Women Only Experience: Learning, Writing and Walking on the Oregon Coast

Oregon

Natural History

Women Only

Small Group

Best Value

Wishlist Start

Find inspiration on the Oregon Coast through wildlife walks and yoga classes and work with published authors to learn about novel writing, memoir craft and tips for getting published.

Rating (5)

Activity Level

Program No. 1831RJ

Length

6 days

Starts at

1,049

6 days

5 nights

14 meals

5B 4L 5D

Lincoln City, OR

Getting There

See travel details and required documents

At a Glance

Engage your body, mind and spirit on a relaxing learning adventure. Let the ocean stir your senses and provide inspiration for your writing. Explore genres of fiction, poetry, memoir and mystery writing, and do writing exercises with guest authors who provide advice on getting published. Join a local naturalist for field trips and beach walks right outside your door, explore charming Newport and more.

Activity Level

Easy Going

Moderate walking and standing on field trips.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 10 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you'll ...

Tap the experiences of published authors who provide tips for getting published, help you to sketch a novel and teach you techniques for writing memoir and other genres.
Explore Yaquina Head Lighthouse Natural Scenic Area and experience the Sylvia Beach Hotel, where each room pays homage to an author from Twain to Hemingway.
Center yourself with expert-led yoga and relaxation exercises, and encounter the sea lions, whales, seals, birds and wildflowers that share this coast on beach walks with a naturalist.

Featured Expert

All Experts

Julie Fiedler

Julie Fiedler is an artist, writer and educator who began her teaching career at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. She was Headmaster at the prestigious Neskowin Day School and taught memoir and writing classes at Lane Community College on the Oregon Coast. A talented clay artist, she specializes in tile painting and sculpture and her work is exhibited throughout the country. Julie lives with her husband John and daughter, Hazel in Otis, Oregon.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Julie Fiedler

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T. McCracken

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Suggested Reading List

View 8 books

Up the Capitol Steps: A Woman's March to the Governorship

by Barbara Roberts

A personal and political memoir by one of the few women governors in the history of the United States, Up the Capital Steps offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a woman's life in politics. Hotly contested elections and tough policy decisions are interspersed with intimate details of personal ups and downs.

Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast

by Jim Pojar & Andy MacKinnon

This is the Bible of Northwest Coast flora. If you are interested in the trees, wildflowers, and other plants of the Oregon Coast, this is the only book that has them all. We carry this book with us in the field and refer to it often.

Sibley Field Guide to Birds, Western North America

by David Allen Sibley

When it comes to the many birds that frequent the Oregon Coast, no guidebook is more complete than Sibley's little handbook. With wonderful illustrations and plenty of information, this is the birdwatcher's bible on the coast.

Iron String

by Annie Lighthart

Annie Lighthart's collection of poems

The Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life in the Pacific Northwest

by J. Duane Sept

Possibly the most concise guide to the myriad of intertidal zone creatures you may encounter on the Oregon Coast. It's not exhaustive, but it is pocket-sized and complete enough to help you identify and appreciate the creatures of the shoreline.

Writing Your Authentic Self

by Lois Guarino

How to use a journal to communicate with your deepest self; simple exercises that bring out the poet/journalist/profiler/narrator in everyone.

Salt in Our Blood: The Memoir of a Fisherman's Wife

by Michele Longo Eder

www.saltinourblood.com

Danger by the Sea

by Ron Lovell

The latest in the Lorenzo Madrid Mystery series.

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6 days

5 nights

14 meals

5 B 4 L 5 D

Getting There

See travel details and required documents

DAY

Check-in and Dinner

Lincoln City, OR

Inn at Spanish Head

Dinner: Dinner in Fathoms, the hotel restaurant on the 10th floor overlooking the ocean, voted the best restaurant view in Lincoln County.

DAY

Writing lecture & exercise / natural history walk & slide

Lincoln City, OR

B,L,D

Inn at Spanish Head

Breakfast: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Morning: Writing: Memoirs, Journals & Autobiography. Julie Fiedler, instructor. This is an opportunity to consider your own life's history and learn to entrust it to words. There will be time for discussion and writing exercises.

Lunch: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Afternoon: "Where are we?" Brief introduction to physical setting. Natural history walk on the beach with naturalist.

Dinner: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Evening: Natural History of the Oregon Coast slide show

DAY

Poetry workshop / woods walk / estuary visit / writing

Lincoln City, OR

B,L,D

Inn at Spanish Head

Breakfast: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Morning: Hands-on Poetry writing workshop with renowned Oregon poet and teacher Annie Lighthart, whose book of poetry "Iron String" was published in 2013. www.annielighthart.com. A look at poetry expression with writing exercises.

Lunch: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Afternoon: Continued hands-on writing workshop. Then, a naturalist will guide us on a walk in the woods, the great northwest coastal rainforest, where wildflowers will be blooming; we will visit an estuary where salmon will be 'running' upstream to spawn. Maximum distance is one mile. Time for writing.

Dinner: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Evening: More time for writing

DAY

Writing with Ron Lovell / Newport / Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Lincoln City, OR

B,L,D

Inn at Spanish Head

Breakfast: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Morning: Fiction Writing Class: Special presentation: "Danger by the Sea" author Ron Lovell, author of the Thomas Martindale Mystery Series. Afterward, group heads for Newport, OR for lunch at Sylvia Beach Hotel and exploring Nye Beach in the restored historic district of Newport.

Lunch: Lunch at the historic Sylvia Beach Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean, The atmosphere for our private banquet will be cozy and fun.

Afternoon: Continue field trip. Visit other sites in the Newport area: Nye Beach, Bayfront and Yaquina Head Lighthouse Natural Scenic Area where thousands of sea birds will be beginning to nest on the 'sea stack' rocks just offshore and harbor seals may be 'pupping' on the rocks below the cliffs. Spring is everywhere!

Dinner: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Evening: Time for stretching and relaxation.

DAY

Writing family history / publication panel / farewell event

Lincoln City, OR

B,L,D

Inn at Spanish Head

Breakfast: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Morning: Writing Your Family History; Oral histories; Capture your family story in so many ways: through anecdotes, biographies, oral history and so much more. Time for writing exercises.

Lunch: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Afternoon: Reflecting on Memoir with our instructor Julie again; also time to write, walk on the beach or just plain relax.

Dinner: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Evening: Panel Discussion on publishing options, possible avenues for finding illustrators, other related topics. Evening celebration.

DAY

Departures

Lincoln City, OR

Breakfast: Dine in the Fathoms Restaurant.

Morning: You may have time before leaving to talk to a presenter about a possible manuscript or meet in small groups, share your thoughts and creations. Check-out before noon.

Meals

14 Meals

5 Breakfasts

4 Lunches

5 Dinners

The following choices may be available when requested in advance: Vegetarian, Gluten Free

Lodging

Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.

Display

Apr 29, 2018 - May 04, 2018

Apr 29, 2018 - May 04, 2018

Inn at Spanish Head

5 nights

Lincoln City

Incredible 10-story hotel is built into the cliff right on the beach at Lincoln City; spectacular ocean views from every room.

TripAdvisor Reviews

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3 Reviews

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5 Average

Barbara

Class of 2017

Milwaukee, WI

(5) 10 months ago

Stupendous - Exhilarating - Refreshing - Rewarding - Thought Provoking ... simply Wonderfully Perfect.

Rosemary

Class of 2016

Lynn, MA

(5) a year ago

This program was Magical! Carol Unser is the most incredible group leader. The presenters were experts in their fields and were warm and approachable. The setting was amazing and the staff at the Inn were so helpful and accommodating. My only disappointment was that the program had to end!

Lorraine

Class of 2016

Sarasota, FL

(5) a year ago

A beautiful and inspiring way to spend a week! The gorgeous Oregon coast is a perfect backdrop and playground for this writing and nature learning program. I especially enjoyed making new friends and sharing my life experiences and insights with other women.

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