Tuesday, June 5th – Friday, June 8th 2018 Writing Retreat

Against the breath-taking backdrop of the Northwest Nebraska Pine Ridge Region, we will gather in the historic buildings and scenic spots around Fort Robinson State Park and will lodge in the 1890 Brick Officer Quarters—and conclude with a Festival on the Chadron State College campus, celebrating the work of the participants. At the Fort Robinson Retreat, our University of Wyoming Writers-In-Residence will lead morning sessions focused on crafting and improving our writing, followed by afternoon sessions designed to give participants a chance to create new work and receive personalized feedback. This inspirational setting fosters a wonderful writing community focused on exploring the wild terrains of our lives.

Featuring Writing Faculty From The University of Wyoming

Jeffrey A. Lockwood -- Nonfiction Writer-in-Residence Jeff Lockwood was hired as an insect ecologist at the University of Wyoming in 1986. But over the course of 20 years he metamorphosed into a Professor of Natural Sciences & Humanities, with a joint appointment between the Department of Philosophy and in the MFA program in Creative Writing. He teaches courses in natural resource ethics, environmental justice and the philosophy of ecology, along with creative non-fiction writing workshops. His essays have been honored with a Pushcart Prize, a John Burroughs Award, the Albert Schweitzer Sermon Award of the UUA, and inclusion in Best American Science & Nature Writing. His most recent books are Behind the Carbon Curtain: The Energy Industry, Political Censorship, and Free Speech (University of New Mexico Press); The Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe and Love Insects (Oxford) and Poisoned Justice (Pen-L; fiction) Six-Legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War (Oxford) and Philosophical Foundations for the Practices of Ecology (Cambridge).

Nina S. McConigley -- Fiction Writer-in-Residence Nina McConigley is the author of the story collection Cowboys and East Indians, which was the winner of the 2014 PEN Open Book Award and winner of a High Plains Book Award. It also was on the longlist for the 2014 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. She has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for The Best New American Voices. Her story “Curating Your Life” was a notable story in Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010 edited by Dave Eggers. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Orion, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Salon, American Short Fiction, Memorious, Slice Magazine, Asian American Literary Review, Puerto del Sol, and Forklift, Ohio. She was the 2010 recipient of the Wyoming Arts Council’s Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Writing Award and was a finalist for the 2011 Flannery O’Connor Short Fiction Award. She currently serves on the board of the Wyoming Arts Council. She teaches at the University of Wyoming and the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers.

H. L. Hix -- Poet-in-Residence H. L. Hix was born in Oklahoma and raised in various small towns in the south. After earning his B.A. from Belmont College (now Belmont University) and his Ph.D. (in philosophy) from the University of Texas, Hix taught at the Kansas City Art Institute and was an administrator at the Cleveland Institute of Art, before joining the faculty of the University of Wyoming, where, after a term as director of the creative writing MFA, he now teaches in the Philosophy Department and the Creative Writing Program. His poetry, essays, and other works have been published in McSweeney’s, Georgia Review, Harvard Review, Boston Review, Poetry, and other journals, been recognized with an NEA Fellowship, the Grolier Prize, the T. S. Eliot Prize, and the Peregrine Smith Award, and been translated into Spanish, Russian, Urdu, and other languages. His most recent book is Rain Inscription (2017). Others of his recent poetry collections include American Anger, First Fire, Then Birds: Obsessionals 1985-2010, Incident Light, Legible Heavens, and Chromatic (a finalist for the National Book Award).

Find out more: www.storycatcherworkshop.org

WRITING RETREAT at Historic Fort Robinson: Tuesday, June 5th through Thursday, June 7th

With University of Wyoming Writers-In-Residence Jeff Lockwood, Nina McConigley, and H.L. Hix (Mari Sandoz Emerging Writers Will Provide Additional Instruction at the Friday Festival)

Registration All of the following options include opening night BBQ/Reception, Wednesday and Thursday Lunch-in-quarters, light refreshments, and three nights lodging, Tuesday-Thursday, at our retreat venue* • General Registration: $350 (Includes one-year membership to the Mari Sandoz Heritage Society) • Mari Sandoz Heritage Society Members & Students (High School or College): $300 • Guest/Non-Participant $75 (This registration level is for spouses, friends and significant others who plan

to accompany retreat participants, and does not include access to the workshop sessions. May include lodging at the retreat venue if space is available).

o ONLINE REGISTRATION OPENS February 5 § DEADLINE: June 1, 2017 § Space is limited to 15 writers. Early registration is encouraged.

o Refunds: Due to limited space in the RETREAT, refunds can only be offered up to TEN days after Registration. For planning purposes, there will be no refunds made after May 30th.

*Thisisawritingretreat,withanemphasisonbuildingacommunityofwritersinourtwodaystogether.Participantswillnotonlysharetheirwritinginprocess,butalsothe1890BrickOfficerQuarters.Thisisalargebuilding,butbeawarethatsleepingaccommodationswillbecommunal,withuptofourindividualbunksinsomeoftherooms.(Whenregisteringyoumayindicateifyouareattendingwithanotherperson,andifyouarecomfortablewithgender-neutralroomassignments.Wehavetwoprivateroomswithqueen-sizedbedsavailableforcouples).Thereisafullkitchenandrefrigeratoravailable.Ifyouprefernottostayintheretreatvenue,(or for those traveling from afar who may want a place to stay in the region before and after the events), rooms are available at the Lodge (about $79 per night) or a nearby hotel in Crawford or Chadron (plan on a 30 minute commute). There are also camping facilities available. A list of lodging options appears at the end of this program. These costs and arrangements are your own.NOTE: many of our events will be taking place outdoors and in historic buildings. Participants should be prepared to navigate stairs and for moderate physical activity in variable weather.

FESTIVAL at Chadron State College, Friday, June 8th • Free & Open to the Public (no pre-registration required—sign in at the door) • Writers in Residence and Mari Sandoz Emerging Writers will lead the sessions • We will conclude with a Featured Readings from Jeff Lockwood and Nina McConigly

Mari Sandoz Emerging Writer Instructorship Graduate students and others who have writing classroom experience (either as a teacher, student or both), and whose work shows promise, may apply for the Emerging Writer Instructorship. The successful applicant will be honored as a “Mari Sandoz Emerging Writer,” will have fees waived for the Retreat and Workshop, and will lead a workshop session of their design for the rest of the Story Catcher participants. A small stipend will be provided for their instruction and to help defray a portion of their travel expenses. See application for details. Application Deadline: April 9. Scholarships A limited number of full and partial tuition waivers will be offered to support talented STUDENT writers this year. The application appears at the bottom of this program and online. Application Deadline: May 1. For more information about the workshop, updated schedule and registration information, please visit us at

www.storycatcherworkshop.org or www.marisandoz.org or email mevertson@csc.edu (Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/storycatcherworkshop

2016RetreatatFortRobinson:RobertWrigley’spoetryworkshopinthehistoriclodge

Scenic, affordable, friendly and accessible! A GREAT PLACE TO CREATE!

(Scenes from the 2017 Story Catcher Writing Workshop at Fort Robinson, Nebraska)

storycatcherworkshop.org

Poet-in-ResidenceMarkHallidayleadsmorningworkshop

NonfictionWriter-in-ResidenceKenIlgunasreadsfrom“WaldenonWheels”ontheporchofthehistoricofficer’squartersopeningnight.

FictionWriter-in-ResidenceLisaSandlingivesaneveningreadingfromhernovel“TheDoRight”inthehistoricofficer’squarters.

Participantsenjoyinganeveningunderwesternskies

Cookoutinfrontofthehistoricalofficer’squartersonopeningnight.

MarkHallidaysharesinsightswithanemergingwriter