So ... what is this all about?

Three or four times a year a bunch of people from around the country gather at Marconi Conference Center on Tomales Bay to write together in an inspiring setting.

Daily workshops using the Amherst Writers and Artists method unlock imaginative forces and stimulate creative thinking. It is fun, provocative and deeply moving, as we challenge taboos and overcome blocks.

Many free hours remain to wander and think and write. People working on longer projects sometimes use the time simply to work in solitude. In the evenings after dinner we gather in McCargo Hall to read aloud from our works or the works of others, talk, play music, perform and joke around. It's one of those richly nourishing experiences you don't soon forget and soon want to repeat.

The price includes all lodging and meals from dinner on the first day to lunch on the last day before we drive off down the hill.

The Marconi Conference Center sits above Highway 1 about 45 miles north of San Francisco. E-mail cary@carytennis.com or call 1-800-461-9130.