April 17 - 26, 2009
April 17 - 26, 2009
The Extravagant World: A Writing Retreat in Costa Rica
Writing Retreat for Writers in All Genres
Costa Rica
10 Days
April 17 - 26, 2009
Imagine the flash of color as a flock of Scarlet Macaws flies overhead. Hear what silence really sounds like in a mangrove forest. Or, find yourself face to face with a Two-toed Sloth. These are but some of the many unforgettable experiences we will have during our writing retreat in Costa Rica. Here we will all slow down, watch, and listen. Directed writing exercises prior to our trip will engage us in the work of close observation. In Costa Rica, we will concentrate on extending our sensory awareness, paying mindful attention to our surroundings and to our inner landscapes. We will write each day, drawing from what we take in as we view the incredible variety of plant and animal life in the rainforest. Precise images transformed into language will change how we see our place in the world. We'll have opportunities to share new work and to listen actively to the words of other writers, enjoying that rare gift--time to write in a place of amazing beauty.
The tropical
rainforest is the most complex of all biomes and is host to more species than
any other biological community in the world. Costa Rica has as many plant species
as all of Europe, including 1400 species of orchids. We will learn about the
biological diversity of the tropical rainforest, concentrating on the rich bird
life that has adapted to the varied forest niches.
Writing Retreat is Limited to 12 participants
Activity Level: Daily walks on trails with moderate elevation gains.
Travelers who need special assistance must report any disability to Eco-Arts at the time the reservation is made. Eco-Arts will make reasonable attempts to accommodate the special needs of disabled travelers, but is not responsible in the event it is unable to do so nor is it responsible for any denial of services by carriers, hotels, restaurants, or other independent suppliers. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act is only applicable within the United States and facilities for disabled individuals are limited outside its borders. Most transportation services, including the touring motorcoach, are not equipped with wheelchair ramps. We regret that we cannot provide individual assistance to a trip participant for walking, dining, getting on and off motorcoaches and other vehicles, or other personal needs. A qualified and physically able companion must accompany travelers who need such assistance and must assume full responsibility for their well being. The trip participant assumes the full risk of use and of any prohibitions imposed by vendors. Generally motorized scooters are not suitable on international tours.
Workshop Leaders:
Peggy Shumaker's work is shaped by two arid landscapes--the Sonoran desert of southern Arizona and the subarctic desert of interior Alaska. She's very much looking forward to the ways that wetter places--the rainforests and cloud forests of Costa Rica--will enter and change her imagination. Recent books include Blaze, a collaboration featuring Shumaker's poems and the art of Alaskan painter Kesler E. Woodward, and Just Breathe Normally, a lyrical memoir.
Eloise Klein Healy, cofounder of Eco-Arts, and Founding Chair of the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Antioch University Los Angeles, has lead five writing/natural history trips to Costa Rica with her partner, Colleen Rooney. Healy is often described as an "urban nature writer" for her examination of how wildlife lives and thrives in metropolitan areas (Artemis In Echo Park). Her most recent collection of poems is The Islands Project: Poems For Sappho. She is a frequent reviewer for The Los Angeles Times Book Review.
Colleen Rooney, co-founder of Eco-Arts, has a doctorate in environmental studies with an emphasis on the social sciences. Her core belief as an environmentalist is that the natural sciences can provide us with data about global environmental problems but only a profound change in human behavior can effect needed solutions. Colleen will serve as our guide to the birds, plants, and animals of Costa Rica. She will also provide natural history presentations as we travel around the country.
Writing Retreat Locales:
April 17 SAN JOSE Arrival and transfer to our hotel
April 18 - 20 CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF THE TALAMANCA MOUNTAIN RANGE
We'll have great views on the road to the Central Highlands. Trogon Lodge, at about 7000 feet, is surrounded by primary and secondary cloud forest. The area is rich in birds and, with luck, we'll have many great views of the Resplendent Quetzal. Hummingbirds are also abundant at the lodge. You can view them from the lodge's gazebo near the pond.
April 21 - 24 PACIFIC
COAST
Transfer to Villa Lapas on the Pacific Coast. At the mouth of the Rio Tarcoles river, we will see shorebirds and crocodiles on a boat trip in the mangroves, then spend time exploring Carara Biological Reserve, the northernmost tropical wet forest on the Pacific coast. We'll see the many species of birds that prefer this habitat, and also spider monkeys, blue morpho butterflies, bats, the poison-dart frog and many other creatures. A highlight of our stay here will be a canopy walk
April 25 Drive back to San Jose via Poas Volcano
There are five active volcanos in Costa Rica, including Volcan Poas. It is considered the largest active crater in the world, about 1 mile wide and 320 meters deep, with frequent geyser-like eruptions. There are lakes of molten sulphur near the crater, which may be the only examples of their kind in the world.
April 26 Departure from
San Jose
Cost: $2175 (based on double occupancy and at least 12 participants).
Cost includes all writing workshops and lectures, double occupancy lodging w/ private bath, all meals at the lodges outside of San Jose, land transportation, national park entrance fees at scheduled stops, canopy walk, boat trip, and guides. Airfare and guide tips are not included.
Single supplement: $325
Please Note: Trip cannot accommodate children under 18.
| Ap 17 | Day 1 | Arrive San Jose transfer to Hotel |
| Ap 18 | Day 2 | Transfer to Trogon Lodge |
| Ap 19 | Day 3 | Walks, writing time, workshops and lectures |
| Ap 20 | Day 4 | Walks, writing time, workshops and lectures |
| Ap 21 | Day 5 | Travel to Villa Lapas - afternoon writing time and evening lecture |
| Ap 22 | Day 6 | Writing time, workshops, readings and walk at Carara National Park |
| Ap 23 | Day 7 | Writing time, lectures, afternoon boat trip in the mangrove forest |
| Ap 24 | Day 8 | Morning canopy walk - afternoon writing time, evening lecture |
| Ap 25 | Day 9 | Transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea via Volcan Poas - evening dinner and farewell |
| Ap 26 | Day 10 | Departure for home or additional adventures |