How could it possibly have gone by so fast? Interlochen College of Creative Arts Writers’ Retreat of 2011 was four days full of writers reading, talking, writing, eating, imbibing, walking, sharing, sleeping (just a little,) listening, and yes, drawing.

We are back at our house in Mt. Carroll, IL, and are happy for our own bed, our two crazy cats, our full-size refrigerator, our own cooker (as the British, Philip’s people, call it.) What I am missing, though, is so much. Of course, the trees. The beautiful smells of Northern Michigan, the lakes that are small and great. The creative aura that is Interlochen Center for the Arts.

I find myself thinking back to moments and people;

• Ava and Philip with their heads down over their work on the reduction linocut print for the dedication of the Mallory-Towsley Building.
• Dinner with Matt and Angela, their delightful children making us laugh and marvel.
• Walking along Diamond Park Road and into the collection of houses near the lake, amidst the wetlands–a path I ran daily during my residency at Interlochen in 2001. A place that appears in my stories.
• Meeting, talking with, and hearing the fine, fine work of my fellow faculty: Fleda Brown, Tony Ardizzone, Katey Schultz, and of course, Anne-Marie Oomen. (Oh yeah, and Philip, too.)
• Annie finding her way in the poetry workshop.
• Linda showing her chops as a real writer.
• Jo Anne’s kind face and beautiful drawings, her collections of memories about travels and places important to her.
• Joan lighting up like one of her own students as she made new discoveries.
• Lindsey doing what she always does, writing her way toward understanding, and doing it so well.
• Lynn celebrating her birthday with ballet turns, new drawings, a new section of work-in-progress, and plastic rings and cupcakes. (Oh, and two dead mice!)
• Viki surprising me deeply and delightfully, despite my having known her for–could it be?–nearly two decades now.
• Ferdy taking the risk and reading his work off his phone.
• Theresa, Lindsay, John, Terry, leaving me lost in their worlds after their readings.
• Lucricia and Sam, such a dear couple, each following their dreams and holding hands on the way.
• Opera on the lakefront in the dark.
• And Gail, dear Gail, on the other side of the wall, putting up with Philip’s high jinx and giving comfort and camaraderie just by being there. (And her writing!)
• John and Meredith making the trek to hear us read and to hang for a while after.
• Selling and signing books. Felt a little like Sally Field: “You like me! You really like me!”
• Talking blogs with Kristen, whose own is both beautiful and mouthwatering.
• Rachel making me feel as though my stories can move even the toughest of customers, and hearing her own affecting novel-in-progress.
• Sharkie.
• A hug from Delp, whom I adore.
• An escape the weekend before the retreat (pre-retreat retreat) with Philip to Empire, watching the great lake roll toward the shore, eating marvelous food and watching junk tv and…well, you get the picture.
• Dinner with a crowd of excited new friends at the conclusion of the week.
• And perhaps most of all, dinner before it all started with Anne-Marie and David, two of the world’s best people (no hyperbole here) who are such a joy to be with. Anne-Marie has shown me so much about how to live a writing life of meaning, and David is evidence of how to live the rest of your life, too, with warmth and compassion, with generosity and good deeds. What a couple!