I returned last night from the Tomales Bay Writers’ Workshops, held at the Marconi Center in Marshall, California. The workshops entailed five days of intensive work with writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Howard Norman, author of THE BIRD ARTIST, led our group of twelve. He’s not only an accomplished writer, but a great reader too, and he’s got a terrific sense of humor.
The days were full and the work strenuous, but tasty meals offset the rigors. And the setting was surreal – pebbled paths and Monterey pines, lace-lichen flowing from their branches.
Tomales Bay is a nature-lover’s Neverland. I spotted a buck and four does, one jackrabbit, two red-shouldered hawks, five California quail, five turkeys, a handful of downy woodpeckers and scrub jays, and several dozen hummingbirds, which I took for resident Annas. One evening a strange bird called from outside my window, and moments later a great horned owl replied. The next morning Howard said he’d heard it too, that the unfamiliar bird was a saw-whet owl. One afternoon, while hiking a trail beneath a dense canopy of bay laurels, some sixth sense kicked in, prompting me to halt and immediately turn around. The habitat had the feel of mountain lion country, and though a cat never appeared, I would not have been surprised to see one – or find my head lodged inside its mouth!
I'm home now, eager to tackle the work. Howard and my workshop-mates have inspired me to keep writing and keep striving, and above all, keep the faith.
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