Margaret Randall is now offering a weekend workshop for anyone who ever wanted to write a poem. "Adrienne Rich wrote "Poetry never stood a chance / of standing outside history..." Poets are still arguing about what that means. "A man walks by with a loaf of bread on his shoulder," begins a poem by Peruvian Cesar Vallejo, one of the richest voices in contemporary poetry. This weekend-long workshop will emphasize place and voice, encouraging the development of unique individual voices. It will focus on giving published poets who may be experiencing shifts or questions in their work an opportunity to look at the tension that exists between voice and place, and to use that tension to the poem's benefit. It will also give beginning poets a chance to look critically at their own work, and experience the art of revising engaged in by those who are more advanced. All participants are expected to bring work in progress, and all are expected to critique the work of others—in an atmosphere both nurturing and conducive to making the difficult choices."You can register for Margaret's workshop, as well as the others still open (have we mentioned how fast registrations are flying in? They are! ) at our website.
Producers, financiers and filmmakers are the people who decide what screenplays are bought and made, so understanding who these people are and what they are looking for is critical to the ultimate success of any screenplay that you write. This course will examine who the players are in the filmmaking process and will explain screenwriting techniques you can use to improve your screenplay's chances of becoming a film. Furthermore, we will demystify "the development process," so you can use it to improve your screenplay on the road to a greenlight. Whether you have a drawer full of screenplays, or are just working on your first, this class aims to be a helpful guide to getting your work into a theater near you.
When Joshua Farley—a cult figure searching for an hallucinogenic plant rumored to allow the user to see God—disappears under mysterious circumstances, his disciples gather in the New Mexico desert to await his return. But they aren’t the only ones looking for him and the legendary plant. Other desperate people have also made the trek to this remote section of the world: a disillusioned journalist hoping to restore his lost faith; a small-time hood on the lam from the mob; Farley’s disinherited son; a teenage sexpot who claims to be Farley’s mistress; and a gang of mobsters come to even an old score. They meet in a darkly comic, twenty-first century equivalent of Judgment Day.
Long time Taos Conference participant, Michelle Zive's book Holding On and Letting Go: A Mother's Story, has been awarded Best Unpublished Memoir by the San Diego Book Awards! 
