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2008-09-16 issue:

Kasdorf, Hostetler work with writers

Ten writers gather at Wilderness Wind camp, visit Sigurd Olson’s cabin

by Kathy Landis of Wilderness Wind

Print Article

Ten writers from across the United States and Canada gathered July 17-20 in refurbished log cabins at Wilderness Wind, a Mennonite camp in northern Minnesota.
















From left: Connie Braun, Ann Hostetler and Arthur Wirch discuss the challenges that writers face. Photo by Kathy Landis.

“We all seemed to arrive with generosity and openness,” says Julia Spicher Kasdorf.

Kasdorf, teacher and director of the graduate program in creative writing at Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., and Ann Hostetler, professor of literature and creative writing at Goshen (Ind.) College, provided the input as the resource people for the “Listen for the Loons” retreat.

The diversity in the group added to the retreat’s interest. Participants included pastors, stay-at-home parents, a magazine editor and an author about to publish her first book.
“The mix, and the talent of the two presenters, promised to be perfect,” says Connie Braun from Abbotsford, B.C. “I was challenged by Ann’s concept of spiritual memoir. The retreat followed an intense deadline for my upcoming book, and the concluding paragraph was inspired and created at the retreat.”

“As a nontraditional Mennonite,” says Minke Sundseth of Minneapolis, “the retreat was not only a source of tremendous inspiration and learning about writing, it was an opportunity to see my chosen denomination through a new and creative lens. It was such a supportive yet challenging atmosphere, and it left me full of ideas, words and drawing connections I hadn’t seen before.”

Retreat sessions included sustaining a writing practice, writing spiritual memoir, individual conferences with Kasdorf and Hostetler, group discussions to reflect on each writer’s work and free time to write.

In addition, the group journeyed back in time and place to visit Sigurd Olson’s Listening Point, a  30-acre area where Olson, a local wilderness writer, went for retreat.

The writers also visited his Finnish-scribed, dovetail cabin whose ambiance and belongings exude much of the spirit in which Olson left it about 20 years ago.

“As I sit on these rocks and note the antics of the loons,” said Joetta Schlabach from Minneapolis, “one is quieted enough to see the direct correlation between wilderness and humanity’s spiritual health.”

The length of days allowed for lingering conversations as the lake changed colors with the sunsets. Paul Krahn from Altona, Man., co-editor of the magazine Rhubarb, says, “The natural and sustainable Wilderness Wind setting offered a welcome removal from the haze of one life into the clean air of another. In addition, Ann and Julia gave me a gift that has carried on into a more confident and steady writing habit.”

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