Camp Tilikum Writers Conference

Coming up November 2019—check back for details.

In today’s world, film is the medium with the greatest impact; the internet is the most wide spread; but the written word has the greatest precision and permanence and can have enormous influence on our world. Today, writers of Christian conviction need our support and encouragement. They need the vision to wrestle honestly with the complexities of the human condition and the skills to articulate those realities in ways that are crisp and imaginative. The Christian Writers Retreat is an annual retreat at Tilikum and brings together a broad spectrum of Christian writers and speakers. The retreat provides expertise in relevant topics and offers one-on-one mentoring. Sponsored by Barclay Press and Camp Tilikum.

Lodge Housing and Commuters

Tilikum offers overnight accommodations for 30 guests in the Lodge (usually 2 per room with a private bath). There is also space for 15 commuter guests. The registration page has two links, one for overnight guests ($425) and the other for commuters ($200) if registered by September 1, 2018. Register early—this retreat fills up quickly.

Click here to Register for the Writers Retreat.

Schedule

Friday, November 9, 2018

5:00PM – Registration Opens
7:00PM – General Session and Worship
8:00PM – Workshop Tracks, Poetry, Fiction, Spiritual Non-Fiction
9:00PM – Evening Prayer

Saturday, November 10, 2018

7:30AM – Morning Prayer
8:00AM – Breakfast
9:00AM – Workshop Sessions (until noon)
12:30PM – Lunch
1:30PM  – General Session
2:30PM – One on One Mentoring (until 5:30 PM)
3:00PM – Sharing Projects Recently Published or in Process (concurrent with mentoring until 5:00 PM)
6:00PM – Dinner
7:00PM – Panel Discussion and Questions
8:15PM – General Session
9:30PM – Evening Prayer

Sunday, November 11, 2018

7:30AM – Morning Prayer
8:00AM – Breakfast
9:00AM – Workshop Session
10:30AM – General Session and Wrap-up
12:00PM – Lunch

2018 Speakers and Mentors

Gina Ochsner – Gina lives in Keizer, Oregon and teaches writing and literature at Corban University and with Seattle Pacific’s Low Residency MFA program.  She is the author of the short story collection The Necessary Grace to Fall, which was selected for the Flannery O’Connor Award and the collection People I Wanted to Be.  To find out more about Gina, please visit www.ginaochsner.com.

Linda Clare – Linda is the author of six books, both fiction and nonfiction. She has been a frequent contributor of essays to publications such as Chicken Soup for the Soul, A Cup of Comfort and Guideposts. Linda has also taught writing at Lane Community College for more than a decade, and has served as a writing advisor for doctoral students at George Fox University.

Matt Mikalatos – A Christian author, speaker, and missionary from the Portand, Oregon area and the author of the comedy theology novels Night of the Living Dead Christian and My Imaginary Jesus, as well as the fantasy novel The Sword of Six Worlds.

Colette Tennant – Colette is a Professor of English at Corban University where she has taught for twenty-three years, where her courses include Poetry Writing, Intro to Creative Writing, and Persuasive Theory and Writing along with various literature courses. She has two books of poetry, Commotion of Wings published in 2010, and Eden and After, published in 2015. Her poems have appeared in many journals including Prairie Schooner, Southern Poetry Review, and Christianity and Literature.

Melanie Springer Mock – Melanie is Professor of English at George Fox University, Newberg. She is the author or co-author of five books, including most recently Worthy: Finding Yourself in a World Expecting Someone Else (Herald Press, April 2018). Her essays and reviews have appeared in The Nation, Christian Feminism Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Christianity Today, and Mennonite World Review, among other places. She lives in Dundee, Oregon with her husband and two sons.

Paul N. Anderson – Paul serves as Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University and as Extraordinary Professor of Religion at the North West University of Potchefstroom, South Africa. He is author of over two hundred published essays and author or editor of over a dozen books, including Following Jesus, From Crisis to Christ, The Christology of the Fourth Gospel, The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus, and The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel. He edited Quaker Religious Thought and Evangelical Friend, and he edits the Biblical Interpretation Series (E.J. Brill), the Johannine Monograph Series (Wipf & Stock), and the Quakers and the Disciplines Series (Friends Association for Higher Education).

Nancy Thomas – Nancy is a widely published writer of poetry and creative non-fiction. Her latest volume of poetry, Close to the Ground, was published by Barclay Press in 2016. She recently finished researching and writing a book on the 100-year history of Friends in Bolivia. During her years of service as a Friends missionary, she enjoyed a vocation as a trainer of writers and has worked with writers in over 15 cultures.

Nate Macy – Pastor of Worship and Social Media at North Valley Friends church in Newberg, OR. Nate is a nationally known worship leader and has extensive experience leading worship in retreat and camping settings. He has recorded 4 CD’s, and toured as a solo artist as well as with other groups. Nate holds a Masters in Spiritual Formation from Portland Seminary and lives in Newberg with his wife and son.

Retreat planning and coordination contacts

Dennis Littlefield – Executive Director at Camp Tilikum.  Email Dennis or call (503) 538-2763 ext. 103.

Suzanne Maki – Guest Services Director at Camp Tilikum.  Email Suzanne or call (503) 538-2763 ext. 101.

Eric Muhr – Publisher at Barclay Press.  Email Eric or call  (971) 832-9838.