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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261004T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261004T170000
DTSTAMP:20260825T210900Z
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SUMMARY:Helen Whybrow
DESCRIPTION:“Revelatory. . . magical. . . Whybrow beautifully explores interconnectedness and disruption in nature.”–Maureen Corrigan\, The Washington Post \nHelen Whybrow visits Point Reyes for a conversation about her National Book Award longlisted memoir\, The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life. Set in Vermont’s Green Mountains\, it is a profoundly moving meditation on the lessons and wisdom that come from raising a family\, tending sheep\, and living close to the land. \nCo-presented with Point Reyes Books. \nAbout The Salt Stones\nIn the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains\, Helen Whybrow and her partner set out to restore an old two-hundred-acre farm. Knowing that “belonging more than anything requires participation\,” they begin to intertwine their lives with the land. But soon after releasing a flock of Icelandic sheep onto the worn-out fields\, Whybrow realizes that the art of shepherding extends far beyond the flock and fences of Knoll Farm. \nIn prose both vivid and lean\, The Salt Stones offers an intimate and profoundly moving story of what it means to care for a flock and truly inhabit a piece of land. The shepherd’s life unfolds for Whybrow in the seasons and cycles of farming and family–birthing lambs\, fending off coyotes\, rescuing lost sheep in a storm\, and raising children while witnessing her mother’s decline. Exploring the interdependence of animals\, as well as of the earth and ourselves\, Whybrow reflects on the ways sheep connect her to place and to the ancient practice of shepherding. \nEvocative\, affectionate\, and illuminating\, The Salt Stones sings of a way of life that is at once ancient and entirely contemporary\, inspiring us all to seek greater intimacy and a sense of belonging wherever our home place may be. \nMesa Refuge Alum Helen Whybrow is the author of A Man Apart: Bill Coperthwaite’s Radical Experiment in Living and Dead Reckoning: Great Adventure Writing from 1800-1900. She is also the editor of many anthologies\, including Hearth: A Global Conversation on Community\, Identity\, and Place and Coming to Land in a Troubled World. Her writing has appeared in Cagibi\, Hunger Mountain\, EatingWell\, and Orion. She is a visiting professor at Middlebury College and has taught at the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference. She lives in the Green Mountains of Vermont\, where she shepherds a two-hundred-acre organic farm.Wren Fortunoff grew up farming and loves very long trail runs in the mountains. She has illustrated on paper bags\, T-shirts\, dead trees\, feet\, and walls.
URL:https://mesarefuge.org/event/helen-whybrow-salt-stones-seasons-of-a-shepherds-life/
LOCATION:Pt Reyes Presbyterian Church\, 11445 CA-1\, Point Reyes Station\, CA\, 94956\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mesarefuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Bird-Drawing-Workshop.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T150000
DTSTAMP:20260803T223716Z
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UID:10471-1791633600-1791644400@mesarefuge.org
SUMMARY:Legacy Circle Lunch
DESCRIPTION:Each year our Legacy Circle gathers for lunch and celebration—honoring donors who are supporting the sustainability of Mesa Refuge far into the future. Our Legacy Circle includes alums\, community members\, and our board and staff who have included a bequest to Mesa Refuge in their will. \nThis event is also open to anyone who is considering leaving a legacy gift or who has left a bequest to Mesa Refuge that we do not know about! This is a wonderful opportunity to gather with like-minded stewards who love and care for Mesa Refuge and to share our future vision. \nThis year\, our program also includes a reading and conversation with Mesa alums Elaine Elinson and Venise Wagner about Elaine’s new book\, Radiant as the Stars\, followed by apple picking in our orchard. \nTo attend\, please RSVP to Noya Kansky (nkansky@mesarefuge.org) by October 1.
URL:https://mesarefuge.org/event/legacy-circle-lunch/
LOCATION:Point Reyes Station
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261013T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261027T180000
DTSTAMP:20260813T235005Z
CREATED:20260323T174140Z
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SUMMARY:Workshop - The Art of the Nonfiction Book Proposal
DESCRIPTION:Bringing a book into the world requires both vision and a plan. The proposal is where those meet—a living document that serves as the book’s blueprint\, strategy\, and invitation to publishers. While many writers find them challenging\, they are actually a gift to help you refine and articulate the essence and urgency of your work. \nThis three-part virtual workshop with with literary agent\, Wave Literary Agency founder\, and bestselling author Rachel Neumann is designed to support nonfiction writers in transforming their ideas and their work into compelling\, publishable proposals\, with expert support and in a community of values-aligned writers.   \nWorkshop Overview\nAcross three 2-hour sessions\, participants will gain a deep understanding of what makes a powerful nonfiction book proposal and how to position their work in today’s publishing landscape. Each session will focus on a part of the proposal and blends teaching\, discussion\, and hands-on workshopping\, with opportunities for feedback. \nParticipants will leave with a strong first draft of their proposal and a clearer sense of how to move forward toward agents\, publishers\, or continued development.  \nSessions will take place on 3 Tuesdays in October (13th\, 20th\, 27th) from 4-6pm PST. \nSliding scale: $300 for Mesa Refuge alums\, $325-$350 for general public. Limited to 25 participants. Please reach out to nkansky@mesarefuge.org if the cost of the workshop is prohibitive to your participation. \nCancellation Policy: In order to receive a partial refund (a $15 admin fee is deducted from your payment)\, we require 7 days notice.  \nSession Breakdown\nSession 1: The Architecture of a Winning Proposal – October 13\, 4-6pm PST \n\nWhat agents and editors are really looking for\n\nThe essential components of a nonfiction proposal (overview\, platform\, chapter outline\, sample chapter)\n\nUnderstanding the marketplace and positioning your book\n\nIdentifying your Keynote\, core idea\, audience\, and narrative stakes\n\n\nOutcome: A concise keynote and an understanding of all the proposal elements. \nSession 2: The Arc of Your Story – October 20\, 4-6pm PST \n\nCrafting a compelling overview that captures voice\, authority\, and urgency\n\nBuilding a strong chapter outline and narrative arc\n\nWriting (or refining) your sample chapter\n\nSmall-group breakout sessions for feedback and accountability\n\nOutcome: Understanding of how to outline/arc  \nSession 3:  Positioning & The Path to Publication – October 27\, 4-6pm PST \n\nPositioning and Comps: Your space in the universe\n\nHow to find and approach the right literary agent\n\nQuery letters and submission strategy\n\nUnderstanding the agent-author relationship and next steps\n\n\nOutcome: Clear next steps to refine and build your proposal \n\nRachel Neumann is the President of Wave Literary\, a full-service leading literary agency developing the books we need for the world we want She teaches narrative healing and writing courses and retreats\, and provides mentoring for new authors on their journey to publishing. Rachel is also an award-winning author of four books\, including Not Quite Nirvana and I Am Home: Portraits of Immigrant Teenagers. Her latest book\, How to Start a Fire: A Story of Loss\, Love\, and Revolution\, shares lessons from her life growing up on a remote rural commune and in Oakland\, as well as her experiences in the middle of revolutions around the world. Her work has appeared in New York Times\, Lion’s Roar\, Tricycle\, The Nation\, and Dissent Magazine\, among many others. She has midwifed over 100 books\, including two dozen New York Times bestsellers and for over a decade was the publisher and personal editor for Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. She is a 2024 Mesa Refuge alum and co-chair of Mesa Refuge’s Board of Directors. \n 
URL:https://mesarefuge.org/event/workshop-the-art-of-the-nonfiction-book-proposal/
LOCATION:Virtual
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261024
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SUMMARY:Lit Crawl\, SF - In the Spirit of Kapwa
DESCRIPTION:Join Mesa Refuge and Helen Toribio Kapwa Fellows at Lit Crawl – a massive\, one-night literary pub crawl through San Francisco’s Mission District. Time and venue TBA.\n\n\nThis reading includes Isa Borgeson\, Christine Cordero\, Rona Fernandez\, Jassmin Poyaoan\, Aileen Suzara\, Aimee Suzara\, and Angel Trazo\, who were brought together through the Helen Toribio Kapwa Fellowship at Mesa Refuge. Kapwa is a Tagalog word that does not have an exact English translation\, but describes “the universal truth of interconnectedness and solidarity with all living beings.” In the spirit of kapwa\, these writers bring into conversation distinct explorations of intergenerational relationships and trauma\, mothering\, queerness\, climate change and the role of colonialism\, and mythology.
URL:https://mesarefuge.org/event/lit-crawl-reading-in-the-spirit-of-kapwa/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mesarefuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Bird-Drawing-Workshop.jpg
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