THE PROPHETS OF ROCK AND WAVE

Hey folks - an early heads-up about a writing retreat with a difference for winter 2012. The School has teamed up with the Dark Mountain Project - that churning beast of thought that is shuffling away from the domestic and conjuring all kinds of new literature and feral language into being. So, a good partner i'm sure you'd agree. Paul Kingsnorth is a director of Dark Mountain, and an accomplished writer and poet (and scyther actually), so will be bringing all sorts of new information with him. I'm excited about this unfolding.

More on this soon - but this is just an early tip. We are already filling spaces, and will close the doors at 20.


"Whilst promising the Earth, civilisation divorces us from it. But the stories our civilisation tells about itself are now unravelling. The intensity of that unravelling propels us into even greater disconnection from the wild.

The Dark Mountain Project and the Westcountry School of Myth and Story are collaborating for this unique writing, myth-making and wilderness workshop in the winter of 2012. It will pose a simple question: can we stand outside the wires and lights of modern living and, however briefly, re-forge a visceral engagement with the intelligence of the wild? Can we look at the human story, as it were, from outside?

Over a weekend spent in remote cabins, around fires and on the moors, we will explore what it means to un-civilise our writing and our selves. We will seek the place beyond the solitary intellect, where rather than dreaming we get dreamt. We will look to the creation of stories, poems, narratives and worldviews that are startling in their freshness, by walking beyond the usual dustbowls of the civilised world. Weather patterns, badger trails, and deep pools of water will serve as teachers. Bring your dancing shoes. And waterproofs.

The course is led by Martin Shaw, Director of the Westcountry School of Myth and Story (schoolofmyth.com), and Paul Kingsnorth, Director of the Dark Mountain project (dark-mountain.net). The weekend will combine writing workshops and exercises with moorland walks and fireside explorations. It will be active, outdoors and full of surprises. There will be no wifi connection or urban comforts.

The cost for the weekend is £200, including breakfast, evening meals and board. Numbers are limited to 20. No experience necessary – just enthusiasm"

For more information, see www.dark-mountain.net/events
To reserve your place or find out more, email tina.schoolofmyth@yahoo.com or call 01364 653723