Writing with Woodside is a unique workshop designed to reinforce your voice and your inspiration through walking, observation, and writing sessions in a beautiful lake-and-mountain place.
I started running workshops on this model back in 2011 with a winter session evening class at Wesleyan University’s former Green Street Arts Center, called Writing in Motion. Since then, I have been running shorter-duration workshops on this model, helping creatives at all stages of their writing find new words and dig deep into their writing practices. Writers who come are working on both fiction and non-fiction, long and short projects. These methods work for all.
Join me Thursday, May 28-Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps in Holderness, New Hampshire.
Rates are reasonable and include everything from food and lodging to a boat ride, workshop materials, and my teaching. Sign up by March 1 for a 10% discount. For information about early discounts and to signup, click here.
I am a writer and longtime editor and teacher. I have edited Appalachia journal, the U.S.’s longest-running mountain journal, for more than two decades. I was editor of a quarterly, Connecticut Woodlands, for 16 years. As a writer, I specialize in the clash of people and the natural world, pollution, human behavior, and the history of farming. My three books include Libertarians on the Prairie and a memoir of exploration called Going Over the Mountain. For more than two decades I have been editor-in-chief of the country’s oldest mountaineering journal, Appalachia. I teach the history of journalism and environmental writing at the University of Connecticut. Last year I published my first short fiction story, “Pumping Station Road,” about an obsessed trail runner, in Running Wild Press.
Testimonials about previous Writing with Woodside workshops:
“It was an opportunity to both unplug and plug back in, to reset and to think ahead, to let both the mind and the body wander. Sometimes your best thinking happens when you aren’t trying to think, and that’s the beauty of what Chris provides. She gently leads but also quietly follows, providing prompts to get you started and feedback to help steer you toward clarity of words and purpose.”
—Elissa Bass, author of Waiting to Cross
I can’t thank you enough, Chris, for your thoughtful suggestions and encouragement on my first attempt to write fiction, and for the great time at RDC. I really enjoyed meeting everyone, sharing ideas, listening to the stories and eating enough bacon to last (or shorten) a lifetime.”
—Julie Ford, magazine writer
“I couldn’t have asked for a more fun and creative group! Much gratitude goes to Chris for creating such nurturing space.”
—Judy Benson, author of The Book of Todd
“I’ve attended dozens of writing retreats and workshops, and Christine’s ranks at the top of the list. During that unforgettable weekend, she challenged us to write and experience life beyond our comfort zones. The result was forward evolution in our writing.”
—The late, great Gregory L. Norris, author of Monsterland
