If you have spent time with us here at the Wellstone Center - it does not matter in which capacity - you know that we would not be able to do half of what we do, especially not with so much grace and joy, without our resident interns. Now you are all gone! Theodore, a beautiful soul with a biting sense of humor, was the last to leave, over a week ago. Until our winter break…

It is difficult to think of anything else but the election this week. And it might be like this for a while. I wonder what this means for our creativity. If we are captivated by angry, upsetting thoughts, it can be impossible to rise to a state of airy lightness where our ideas can spin free. We keep being pulled down. Yoga and meditation can clear and free our mind. Nature and fresh air can…

With books it's like with life itself: A big deal is made of first and last words. As writers we think long about how to start a sentence and especially how we want a book to start. We might have favorite first sentences. I often flip to the last page of a book and read the last sentence. Why did the writer stop exactly there? Why did (s)he feel that this one last sentence was…

We thoroughly enjoyed our month off and needed the time to cuddle and give lots of love to our new baby girl, but now we are very happy to be back to being a Writer Retreat Center. It really is amazing to be living in a place where so many smart, loving and kind people come to visit. Thank you to all you wonderful writers, may you be here as a weeklong writer or a…

It always feels good to be using your hands and producing something useful, especially if the ingredients were things you thought did not have a purpose. I admire people who make art out of what others throw away. It's not the same, but we made soap this week. We did use good oils. After very little time stirring our alkaline witch broth, it turned into a funny-colored thick goo. Now it needs to rest for…