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North of 45 Writer's Retreat

Saturday, April 28, 2018
8:00 am6:00 pm
Chamberlin's Ole Forest Inn

9th Annual
North of 45 Writer’s Retreat
to be held April 26 – 29th 2018 In Curtis
The 9th Annual North of 45 Retreat for Writers will be held April 26 – 29, 2018 in Curtis, MI with its primary sponsors, Chamberlin’s Ole Forest Inn and Erickson Center for the Arts, hosting. Additional support comes from a variety of area businesses, and individuals.
The all-inclusive retreat features workshops taught by notable authors to challenge and encourage writers of all genres and levels of experience. Participants have opportunities to read their work aloud and receive feedback from their peers that is both affirming and constructive. North of 45 Retreat attendees enjoy stretches of time to relax, write, or simply enjoy the company of other writers.
Any adult who has a passion for writing, a desire to pursue the craft, or who feels a need to get away from the distractions of everyday living to explore and/or indulge their interest is welcome. “The retreat is for adults who write, or are interested in writing,” said AnnMarie Rowland, who has directed the retreat since its inception in 2010. “Whether it’s poetry, fiction, or non-fiction…whether you’re a well-published author or just beginning… North of 45 is for you.”
Leading workshops for the April 2018 event will be Heather Shumaker and Russell Thorburn.
Shumaker is a national speaker who’s been writing professionally since 1996. She started writing for radio, and her publications include New York Post, Organic Gardening, Parenting, Pregnancy, Huffington Post and others. She's the author of two books on renegade parenting: It's OK to Go Up the Slide (Tarcher/Penguin Random House) and It’s OK Not to Share (Tarcher/Penguin). She is also the author of Saving Arcadia, a Great Lakes conservation adventure story, (Wayne State University Press), and has worked for a variety of environmental nonprofits.
Heather once worked as a milkmaid, sailor, llama trekking guide, and fire crew, as well as a garbage worker in Antarctica, at the U.S. South Pole station. She holds a BA in sociology/anthropology from Swarthmore College and an MS in land resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Traverse City, MI with her husband and two children.
Russell Thorburn is the first Poet Laureate of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A playwright as well as a poet, Thorburn is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in poetry. He started writing poetry in 5th grade, and now teaches composition and film at Northern Michigan University, and is an independent manuscript editor and consultant whose clients have published numerous books with national presses in the U.S. and Canada. Thorburn’s own poetry can be found in these books: Approximate Desire, (New Issues Poetry & Prose), Father, Tell Me I Have Not Aged, (Marick Press), The Drunken Piano (March Street Press), The Whole Tree as Told to the Backyard, and Misfit Hearts (Rocky Shore Books). He lives in Marquette, Michigan, with his wife and son.

AnnMarie Rowland is a columnist, poet, songwriter, writing workshop leader, and touring musician. In addition to the North of 45 Retreat for Writers, she is the director of Johnathan Rand’s Author Quest; a camp for young writers, and Word Compass Retreat for Writers. Her work appears regularly in several regional magazines and newspapers. She lives in Coldwater, MI and Owen Sound, Ontario.

An Authors’ Read will take place at the Erickson Center on Friday, April 27th at 7:00 pm as part of the event, when North of 45 Retreat staff writers will read from their own work. The public is encouraged to attend.
For more information about the North of 45 Retreat, to register, or to become a sponsor, please contact Kelly Chamberlin.
800-292-0440 / 906.586.6000/ www.ericksoncenter.org www.chamberlinsinn.com

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