A Multi-Disciplinary Retreat in the Desert

The Joshua Tree Experiential Arts & Writing Retreat unfolded like a contact dance. It just ended this Sunday around 3pm, and driving home into the pink sunset there was a lot to absorb. The workshop series/retreat grew from a dream I had to do a writing retreat in the desert around a campfire. Sean Negus helped me manifest and shape this dream into something real, and he challenged me to ground my reckless desire in research. We wanted the retreat to be interdisciplinary since we both feel nourished by our friendships with musicians, visual artists, filmmakers, and photographers, and because we work in multiple mediums ourselves (though poetry is definitely where my experience is most grounded). I am excited for next year and nervous as I consider how to recreate such a magical experience. Everything went as planned, and from this experience, I have a better sense of what the retreat is about, who it is for, and also who (gulp) it may not be for. The next step is gathering submissions from our retreatants to construct our annual commemorative anthology. Below I have some photos for you of the weekend. But first, here is a poem I wrote during Sean’s Engaging the Web workshop:

Mustard red embrace between the rocks

I am the branch’s jewel in boot-high shrubs

Less colorful rocks vye for my attention and drown

Refusing to level, gown of spikes

How emphatically bushes point in my direction

toward destiny, rotate at the base