The Pen and Pier Retreat Organization Committee has been hard at work the last few months trying to gather and curate some really fun writing-related activities for us all to enjoy at our 4th annual writing retreat: Unearthed Imagination. We strove for a mix of different kinds of events, representing different genres we all like to play in. We also wanted to try and spread the retreat across the Central Coast, getting different events closer to different people who are in our group.
FRIDAY
The Great American Melodrama is a special gem on the Central Coast, and they specialize in comedic satire. The show we are watching, “Murder on the Air,” will be playing with common murder mystery tropes while also being set in the late 1930s. The show starts at 7 PM, but you should plan to arrive by 6:30 PM. There are snacks and drinks sold by the theater, but I encourage you to have dinner beforehand. The dress is pretty casual, but feel free to dress up if you usually do for a live show. The theater itself welcomes a wide array of dress, from Western dancing wear to more formal Broadway attire. If you still want to join us, tickets are $38 and still available. Contact Michelle . We also still have two free admission tickets. Contact Ute .
SATURDAY
Our Saturday morning write-in is a tradition of the writing retreat that we have done since our first year. This year we are meeting in Santa Maria, at a restaurant which opens early and serves coffee, then also has wood-fired pizza for lunchtime. This location was selected because it is a quieter venue, and our hope is to be able to hear one another in between sprint sessions. Ute has graciously agreed to bring back the typewriter, so just like last year, there will be an opportunity to add to a communal story. This will be available to add to until noon, when the typewriter will be packed up and taken to the next event. We also strongly urge all our writers/artists to bring any work you are proud of, such as any published works, finished art, small sellable items like bookmarks or stickers. If your work is digital, a card with links for people to find you would also be great. We hope to have a wonderful display table to showcase our amazing collection of creative works! The schedule says this ends at noon, but that is mainly for people heading to the next event. If you are in a groove, or just wish to spend more time writing, this location remains open till 2 pm!
In honor of our RPG and litRPG members, this year we are hosting a murder mystery game! You all voted to play the time-travel themed game, and so we will be gathering at Big Rock Tabletop, where our own @Katelyn will be hosting our game. Feel free to dress up in whatever era you choose in honor of the time travel theme. However, dressing as a present-day time traveler is also acceptable. If time permits, we will also have a round table discussion on LitRPG and how this genre differs from traditional fantasy after the game.
Another long-time tradition of the retreat is our Saturday night bonfire! We continue to host this at Grover Beach at sunset, the only local beach that allows fires directly in the sand. We will provide the bonfire essentials (i.e. wood, kindling, lighters) as well as s’more essentials (i.e. graham crackers, Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, marshmallows, pokers). If you would like to bring your own snacks or s’more additives, you are free to do so. We will have a dramatic reading of our communal typewriter story (story reader still TBD), and we plan to have a word burning. Bring old pages you feel passionate about burning or simply be prepared to jot down thoughts/ideas/beliefs that you want to burn in order to purge from your mind.
SUNDAY
Finally, on Sunday morning we like to gather and have brunch, in order to send our out-of-town friends off with best wishes and simply break bread with some amazing creative minds. The dress for this event is: come as you are; all are welcome here. If you want to bring a family member, or two, just let us know in advance so we can let the venue know the approximate size of our group. We simply cannot wait to see you all at our annual writing retreat! Thanks to everyone who is helping organize this great event: Skylar, Katelyn, Roscoe, Ute, Barbara, and Michelle!