Just Put On the Mouse Ears, Already: Wildacres Writing Workshop
Special thanks to the Arts and Science Council, which awarded me a Regional Artist Project Grant to attend the Wildacres Writing Workshop this year.
The warnings go something like this:
“You’re thinking about Wildacres? It’s amazing, but you need to know about the Gong Show.”
For more than 30 summers, writer and writing enthusiast Judi Hill has been hosting 100 people at the Wildacres Retreat, a mountain conference center in Little Switzerland, NC. Judi calls her event the Wildacres Writing Workshop. National Geographic called it one of the “100 places that will change your life.”
“Change your life” is a pretty tall order. But before we get to that, let’s talk Gong Show.
The final night of the Workshop, the writers in attendance put on skits. Most are written that week, and some that very day (as you might expect from a place full of writers). They are performed script-in-hand with cobbled together props and costumes. The skits are fun and funny with low (or no) expectations (there’s no gong and no judging), with a tendency to poke fun at the shared experiences of the past week.
Nearly everyone participates—that is, is given some kind of role in one or more skits—especially the first timers. Now, it’s possible the thought of performing in a skit before 100 people, most of whom you’ve just met, makes you apoplectic. The apoplectic do get a pass. You can say no. But it’s hard to say no, because the Workshop veterans know the value of a communal experience.
And in a nutshell, that aesthetic is the key to understanding the Workshop: it’s all about community.
One might expect it would be difficult to find entree into a group so well established. In fact, I’ve rarely felt more welcome. It’s even encoded in Hill’s rules, such as this one: at each meal, sit with someone different. And people do. If it weren’t so brilliant, you’d think it sinister: this is the best way to get everyone to put on the Mickey Mouse ears, so to speak—to buy in to what’s being sold. What it actually does is build community, in the easiest way possible. At meals, I met and talked with perhaps 50 different people—and remember there are only 100 there—many of whom I would not have met otherwise.
There’s more community building: in the evenings are open readings, and—as with the Gong Show—everyone is encouraged to participate. And again, nearly everyone does—for which you’ll be glad. What better way to learn about your fellow writers than to hear their work? (Four-minute limits, though, and no going over; for this there is a gong.)
The norms are well-entrenched, and I found myself resisting at first, but I soon decided that resistance is not only futile, it’s counterproductive. It’s not unlike Disney World: either be prepared to give in to it fully, or choose something different. While Hill sometimes rules with a heavy hand (another rule: no complaining, which also means no suggestions, at least not while the Workshop is going on), the Wildacres Writing Workshop works precisely as she designed it: you go, you immerse yourself in the place and the people, and you emerge with new relationships, a whole lot of new words, and maybe a new outlook on your writing.
It might not change your life. But then again, it just might.
A Few Details
One week or two? The Wildacres Writing Workshop is actually two things: a retreat week and a workshop week. Everyone who comes in a given year attends the second week, the workshop week. About half of those people also opt to come for the first week, the retreat week.
The retreat week is fantastic: a beautiful mountain location, unstructured days, lovely and supportive people, three square meals you don’t have to think about (including when to eat, since you eat when the bell rings at 8:00, 12:30, and 6:00), readings in the evenings, and lots and lots and lots of writing time. (And bugs: bring bug spray.)
The workshop week is like this: you meet with your teacher and classmates for five sessions, each of which is about an hour of instruction and 90 minutes of workshopping each other’s submitted work. Some meeting are morning and some afternoon, which means you can also audit any of the other class sessions. Workshops are well taught, but my sense is that the real value for most people is in the workshopping.
Diversity. With just two people of color this year, racial diversity is essentially a rounding error. Hill recognizes this but hasn’t figured out how to address it. While there is an application process—you have to submit a page of work and be accepted—the Workshop is essentially self-selecting, and will likely only get more diverse if those who already attend bring more diverse friends.
Accommodations. Wildacres has two lodges that face each other across a courtyard with a fantastic mountain view. You’ll spend a lot of time in the courtyard, the balconies that overlook it, and the big living room called the lobby. Most people don’t spend much time in their rooms, which are functional (think: very old country hotel) but probably not conducive to your writing. And then there is the matter of…
Roommates. Unless you bring or arrange your own, you will be assigned a roommate. The only way to get a private room is to pay for a second person, whether they come with you or not. (No one does this.) On the upside, you can bring an actual second person, even if they’re not participating in the the workshop part of the Workshop, for the same fee that you paid.
Food. Opinions on the food varies. Some are very happy with the family style + buffet arrangement, the choices and the quality. Others, less so. It’s industrial and not (that we could tell) locally sourced. Regardless, the kitchen staff does an excellent job accommodating dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free, etc.).
When, Where, and How Much. Judi Hill’s Wildacres Writing Workshop is usually the first two weeks of July, (optional retreat week followed by the workshop week), at the lovely Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland, NC. For 2018, the workshop week was $850 (double-occupancy lodging, all meals, and your class), and an extra $450 for the retreat week.
About Wildacres, the Place. Wildacres Retreat—1,600 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains—hosts many events and groups during the year: potters, storytellers, musicians, writers, and many more. Another writing group that meets there, in addition to the Wildacres Writing Workshop covered in this post, is the Table Rock Writers Workshop, in August. You might also check out these opportunities there: Spring and Fall Gatherings, and the Wildacres Residency Program.]
Paul Reali, co-founder of Charlotte Lit, is the co-author of Creativity Rising, which is used in college creativity courses throughout the US and Canada. His work has been published in Winston-Salem Journal, InSpine, Office Solutions, Lawyers Weekly, and others. His fiction has been awarded first place in the Elizabeth Simpson Smith and Ruth Moose Flash Fiction competitions, and he received a Regional Artist Project Grant from Charlotte’s Arts & Science Council in 2018.
Note: this post has been updated since its original publication. The author apologies for any inappropriate metaphors in the original.