Wendy on Writing

Capon Springs Nonfiction Writers’ Retreat
Postponed to Fall 2016
Capon Springs, West Virginia

Join us for a retreat in a fantastic mountain setting, where you’ll receive expert instruction from two award-winning writers: Ann Hagedorn and Wendy Hart Beckman. Learn the strategies and tactics of being a successful nonfiction author. Experience a one-on-one manuscript critique. And enjoy personal time for writing while exploring the exquisite, inspiring surroundings! The retreat fee of $450 includes all workshop instruction, lodging, meals, gratuities, and taxes.

Faculty

Ann Hagedorn is the award-winning author of The Invisible Soldiers: How America Outsourced Our Security and four previous books: Wild Ride, Ransom, Beyond the River, and Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919. She has been a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, and The San Jose Mercury News. She has taught writing at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Xavier University, and Miami University. She holds an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University and an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Denison University. Learn more about Ann at annhagedorn.com.

 

Wendy Hart Beckman is an award-winning freelance writer, editor, and author. She has published eight books of nonfiction (including Founders and Famous Families of Cincinnati and Harlem Renaissance Artists and Writers), as well as more than 300 articles in print and online. She has an M.A. in English, with a concentration in editing and publishing, and a graduate certificate in professional writing. She has taught at the University of Cincinnati, Miami University, and Sinclair Community College, and has owned her own writing and editing business since 1994. She frequently speaks at writers’ workshops and retreats, including the Antioch Writers’ Workshop. Follow her at wendyonwriting.

Accommodations

At Capon Springs and Farms Resort, for more than 80 years, families and friends have been gathering with four generations of the Austin family at this secluded mountain location, enjoying its heritage and traditions, along with great food and outdoor fun. Informal activities, casual dress, good healthy water, majestic mountains and peaceful rest are here in abundance. The well-maintained 19^th-century buildings and flower gardens transport you back to another era. About 5,000 acres are available for recreational activities that include swimming in a spring-fed pool, badminton, fishing, golf, hiking, tennis, and volleyball for enjoyment in your free time.

Members of this writers’ retreat will be lodging in the Main Building. Each room has two beds and a sink. Each men’s and women’s restroom on the guest floors has two sinks, two stalls, and two showers. (Rooms with private bath are available for an additional $15/person/night.)The meals are served family style in the Main Building. Wholesome and delicious, all food is locally grown and lovingly prepared. The meals feature water from the Capon Spring, seasonal fruit, and home-made desserts and breads. It’s all a delight! And this year marks the 250^th anniversary of the discovery of the Capon Spring. Its name comes from the Shawnee word “cacapon,” for “healing waters.” Capon Springs has the fantastic Hygeia Bath House & Spa. (Try a spa treatment on Thursday morning between breakfast and check-out; make your reservation early in the week or before you get to Capon.)

Ready to go? Make your deposit with PayPal:

Schedule (Capon Springs resort activities are in italics)

Monday, September 7

3:00–6:00        Check in at Capon Springs/individual writing/free time

6:00–7:00        Dinner: BBQ cookout on golf course!

8:00–9:00        Session 1: Welcome — Everything you need to know about workshop logistics and goals.

9:00–11:00      Individual writing/free time   

Tuesday, September 8

8:25                 Flag Raising

8:30–9:30        Breakfast

9:30–10:45      Session 2: Writing Basics Refresher — An enlightening review that includes answers to the most frequently asked questions about grammar, usage, and punctuation.

10:45–11:00    Break

11:00–12:15    Session 3: Exercise Your Writing Muscles — Writing exercises specifically designed to stretch and strengthen you (and your skills).

12:15–1:00      Individual writing/free time/manuscript critiques

1:00–2:00        Lunch

2:00–3:15        Session 4: Nonfiction Overview — A discussion of all nonfiction genres, plus writing prompts to inspire new work, including personal essays, memoirs, and narrative nonfiction articles and books.

3:15–3:30        Break

3:30–4:45        Session 5: Writers’ Toolbox — From rituals and routines to analyses of writer anxiety, great lessons on what writers of all genres should know.

4:45–6:00        Individual writing/free time/manuscript critiques

6:00–700         Dinner

7:30–9:00        The Invisible Soldiers: How America Outsourced Our Security reading and book signing by Ann Hagedorn

Wednesday, September 9

8:25–8:30         Flag Raising

8:30–9:30        Breakfast (On Wednesday, tell a person at the front desk if you will be checking out before lunchtime tomorrow and you will receive a delicious box lunch when you leave.)

9:30–10:45      Session 6: Story structure and the organization of materials — a close examination of the struts and braces beneath the hull of every good piece of writing.

10:45–11:00    Break

11:00–12:15    Session 7: Editing — A tutorial on how to self-edit, to identify the flaws in your own work, to improve cadence, and to work well with others.

12:15–1:00      Individual writing/free time/manuscript critiques

1:00–2:00        Lunch

2:00–3:15        Session 8: Climb Every Mountain — A trek through the travails and challenges of the writing and publishing process.

3:15–3:30        Break

3:30–4:45        Session 9: Publishing — The steps you need to know to send your precious cargo out into the world: how to format a manuscript, how to write a query and prepare a winning proposal package, how to find your work’s place in the world, and how to get it there, where and how to make it happen, what the possibilities are.

4:45–6:00        Time to consider what you need to ask in Session 10.

6:00–7:30        Dinner, followed by the famous Capon Bingo at 8:30

7:30–9:00        Session 10: Open — Discussion and voluntary participant readings; check-in on weekend and personal goals.

Thursday, September 10 (Check-out)

8:25                 Flag Raising

8:30–9:30        Breakfast

Use this free time for a trip to the spa!

12:30–1:00      Lunch

2:00                 Check-out

Questions?

If about the retreat itself, e-mail Wendy Beckman. If about accommodations, call Capon Springs and Farms Resort at (304) 874-3695.

Reservation Form

Cost for the workshop is calculated per person in a double room in the Main Building. Running water sinks are located in every room, with shared shower and toilet facilities just down the hall. Note: If you do not give us a roommate’s name, you will be assigned a roommate.

*Total fee with a private bath is $545 with optional manuscript critique, $495 without manuscript critique.
*Total fee with a shared bath is $500 with optional manuscript critique, $450 without manuscript critique.

 

Registration is open until August 15, 2010, or until all the slots are filled. Don’t delay! Numbers are limited to 25 to keep the retreat intimate!

 

Mail this form with a nonrefundable $50 deposit (or make the deposit through PayPal, above) to Wendy Beckman, Capon Springs Writers’ Retreat, 2836 Westbrook Dr., Cincinnati OH 45211-7617.

Name              ________________________________________________________________

Address          ________________________________________________________________

City                 ________________________________________________________________

State and ZIP ____________________ Phone Number_______________________________

Email             ________________________________________________________________

Please check one:

___      I will be sharing a room with [name]___________________________________________

            [email]_____________________________________________________________

___      Please assign me a roommate. I am a: ___ Male                     ___ Female

                                                                   ___ Smoker                 ___ Nonsmoker

Note: Smoking is not allowed inside any Capon Springs building.

I am paying the additional $50 for my one-on-one manuscript critique.        _____

(E-mail five pages to Wendy Beckman by August 31, 2015.)

Retreat and resort fee, including lodging and all meals, minus $50 deposit (see below):
Circle one: Shared bath $400                    Private bath $445        _____

                                                                                                            Total due:       _____

*Total fee with a private bath is $545 with optional manuscript critique, $495 without manuscript critique.
*Total fee with a shared bath is $500 with optional manuscript critique, $450 without manuscript critique.

If you have accommodation questions or special needs, please call (304) 874-3695 or write Capon Springs and Farms, P.O. Box 0, Capon Springs WV 26823. If you have special dietary concerns or if you wish to arrive before Wednesday, please contact Capon Springs at the same number, (304) 874-3695.

 

Directions

By air, Capon Springs is most accessible by flying to Dulles International Airport in Chantilly VA, taking the shuttle to Winchester then on to Capon Springs. (Check with Greyhound bus about shuttle times from Dulles to Winchester.) Driving directions from common departure points:                   

From Ohio (I-70 East): Take I-70 East from Columbus (South) to Hancock MD. Pick up Rt. 522 South and follow through Berkeley Springs, toward Winchester VA. Once you cross the West Virginia/Virginia border, continue for 13 miles to Gainesboro VA. Take Rt. 600 South and follow to Rt. 50. Take Rt. 50 West for 5 miles. Turn left on Rt. 259 and continue for 14 miles to Capon Lake. Turn left on Rt. 16, Capon Springs Rd., crossing bridge, and continue for 4 miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 8 hours.)

From the Washington DC area (I-66 West): Follow I-66 until it ends at I-81. Take I-81 South to the 2nd Strasburg exit, #296. Turn right on Rt. 55 West and follow 12 miles to road on right marked “Capon Springs Grade” (Rt. 609). (Rt. 609 is exactly 2 miles after crossing the bridge at Duck Run.) Follow this dirt road for 3½ miles into Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 2 hours.) Capon Springs Grade (Rt. 609) begins in Virginia. If you cross the West Virginia state line while still on Rt. 55, you have gone too far.

From the South (Harrisonburg VA): Take I-81 North to the first Strasburg exit, #296. Turn left on Rt. 55 West and follow 12 miles to road on right marked “Capon Springs Grade” (Rt. 609). Turn from Rt. 55 onto Rt. 609; Rt. 609 is exactly 2 miles after crossing the bridge at Duck Run. Follow this dirt road for 3½ miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.) Capon Springs Grade (Rt. 609) begins in Virginia. If you cross the West Virginia state line while still on Rt. 55, you have gone too far.

From Winchester VA: Take Rt. 50 West for 12 miles. Turn left on Rt. 259. Continue for 14 miles to Capon Lake. Turn left on Rt. 16, Capon Springs Road, crossing bridge, and continue for 4 miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 40 minutes.)

From Baltimore MD: Take I-70 West to Frederick MD. Follow signs to Rt. 340 West/South toward Harper’s Ferry. Continue on Rt. 340 through Harper’s Ferry WV to Charles Town WV. Take the Rt. 340 Bypass around Charles Town and continue to the junction of Rt. 7 outside Berryville VA. Take Rt. 7 West to Winchester VA. To bypass Winchester, take I-81 North for one exit to Rt. 11 (Exit 317). Turn left on Rt. 11 South and follow to Rt. 37 South (Winchester Bypass). Follow Rt. 37 South to the Rt. 50 West exit. Take Rt. 50 West for 12 miles. Turn left on Rt. 259. Continue for 14 miles to Capon Lake. Turn left on Rt. 16, Capon Springs Road, crossing bridge, and continue for 4 miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 3 hours.)

From the North (Carlisle PA): Take I-81 South to the first Winchester VA exit (Exit 317). Turn right on Rt. 11 South and follow to Rt. 37 South (Winchester Bypass). Follow Rt. 37 South to the Rt. 50 West exit. Refer to directions from Winchester VA to complete your trip to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.)

From Pittsburgh PA: Follow the Pennsylvania Turnpike East to Breezewood. Take I-70 East (South) to Hancock MD. Pick up Rt. 522 South and follow through Berkeley Springs, toward Winchester VA. Once you cross the West Virginia/Virginia border, continue for 13 miles to Gainesboro VA. Take Rt. 600 South and follow to Rt. 50. Take Rt. 50 West for 5 miles. Turn left on Rt. 259 and continue for 14 miles to Capon Lake. Turn left on Rt. 16, Capon Springs Rd, crossing bridge, and continue for 4 miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 4 hours.)