Writers of all genres, stages, and professions are invited to our upcoming gathering with poet Scott Cairns. Cairns has been described as an “impassioned explorer whose words are his instruments of navigation,” whose faith and writing are inseparable from his daily life and vocation. This will be a time of equipping for writers who seek to blend their multifaceted lives and advance in their writing practice.

A teacher and practitioner of the Orthodox faith, Cairns will talk with host Cam Anderson about his writing process, publishing, and the highs and lows of his writing life. He will also share key spiritual moments on his journey with God. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions.

The following quote illuminates Cairns' perspective on writing and life:

“Time spent cooking dinner, or helping my son with math, or reading over my daughter’s essay, or teaching a class, or walking the dog—all of these are necessarily part of the work. My poems are themselves only part of the work. The work—the real work—is to apprehend and partake in life, abundant life. … That life itself is to be understood as a deliberate work of art, requiring no less attention, affection, or endurance than any of its more publicly celebrated elements. (Originally published at The Crossing in 2000; available here at Patheos.)

We hope you will join us.

SCHEDULE

7:45 AM: Introductions, pastry bar with coffee/tea

8:00 AM: Scott Cairns and Cam Anderson discuss the writing life

9:00 AM: Conclude

BIO

Scott Cairns is a poet, memoirist, and librettist whose work explores faith, beauty, and spiritual longing. His poetry collections include Philokalia, Idiot Psalms, and Slow Pilgrim: The Collected Poems. His work appears in The Atlantic, Poetry, and Best American Spiritual Writing. He is the author of Short Trip to the Edge and The End of Suffering, and wrote librettos for The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp and A Melancholy Beauty. A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the Denise Levertov Award, Cairns founded Writing Workshops in Greece and recently retired as Curators' Distinguished Professor at the University of Missouri.