This week-long in-person writing retreat will be a collaborative exploration of poetry and psyche through conversation of craft, workshop critique and daily yoga practice. Our goal will be to reorient exploration of consciousness through soma (body) and psyche (mind). Participants will have dedicated time to read and write, as well as engage in workshop critique of their own and others’ poems, alternating with discussion of theory/craft. Working closely with both poet Bianca Stone, and artist and yoga instructor, Candace Jensen, our intention will be twofold: 1.) To increase our ability to gain access to more generative, creative flow-state, in both writing and editing 2.) To investigate poetic, psychological and philosophical texts that bring multifaceted insight into the powerful relationship between poetic practice and expanding consciousness.
Soma: 90 minute daily yoga and meditation will be an integral part of the retreat content, (all levels of yoga practice or experience welcome) We will explore these age-old practices of guided meditation, yoga asana, and yoga nidra (yogic sleeping) and see what happens in terms of our writing practice.
Psyche: Participants are invited to spend work on personal writing projects based in (or around) poetry. Time for discussion and workshop will also give way to plenty of time to generate new writing, and to feel, and to rest.
This week will be rigorous yet distinctly playful. On one hand we will be doing the heady work of discussing readings of poetry and theory, and working privately on our written projects–then we will ground back to the body and the experience of ineffable consciousness. Simple! The ambition will be in our ability to relax into these explorations and just get curious. We’re here to explore, not to know.
Preparation: the retreat begins before we convene in Vermont with two Zoom meetings hosted by the faculty.
Application Deadline: May 15, 2023
Program Dates: Monday July 3rd – Sunday July 9th
Arrive: July 3, 2023
Depart: July 9, 2023
Location: East Calais, VT
Instructors: Bianca Stone, Candace Jensen
Tuition: $1600 $1400 subsidized
Scholarships: Yes, in the application
BIANCA STONE has over 15 years teaching experience working with poets, writers and artists, both in workshop and private manuscript consultation. She received her MFA in Poetry from NYU in 2009. Her publications include the poetry collections What is Otherwise Infinite (Tin House, 2022), The Möbius Strip Club of Grief (Tin House, 2018), Someone Else’s Wedding Vows (Octopus Books and Tin House, 2014) and collaborated with Anne Carson on the illuminated version of Antigonick (New Directions, 2012). Her poetry has appeared in many magazines, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic and The Nation. She teaches classes on poetry and poetic study at the Ruth Stone House in Vermont, and online. She is also editor-at-large for the popular poetry journal, ITERANT magazine, and host of Ode & Psyche Podcast, committed to exploring the history and phenomenon of poetry’s relationship to language and consciousness. https://bianca-stone.com/
Candace Jensen (CYT 500hr) is primarily a visual artist, organizer and poet. Cofounder and Programming Director of In Situ Polyculture Commons, she earned her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and her BFA from Tyler School of Art, both in Philadelphia. She has exhibited her work in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Vermont and Belgium. Her poetry, interviews and reviews of her work have appeared in Adroit Journal, eRatio Postmodern Poetry, Iterant Mag, ANTE Mag, the Index Press, and others.
Candace has been practicing yoga for nearly 20 years and teaching for 11. She has taught public yoga classes in California, Philadelphia and Vermont, and private classes and series for art institutions such as the Vermont Studio Center, the DeYoung Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Main Street Arts in Saxtons River, VT. This is her third retreat offering yoga and meditation with the Ruth Stone House.
She is a 500-hour Certified teacher of Tantric Hatha Yoga in the Sri Vidya tradition through Sri Yoga Teacher Trainings in San Francisco, and also has a 300 hour certification in Ayurveda coaching and wellness. In addition, Candace has completed over 600 hours of additional training and study through Sri Yoga at the Himalayan Institute, Shakti School Ayurveda Program & ParaYoga. She specializes in Tantric Hatha Flow and Yoga Nidra.
You can learn more about her yoga experience and philosophy as well as read student testimonials at: www.candacejensen.com/tantra-and-ayurveda
