2022 Writers retreat
May 20 - 22
at the albuquerque Museum
9am - 12pm Each Day + In-Person Guest Speakers
The 9th Annual Jimmy Santiago Baca Writers Retreat is open for registration!
Schedule
Who Should Attend?
Guest Speaker Lorenzo Candelaria in his own words (Friday, May 20th 1-2pm)
Guest Speaker Beata Tsosie-Peña bio (Saturday, May 21st 2:30 - 3:30pm)
INSPIRATION
This year’s retreat is structured in a way to open you up, to leave behind the age-old rules and regulations on what good writing is and isn't and break into open fields of your own sensibility and evoke those vignettes of thought and emotion that reflect your inner landscapes-- create new rules that are measured by your sincerity, your compassion, your loves and sadness’s. Don't go for the silly textbook dance where you mimic Charlie Chaplin's walk and mannerisms-- instead, be your own, sing your own, cry and dance your own stories and lyrics--this will be the crux of our craft lessons, to trust yourself enough to open up and welcome in the listener to hear your story, witness your journey.
And who is the greatest Opener of all? The feminine instinct, Mother Earth, She who births life with her fingers, lips, sight, scent, touch, every aspect of Her Being pulsates with life-giving energy and that is what the poet does, the writer does, with every word and sound we round the male edges to lure from inside ourselves our feminine nature to create and open and spread and be vulnerable and evolve.... yes, evolve our beings to nourish not negate, to serve not turn our backs, to feed not hoard, to shelter not exclude, to love not betray....
That's what this writing retreat will be, balancing on the fulcrum of our confidence to bloom ourselves in every fertile word....
— Jimmy Santiago Baca
SCHEDULE | virtual or in person
Friday, May 20th, 2022
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9am - 12pm: Writers Workshop with Jimmy Santiago Baca in Albuquerque Museum Auditorium (writing, writing, writing!)
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12 - 1pm: Lunch Break
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1 - 2pm: Guest Speaker Lorenzo Candelaria presents at or around the Albuquerque Museum
Saturday, May 21st, 2022
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9am - 12pm: Writers Workshop with Jimmy Santiago Baca in Albuquerque Museum Auditorium (writing, writing, writing!)
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12 - 1pm: Lunch Break
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2:30 - 3:30pm: Guest Speaker Beata Tsosie-Peña and her husband, Luis, present at or around the Albuquerque Museum
SUNday, May 22nd, 2022
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9am - 12pm: Writers Workshop with Jimmy Santiago Baca in Albuquerque Museum Auditorium (writing, writing, writing!)
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12 - 1pm: Lunch Break
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1 - 2pm: Reading of Participants' Work - participants will present their chosen writing to other 9th Annual Writers Retreat participants at or around the Albuquerque Museum.
WHO IS THIS RETREAT FOR?
Don't think that because you're not a published poet/writer/screenwriter or novelist you can't join us––in fact, those with stories in their heads and desire in their hearts are the best ones to attend this workshop. You'll learn how to get those poems, that story, that memoir written. Guarantee it. You'll learn about structure, tone, metaphor, stream of consciousness, editing, and much, much more. We promise a memorable event for you, to make new friends for life, to become a better writer/poet, to express yourself in your own unique fashion.
The first 10 people that signed up received a signed copy of my newest collection of poetry, No Enemies. The first 25 that signed up are entered into a drawing to win a weekend stay at our secluded cabin in Abiquiu, New Mexico! Each month, we’ll be offering five scholarships to five high school students to attend (15 total)!
Lorenzo Candelaria
Friday, May 20, 1 - 2pm
"My name is Lorenzo Candelaria and I’m a 14th generation Atrisco farmer. My dedication to the land is solidly based in my deep respect and love of the earth. I consider her my mother. Myself, as well as everybody else, owes their entire existence to the mother Earth. Our clothes, our food, our water, our air, the houses we live in is all thanks to her bounty. The landscape of our thoughts are all based on our perception and when we perceive our bountiful Mother Earth as a giver and provider of life and sustenance, and we consume that sustenance, the landscape is complete.
Our imagination, our creativity, our abilities are all enhanced by what Mother Earth gives us to perceive. The feminine energy is ever-present in the Mother Earth as it is She who gives life to everything. We have a very deep responsibility towards the creature we call, Mother. In complying with this responsibility, our creativity and our ability to express love and compassion are magnified by Her ever-loving presence.
In closing, I’d like to say that the energy that we are given by the earth is liquid. Drink deeply."
Photo by Christi Bode, Three Land Witness Project
Beata Tsosie-peña
Saturday, May 21, 1 - 2pm
Beata Tsosie-Peña, is from Santa Clara Pueblo and El Rito, NM. She is a mother, poet, advocate, seed keeper, and is certified in Infant Massage, as a Developmental Specialist, an Educator, A Lactation Counselor, a full-spectrum Birthworker, and in Indigenous Sustainable Design (permaculture). She led the creation of the Española Healing Foods Oasis demonstration garden and Seed Library with the local nonprofit, Tewa Women United.
She is currently on the steering committee for the Traditional Native American Farmers Association and is a board member for Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute. She is a Pueblo representative for the New Mexico Governor's task force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives serving a second term. She has been working to address impacts and advocate for environmental and reproductive health and justice for over a decade.
She is currently engaging in a new role as the organizational director of Breath of My Heart Birthplace.