Teaching & Retreats
Writing to Feed the Soul
Carolyn has taught ongoing writing groups, residential retreats and writing intensives called Writing to Feed the Soul since 1997. The focus of her work is the generation of new writing drawn from deep within the soul and psyche.
Her teaching themes include an imaginative mix of poetry and prose, evoking dreams, the elements, ancestors, the earth and nature, animals, spirit guides, sacred geometry, tarot, qabbalah, and myth – all with the intention to allow archetypal, mythic and shamanic themes to provide seed and sacred ground for new and enlivened writing.
Writers often find that a new voice emerges, and that their work goes deeper, exploring vital themes and profound hidden stories. Carolyn brings people together in order to write in a unique atmosphere of deep listening, profound witness and feedback, with an eye to the continued unfolding of the writer and the truest spirit of her work.
Three-Day Writing Retreat
Friday-Sunday, June 3-5, 2011
(Retreats begin 9:30 am on Friday and end 3:00 pm on Sunday)
We will gather for three full days and evenings in a beautiful home in the westside of Santa Cruz, near UCSC and the Pogonip, in order to provide a magical, communal and focused container to delve deeply into our writing lives. There will be abundant silent personal time to write and to pursue your own individual work, or to work on a writing project in a focused and uninterrupted way. Those who have worked with me before could use this retreat to re-read work from the past years in order to understand your own themes, working with specific pieces to edit or share. The retreat will also include time for sharing dreams, guided writing exercises, individual meetings with me and as always the amazing magic and fun when we gather.
Rhythm: Each day we will have a morning circle to track our work as writers, tell key dreams from the previous night, discuss writing issues that people are thinking about and to do some guided writing exercises. Most late mornings and afternoons will be free for writers to work on their own. I will hold individual meetings with all participants to discuss the project they are working on, provide overall feedback on work and offer general guidance. I will also be available to read draft manuscripts, poems or essays and provide specific editing suggestions. We will gather Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon to read work aloud, to share each other’s company, provide witness and feedback, and to continue our discussions of writing, soulwork, craft and approach. The retreat will begin at 9:30 am every morning. We will finish about 9:00 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, and on 3:00 pm on Sunday.
Location: The Retreat will be held at a lovely home on the westside of Santa Cruz, right across from the open lands of UC Santa Cruz and near beautiful walks in the Pogonip. This spacious home with views of the ocean is a quiet, gracious light-filled space. There will be abundant comfortable private indoor and outdoor spaces for writers to work over the three-day retreat, as well as beautiful paths and places to walk outside.
Food: A delicious vegetarian dinner on Friday and Saturday evening and a lunch feast on Sunday will be provided. Participants are invited to bring their own brown bag lunch for Friday and Saturday. Tea, drinks and healthy snacks will be provided throughout the days.
Overnight: For those wishing to stay overnight, there will be single and sharing accommodations, as well as camping available. The cost for a single room is $40 per night, for a sharing room is $30 per night, and camping is $20 per night. Please email me to let me know your interest and needs.
Cost and Registration: The basic cost for the Three-Day Retreat Intensive is $395. To reserve your space, please email Carolyn.
Ongoing Writing Groups
October 2010-June 2011
September 2011-June 2012 Schedule to be Announced
BI-MONTHLY These regular writing groups meet twice a month, the first and third full weeks of the month. During these groups, there is time for members to bring in writing for witness and feedback. In addition, Carolyn introduces a new writing theme each meeting, and the members write, and then read together in a vibrant and safe environment. During teaching weeks, three writing groups meet regularly: Monday 2-5:30 pm, Tuesday 6-9:30 pm, Wednesday , 2-5:30 pm. Meeting weeks are:
October 18-20 and 25-27
November 1-3 and 15-17
December 6-8 and 20-22
January 3-5 and 17-19
February 7-9 and 21-23
March 7-9 and 21-23
April 4-6 and 18-20
May 2-4 and 16-18
June 6-8 and 20-22
MONTHLY GROUP A monthly writing group meets the second Saturday of the month. Time is 10-2:30 pm. This monthly writing group meets for a longer time, and is akin to a regular mini-rereat.
Location & Cost All groups meet in the Live Oak area of Santa Cruz. Cost for the Bi-Monthly Groups is $240 per three-month session (or $80 monthly payment). Cost for the Monthly Group is $180 per three-month session.
Individual Consultations
Carolyn offers a joyful and innovative individual conferences with writers and those seeking to pursue questions of writing, creativity, life and spirit. She works directly with writing and editing, as well as with dreams, tarot, art, and the ancestors—always seeking to name and acknowledge the spirits who are feeding our lives and making requests of us. Please contact her at carolynflynn@cruzio.com if you would like to inquire about this.
One-Day Redwood Mountain Writing Retreats
Dates for 2011/2012 to be announced
These one-day Redwood Mountain Writing Retreats are held at lovely Amity Cottage in Ben Lomond. These will be beautiful days to write, to be with the land, to settle in with the rhythm of the seasons. These gatherings are always profound, safe, inspiring and full of grace.
Rhythm: Throughout the day, we will sit quietly with our notebooks, pen and paper, ink and tree, with our ancestors and the writing spirits–and a profoundly sacred grove of elder redwoods. We will have morning and afternoon writing sessions, a period of silence, circles to listen to each other’s writing, and time outdoors. We will deepen our connection with the ancient trees, mountain air and forest creatures.
Location: The retreats are held at the Amity Cottage and the Redwood Amphitheater on Barbara Thomas’ property in Ben Lomond, about 35 minutes from Santa Cruz. The cottage is lovely, and we will spend time in the Redwood Amphitheater, a beautiful grove of ancient trees full of lush and bountiful spirits. We have access to rich wooded paths, quiet, and silence.
Food: Tea, drinks and healthy snacks will be provided throughout the day. Participants are invited to bring along potluck dishes for lunch.
Cost and Registration: The cost is $125 To indicate your interest in a future retreat, please email Carolyn at carolynflynn@cruzio.com.