Dear Friends, Family, Fellow Authors, and Cherished Readers,
I write to you today to relate the adventures of the past few days. I attended the 30th Annual Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway as one of thirty scholarship recipients. I met most of them and had the opportunity to take workshops with them, make new connections, and network. It was – in a word or two – beyond compare. In my experience, I have rarely felt so connected as I did from Friday, January 12th through Monday, January 15th – the dates of the getaway. I am still abuzz with ideas and prompts and all lovely, lively, wonderful things.
(As an aside – thirty happens to be a ‘pearl’ anniversary, and as pearls are my signature, I decided to take mine, and I was glad I did and wore them on every possible occasion.)
I wrote five poems in the space of the weekend, which occurred near Atlantic City, New Jersey, in a township called Galloway at a hotel named Seaview Dolce.
It was truly a wonderful experience. From open mics to a Getaway Disco masquerade ball to sunrise yoga – there were a plethora of options to choose from.
I think what moved me most was the very tangible presence of community, although I wrote work that I am proud of, pushed my creative boundaries, and went in new directions. I also found this retreat incredibly healing for a variety of reasons that have yet to fully coalesce into something that I can articulate meaningfully. I feel inspired, but more than that, I feel a great sense of lightness, joy, and wonder.
There are so many people I’d like to thank – from my Mom, who generously offered to drive me there before I’d ever won the scholarship – to all of the people who made this getaway possible, including Peter Murphy himself; the writer, editor, and event planner Juliet Fletcher – who lives in my town, was also attending the getaway, and who was kind and sweet enough to give me a ride back; Taylor Coyle, who also makes this event the phenomenon it is – to all of the people I met who were friendly, kind, caring, compassionate, energetic, and magnetic – and of course, the staff at the Seaview Dolce hotel, who are incredibly hard workers who never hesitate to go out of their way for you and who do what is largely a thankless job with a smile.
If you are feeling generous today, you may wish to donate to Murphy Writing so that they can continue to offer scholarships to poets, playwrights, essayists, novelists, and all manner of authors who, like me, could benefit from a sense of community but could not financially afford to be there otherwise. Please donate only if you can comfortably do so, and remember there are many ways to support the writers and authors in your life, even if only by being generous with your time, critique, feedback, and attention.
For those who are more visual learners, there is indeed a rare photo gallery at the end of this post.
Thank you again – to everyone who made the getaway possible, to all who pledged money to the scholarship fund, and to all of you – yes, you – for reading to the end and for being steadfast friends, fellow authors, and cherished readers of mine. One of the things that kept coming up at the getaway was that writing is a conversation. As we draw to the end of ours, I will sign off on my usual note, as well as an unusual one – the thought that it is a new year. Don’t go and conquer it. Don’t crush it or, worse, rush it. Go out and befriend it. And, as always –
May inspiration find you in unexpected places,
Caitlin Cacciatore
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