Do you have a story?
...of course you do
Three events happened yesterday that left me giddy (separate from politics).
A reader and his wife in Switzerland just signed up to attend the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat, which we can now claim is an international event.
An emerging writer working two jobs but doesn’t have extra funds to attend the retreat wrote a moving letter explaining why she wants to come and hopes to save enough to do so next year. She was just awarded a scholarship and sobbed when she got the news.
My favorite bank in Iowa, Northwest Bank, became OWR’s sponsor yesterday. If you’re tired of being a tiny number in an impersonal mega-financial institution and want to establish a relationship with a real community bank, switch to Northwest. I’d say that even if they hadn’t become a sponsor of the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat.
Welcome Newcomers
We have many new subscribers to this Potluck column, so I’d like to update you about The Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat (OWR), a passion project of mine.
The area where the retreat is held features a chain of lakes, a beautifully restored classic amusement park, and entertainment and arts opportunities well beyond the size and scope of an otherwise small midwestern town. The retreat will take place September 22-25 on the campus of Lakeside Labs, ably run by Dr. Mary Skopec.
The event is rooted in the belief that everyone has a story and that sharing them can lead to a better understanding of one another. It’s a principle held by my late father, who typed a daily column for The Des Moines Register and Tribune using just his two index fingers. He never learned to type the conventional way, but he cranked out a Page One column six, sometimes seven, days a week. When asked how he could be so prolific, that was his answer:
There’s a story in everyone.
Four years ago, a bunch of old friends and colleagues came together to celebrate the end of COVID-19 quarantine and put on the first Okoboji Writers’ Retreat. A former editor of the Los Angeles Times, current and former columnists for The Des Moines Register, and authors from around the country with Iowa ties came together. I reserved a lodge that held 125 and thought there would be plenty of room for what I expected could be as many as 50 attendees. By September of that year, I had to start turning people away because we had reached capacity.
I’ll never forget a moment in our first retreat in 2021 when Michelle Cowan introduced herself to the group by saying she ‘wasn’t a writer,’ but ever since a drunk driver killed her first husband, she has felt compelled to tell his story.
She sat down, and the woman randomly seated next to her said: “I could have been the driver who killed him.”
It had been several years since she’d had a drink, but there could have been a time in her past, she said, when it might have been her who was drunk and at the wheel of a car that killed someone.
Michelle gained a new perspective on the story she would tell. Now, her book, “Better, Not Bitter,” is in hand, and the author is holding book signings around the country. She met people in that first retreat who guided her along the path, and she’ll be back this year to attend workshops on getting a screenplay of her story completed and in the right hands.
I had not intended the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat to be an annual event, but at the close of the first one, the participants said I had no choice. It must go on.
So, here we are, approaching our fourth retreat. About 30% of the attendees this year have been coming annually. Same with faculty: , John Dinges, , , , , , Margaret and Peggy Engel, , .
This year, we have several new speakers on writing for television and film (check out Becky Smith), mystery, and memoirs.
My husband, Richard Gilbert, and I are a two-person operation with the help of volunteers. Two days before we gather, he’ll crawl around our living room floor alphabetizing name badges. He attempts to rein me in when I come up with ideas like adding songwriting and expanding into the church camp property adjacent to Lakeside Labs. I didn’t listen to him and added this layer of complexity that I think will work out, but if it doesn’t, we will have a lot of fun anyway. He’s a champ and has yet to utter the words ‘I told you so.’
If I could figure out how to let songwriters know about it, there is no doubt it will be a hit. The talent we have as faculty is mind-blowing. Fingers crossed, there will be songwriters among the 30,000 Northwest Bank customers who will learn about us in an upcoming newsletter.
Volunteers step up to assist. Pat Tyrer, who teaches poetry at West Texas A&M, came to my rescue a couple of years ago and offered to format the agenda in a Word document. She’s standing by today, waiting for me to get her the upcoming list of workshops and panels, but I’m flummoxed trying to piece together what feels like a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.
What’s Next?
I’m 73 and pondering what an exit strategy looks like. Participants think I’m playing a game by teasing that I’m seriously considering ending OWR. No one lives forever, and I wonder what the future holds for what has become a magical tradition in a magical place. Maintaining the underlying culture is essential, so it’s a challenge to figure this out. I will.
Our Why
Attendees come to the retreat for a myriad of reasons. Some have no idea why they signed up, but educational travel is a thing, and events like this are a great way to experience other parts of the country.
Half of our participants enrolled describe themselves as hobby writers, the other half have been published or have a successful publishing career.
Today, we are just about 50 days away from the Sunday night hotdog roast, where volunteers Teresa Albertson, Barb Royal, and C.J. Peterson will welcome participants to mix and mingle with folks who are returning to OWR or are nervously there for the first time, wondering what to expect. It won’t take long for them to feel at home. Teresa, Barb, and C.J. will answer their questions and pass them a roasting stick.
Newcomers will understand that this is not a typical ‘conference.’ It’s a retreat designed for them. In the woods. By a lake. With butterflies, wildflowers, the quaint stone houses where workshops are held, and about 300 interesting and diverse writers, all there to learn from one another. That seems like a big number of folks in one place, but when dispersed over 200 acres (golf carts help those who have trouble walking get from one place to the other), the small group settings can be so intimate, a box of Kleenex is in each room, in case individuals are moved to tears. Many will be.
Culture
We have a culture. If something needs to be done, one of our attendees or speakers will do it. Folks don’t leave trash lying around. This is our space together. Retired oncologist and participant Bob Shreck pitches in to drive a golf cart, ferrying participants from session to session. This will be his third OWR experience. Volunteers have signed up to sell t-shirts, handle registration, and do anything else.
OWR is a community.
Monday Zoom Lunch Guests
On Mondays, at noon central time, I host a Zoom call with interesting guests. Subscribers are invited to participate in the discussion, which is then uploaded in podcast format.
August 5: Therapist Meredith Stahl will discuss the impact of bullying on children and how to help them cope.
August 12: C.J. Peterson will serve on the Rules Committee of the Democratic Party’s National Convention.
August 19: Ruth Harkin, author of a soon-to-be-released book of essays: “When My Husband Ran for President, and Other Short Stories.” Ruth will also be with us during the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat and appear on a panel with her publisher,
Steve Semken.Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
I am a proud member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, which features professional writers from around the state who provide commentary and feature stories of interest to Iowans. For a roundup of a sampling of the 60+ members, please subscribe here:
Here is what I think of Julie Gammack's wonderful Okoboji Writers' and Songwriters' Retreat. https://rleonard.substack.com/p/dear-julie-gammack-0fc
Can't wait for OWR this year!