I go to Nimrod for the the summer arts program for writers. Hence, much of my appreciation is based on the writing time, the individual consultation, the group critique, the opportunity to read my work and hear others. Writers working with both Cathryn Hankla and Charlotte Morgan (this year’s writers in residence) gave rave reviews to everything related […]
For many years I’ve traveled to Nimrod Hall in Millboro, Virginia, for their annual writing retreat. Nimrod has inspired several of my stories and given me hours of valuable writing time. Last year I kept a travel log of my two weeks at Nimrod. I shared everything from packing my bags… …to the wild women writers I met […]
This post also appears on the Virginia is for Mysteries blog. Click here to read it and more stories from Virginia is for Mysteries, Volume II. In high school, I hated Ohio and American history. I didn’t want to memorize the dates of battles, the names of generals, the placement of Ohio’s 88 counties and their county […]
NIMROD HALL TRAVEL LOG Day 13 Most years we have only one group picture. But at breakfast today Jane Shepherd (seated in the middle next to me) gifted everyone with a Jane Austen tattoo! Here’s a close-up of mine, taken by Foust. And then Charlotte Morgan introduced us to her Frog “King”–i.e., Elvis. Charlotte is […]
NIMROD HALL TRAVEL LOG Day 12 The last day at Nimrod is always bittersweet. All the paths not walked. All I won’t see come to fruition–like this rose in the Square House flower box. And the naked ladies are just coming on. There will be a huge display, but searching now reveals only spears of […]
NIMROD HALL TRAVEL LOG Day 11 This picture from my morning walk is just a reminder that Nimrod is very rural. One sees old cisterns, cow pastures, horses grazing… In years past I’ve seen deer, close enough to photograph, but the rabbits are usually too fast and always too small. The wonder of the morning, […]
NIMROD HALL TRAVEL LOG Day 10 One of my favorite walks up Nimrod Lane passes this tiny graveyard. Three members of the Smith family are buried here–gone and forgotten?–and several mornings each summer, I pay my respects. I’ve always loved graveyards and cemeteries. I have a favorite tree in Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA. In […]
NIMROD HALL TRAVEL LOG Day 9 Who but Nimrod Writer Women would be passing around a paper mâché wedding cake at breakfast? A few years back, NPR put out a call for short stories about the wedding cake in the middle of the road (or something close to that). But story possibilities are endless! I’m […]
NIMROD HALL TRAVEL LOG Day 8 En route from Hot Springs to Nimrod, I paused at Warm Springs. What were once known as the Warm Springs Baths are now called the Jefferson Pools because Thomas Jefferson so often took the waters here. This is the men’s bathing house, built in 1761. In 1836, a separate Ladies […]
NIMROD HALL TRAVEL LOG The People I spent last week with a wonderful group of writers. Here we are at the conclusion of Week One. (I’m on the far left.) This is Sheri Reynolds, writer-in-residence for the Week One workshop at Nimrod Hall. She’s a New York Times bestselling author AND a great workshop leader. The […]