The more you travel and really look, the more universal truths you discover. You start finding the familiar in the exotic and the humanity of the people you're photographing.
There are the great human themes we all share--it doesn't matter whether you're wearing an orange robe or a three-piece suit. , Bob Krist,
photographer
interviewed by
Molly Baker
Wall Street Journal,
April 19-19, 2009 |
Interpretive Writing Intensive
Early Bird Registration is open!
| REGISTER NOW
| and Save $200!
August 9-14, 2010 San Geronimo Lodge
Taos, New Mexico
|
|
Know someone who could use the information in this newsletter? Click
"Forward email" at the bottom of the newsletter, or contact me and I'll add their name to the
list.
|
What Interp Writing Intensive attendees are saying
The writing tips and tools were fabulous. Judy is Great!!!
I had a little glimmer of possibilities. Judy threw the door open so I could see it all.
I was so happy and pleased with what I was able to do over only a few days.
I
learned a lot about myself and my ability to write by being forced to
write, write, write! That helped me break down a self-created
barrier...this will help me with work and personal writing.
I loved the size and pacing...I also appreciate the supplementary handouts.
|
|
It's early April, early morning, and the world is gray. Gray buildings hulk like bison, their heavy shoulders merging into canvas and stone porticos. The steep cliff faces of the upper stories blend with gray sky. The darker gray of road stretches like an asphalt meadow, disappearing into mist.
I am dressed in layers, but not enough of them. I lean into the wind and trudge the seven blocks from hotel to convention center. The faint glow of a brass plaque riveted near an entranceway tries to push through the gloom; I ignore it. Two blocks farther on, there's another; I glance at it long enough to notice that the large letters at the top are the name of the city block, not the name of the company inhabiting the building. I promise myself that I'll read it on my way back to my hotel tonight. Another two blocks and I can see the hotel closest to the convention center--fancy, fine, and modern (not to mention out of my price range). It fills the seventh block, a smooth gray edifice of unblemished granite.
But it's not entirely smooth; there's a pattern cut into the stone. It forms a single horizontal stripe about shoulder-height that cuts across the east face of the building, turns the corner, and continues along the north face. As I cross the street, the pattern resolves into letters, and I realize I'm looking at a sentence, though it doesn't make sense because I'm "walking the sentence" from somewhere in the middle toward its beginning. When I get to the next street, I realize that the text actually runs around the entire perimeter of the hotel. It's a quote I've read before but in this place, in this context, it catches me entirely by surprise. I stop and revel in the wonder of it.
products from recycled cars
 | Inside the convention center, I get lost (I always get lost) and end up on the side where the annual auto show is setting up instead of the side with the writing programs conference. In the lobby area outside the exhibit hall doors there are some clear plastic cases with stuff crammed inside, another case with mysterious parts displayed on shelves, and a smashed car. The brochures in the small literature holders near the tall display cabinet are basic marketing--"Western Metals Recycling: the largest full-service metals recycler in the Intermountain West"--but the exhibit is pure interp, and it's very cool.
car ready for recycling
 |
Finally, I find my way to registration, and then I head to the convention center info booth to get suggestions for restaurants. I'm looking for moderately priced with vegetarian options, walking distance from the convention center. The two women in the info booth tell me snippets of local history--it almost feels like gossip--as they discuss the pros and cons of several restaurants. I don't realize how skillfully they've woven these interpretive bits in with the "where do I eat" info until later, when I'm walking to supper and recognize a street name...and remember the story that goes with it.
As interpreters, we're trained to be aware of our surroundings. As interpretive writers, that goes double. We must always be on the lookout for excellent interpretive stories for our site or organization, and we must always look for interpretive opportunities to share those stories beyond our site or organization.
Each spring, Canada geese nest close to Harmony Library, a branch of the Poudre River Public Library District of Larimer County, Colorado. The geese don't take kindly to library patrons walking through their territory to get to the library's entrance. Library patrons and employees like the geese and know they're protected; they also want safe passage to the library. This spring, the library used temporary "geese guideways" (soft, bright orange, fence-like netting lining the sidewalk from the parking lot to the library entrance) to help protect both geese and people. They also posted simple signs: a short explanation of what was happening and why, printed on ordinary paper, protected in a plastic sleeve, and tied onto the orange netting.
The library also has a newly planted "Secret Garden," a series of miniature ecosystems, complete with small permanent interpretive signs, designed and written by the Forestry, Wildlife and Natural Resources Program at Front Range Community College. The library isn't a zoo, natural history museum, or wildlife sanctuary; it is an interpretive opportunity. Are you sharing your interpretive stories with other community organizations and groups?
Harmony Library's Secret Garden
 |
 Everywhere I go, I pick up a copy of the local newspaper; it's a rare day that there isn't a major feature article addressing a topic that interpreters routinely write about. Are you connecting with the media in your area? Do your press releases reach for more than an ordinary entry in the "what to do around town" listings?
Let your enthusiasm for your interpretive stories flow beyond the confines of your computer, the front desk, the site itself. Interpretive opportunities are everywhere!
Comments? Questions?
Tell us!
970/416-6353
888/886-9289
|
The Interpretive Writing Intensive
covers
applying interpretive principles
to writing--
and much more!
Freeman Tilden said interpretive writing should be
"concise, focused, inspirational, and engaging."
Lofty goals for any writer!
 What makes interpretive writing interpretive; How to create writing that connects with the reader; Techniques for strengthening language, including pacing, language use, and word choice; Strategies for organizing; How to write for any length or space; How to write for different media, different audiences, and different uses; How to write for maximum impact; How to write even if you think you can't; How to take your writing "off-site";
Humble punctuation; Accessing--and improving--creativity (or, the Muse will visit if chocolate is involved); Dealing with writer's block (or, how to get the Muse to visit if you're out of chocolate); and MORE.
Improve your writing this summer at the Interpretive Writing Intensive, August 9-14, 2010 at San Geronimo Lodge, Taos, New Mexico.
Early Bird Registration Now Open
Register today and save $200!
Register today to take advantage of the Early Bird discount--$2o0.00 off the regular registration! Register three or more people at the same time and save another $50 per person!
To
ensure a quality experience with plenty of individual attention,
workshop size is limited to 15 people. Registration is first-come,
first-served.
|
You can choose shared room, single room, or commuter rate; the early bird discount applies to all categories. And remember, workshop size is limited to 15 people. Some spaces are already filled, so don't wait! Register today.
To register, click on this link or call Judy at 888/886-9289 (toll-free in the U.S.).
Still waiting for your agency to push the paperwork through? Need to pay by credit or travel card over the phone instead of online? CALL ME and we'll figure out solutions that will work for you!
MORE DETAILS: below and on our website.
QUESTIONS? Call 888/886-9289 (toll-free in the U.S.) or email Judy.
Taos, New Mexico |
Arrive Monday Aug. 9 between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.
Depart Saturday morning, August 14, 2010
Optional: Extend your stay at San Geronimo Lodge--Special
discounted rates before and after the workshop
- EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: Register by midnight, June 28, 2010 and save $200.00. (Register 3 or more people at the same time and save another $50 per person.)
- GROUP REGISTRATION: Register 3 or more people at the
same time and save $50 per person for Early Bird & Regular Registrations
REGISTRATION OPTIONS:
ALL-INCLUSIVE OR
COMMUTER RATES
Choose shared room, single room, or commuter option.
REGISTER by midnight, JUN 28--SAVE 200.00!
Early Bird Registration
Shared room: $1725.00
Single room: $1850.00
Commuter: $1120.00
Optional--Extend your stay: $80.00 per night (includes breakfast) Sunday
night before and up to four nights following the workshop, based on
availability.
Regular Registration
(see above for early registration pricing):
Shared room: $1925.00
Single room: $2050.00
Commuter: $1320.00
Optional--Extend your stay: $80.00 per night (includes breakfast) Sunday
night before and up to four nights following the workshop, based on
availability.
All-inclusive registration fee includes 5 nights' lodging at San Geronimo Lodge (Monday night through Saturday morning), 5 breakfasts, 4
lunches, and 4 dinners; workshop and materials, one half-hour
individual consulting session, instructor review of one previously
submitted writing sample, and snacks, coffee, and tea.
Commuter registration fee includes parking at San Geronimo Lodge, 4 lunches, and 4 dinners; workshop and materials, one half-hour
individual consulting session, instructor review of one previously
submitted writing sample, and snacks, coffee, and tea. Commuter
registration fee does not include lodging.
HOW TO REGISTER
Register online HERE.
NOTE: Online payment is by credit card only and is processed via
PayPal. If you cannot use PayPal or if you need to pay via wire
transfer or purchase order, please call or email us to make
arrangements. (To pay via check, use the snail mail option, below.)
Register offline HERE (if you are paying by check or purchase order).
Register by phone (credit card only, please): 888/886-9289 (toll-free in the U.S.) or 970/416-6353.
Questions? Call
888/886-9289 (toll-free in the U.S.) or 970/416-6353, or
email Judy at judyb@greenfire-creative.com.
|
|
|
San Geronimo Lodge
San Geronimo Lodge, Taos, NM  | Built in 1925, the
San Geronimo lodge was one of the first hotels in Taos, and the first
"resort" hotel. This enchanting inn offers historic charm with all the
comfort and convenience of modern day lodging.
For more info about San Geronimo Lodge, click here.
|
we help you tell the story
 | |
|
|
|
|
