daily news cycle for rich veins of comedy gold. We'll break down actual stories and ask: Is this funny? Why is this funny? What are some ways to make this REALLY funny?

11:15 a.m.-Noon
Send-off and Goodbye with Susan Brearley
Hugs, farewells, and a send-off with this inspirational message from Susan, to keep you focused on your new writing goals, projects, and newly adopted momentum.

1:00 p.m.
Check Out

The above schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the faculty.