Do you really really really like to read books? And would you perhaps like to write a fairy tale retelling?

Do you like to read books? Would you like to read them in a canoe on a magnificent lake that looks like this?
Or maybe at the end of that dock? Or in a meadow, or in a beautiful cabin with light streaming in the window?

Reading reading reading, a juicy stack of wonderful books, and taking breaks for yummy meals prepared for you, in the company of other lovely kindred spirits who have also been living inside books all day?

Can you just imagine it? Elizabeth "blue poppy" MacCrellish has imagined it and made it a reality -- a Reader's Retreat at a gorgeous lakeside resort in New Hampshire. It's one of the latest of the wonderful Squam Arts Workshops (SAW) sessions, and I know it's not for everyone -- I tried describing it to a stranger recently when the subject of New Hampshire arose, and she was absolutely blank with incomprehension as to why people would go somewhere to read books. I mean, can't you do that at home? Yeah, you can. You can do it anywhere. It's a beautiful thing. But I feel pretty confident that if you're here, you get it, and would just love to escape with your to-be-read pile to a reading haven with like-minded folk.

It is happening September 1 -5, and I will be there glorying in reading (along with Jim and a sure-to-be-racing-around-by-then Clementine), and then in the evening, I'll help moderate discussions about reading. I can't WAIT! You can read more about it and look at enticing photos HERE.

And that's not all.

There's another Squam session, the week before, that I will also be at, and it's called The Pixie Session (August 29 - September 2), and it's a sort of "Squam Family Robinson" -- that is, it's a family arts retreat, with classes and fun activities offered for all ages. How awesome is that!? And I'm going to be teaching an all-day class there that I am super excited about:

Fairytale Redux
Spend the day writing a new version of a classic fairy tale of your choice. Fairy tales have great bone structure and provide the perfect story elements for you to adapt into your own tale.

Laini will take you through the process of breathing new life into an old tale and help you to develop captivating characters, compelling setting, time period and original details. There are many ways to work with fairy tales. We will explore several through a series of exercises that will get you writing and leave you with a strong working draft by the end of the day.

Expect a lotta magic as Laini will share many of the tricks she uses to get herself - and keep herself - writing.

Bring your imagination-- and be prepared to write and play! LEVEL: ages 10 yrs and up


* * *

Ooh, I am soooo excited!!!!! I hope some blog readers out there might make it to New Hampshire to take my class. There are other fabulous classes too, including Maskmaking, Printmaking, Storytelling, Illustration (taught by Illustration Friday's Penelope Dullaghan), most open to children, some just for the grownups. And for kids ages 6 - 12 there will be the marvelous-sounding "Loon Island Picnic" that is a "Rockywold-Deephaven tradition" (Rockywold-Deephaven is the name of the resort, and has been a family vacation resort since 1897.) Loon Island, doesn't that sound too magical?

Read all about upcoming SAW sessions here, including a new addition that will be taking place not at Squam but at the beach in North Carolina's Outer Banks -- ooh, I want to go to that one too!

Hope to see you there!