Writers workshop
The Elk River Writers Workshop embodies the idea that deep, communal experiences with the wild open the door to creativity.
About Elk River’s
Writers Workshop
The Elk River Writers Workshop embodies the idea that deep, communal experiences with the wild open the door to creativity. We bring together some of the most celebrated nature writers in the United States and students who are serious about fostering a connection with the environment in their writing.
Our workshop takes place at Chico Hot Springs resort, thirty-five miles north of Yellowstone National Park, in one of the most wild and beautiful settings in the country, where conservationists, writers, and artists have found inspiration for decades.
Classes take place in the mornings and are limited to 10 students in each genre: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In the afternoons, students may select from a menu of excursions with experts in local ecology, wildlife and archaeology.
In addition to feedback on manuscripts, students have a chance to interact with established writers, agents and editors at evening readings, panels and during excursions. Evenings are filled with panel discussions that are open to the public, followed by campfire gatherings and stargazing.
For the 2026 workshop, October 18-23, we are thrilled to welcome faculty members Jamie Ford, Chris La Tray, Deborah Miranda, and Diane Wilson. For the first time ever, each workshop cohort will be travel into Yellowstone National Park alongside our guide, Jesse Logan.
Rolling applications are open from October 1 – June 1.
Public events
Beyond America 250 Salon
Free & Open to the Public
Monday, October 19th, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Beyond America 250 Salon
A guided discussion focusing on oral histories, the power of local narrative, and how stories shape our understanding of place.
Tuesday, October 20th, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
The Wilderness Idea & Deep Time
A ecology panel focusing on the long memory of landscape, and Wilderness as a uniquely American idea that is under siege. We will discuss the deep time of the Yellowstone Caldera, Indigenous stewardship long before 1776, and what true wildness means as America looks to its next 250 years.
Wednesday, October 21st, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
The Writer as Witness
A craft-focused panel and conversation, we’ll use this salon to pull back the curtain on the process. Our 2026 faculty discuss how they write the land, how they document environmental shifts, and how they navigate honoring Indigenous history in their work. It gives attendees a deep dive into the diverse voices shaping the next 250 years of American nature writing.
Thursday, October 22nd, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Beyond America 250
Closing keynote with hearty appetizers: A celebration of the future of American wilderness with a focus on Refugia—finding sanctuary as marginalized people, protecting the wild, and how we build an American landscape that acts as a refuge for the next 250 years.
Highlights from the 2022 Workshop
Readings by faculty J. Drew Lanham, Beth Piatote, Camille Dungy, Gary Ferguson, Mary Clare, Marc Beaudin, Elise Atchison, Laura Pritchett, & Sean Hill
Afternoon panels, including Writers’ Personal Viewpoints on Climate Change (live recording of How It Looks from Here); A Woman’s Place Is in the Wild; Writing About War; Ecology Hike; Telling Tales; and more
Student readings
