Chemistry 101

Take seven women writers who have never met. Isolate them for four days and three nights. Provide them with comfortable accommodations, abundant good food, a bit of wine, and a goal. Watch what happens. 

     For the first hour they “make nice.” Then they begin to share their stories—fictional, non-fictional, and poetic. They have retreated to lovely Ossabaw Island, Georgia, to hone their skills and serve as each others’ sounding boards. Most already have publishing credits.  All are passionate about their craft. All have at least one manuscript in progress.

     They gather for work sessions, then withdraw to their rooms, to the porch, to the forest, where they can think and absorb and revise. As the days progress, egos are set aside and friendships blossom. A camera appears, and they pose for group photographs. A guitar appears, and someone starts to sing.

     On the afternoon of the last day, email addresses are exchanged. And plans for future get-togethers. And hugs. 
     The full moon of the night before delays the rising tide, so the boat trip home must wait an extra half-hour. All the better. No one wants to leave anyway.
     Who says women aren’t good at chemistry?

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Ossabaw Island Paradise

Beautiful Georgia knows how to protect her barrier islands, and Ossabaw is one of the loveliest.

     Pottery shards unearthed there confirm that it was inhabited at least 4,000 years ago. Eventually, it passed from the Guale Indians to the Creeks, who sold it to King George II in 1758.

     The island was purchased in 1924 by the Torrey family of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Their daughter, Eleanor “Sandy” Torrey West, inherited life estate in 1960, and since 1978 has been the only permanent resident. That same year the island was sold to the State of Georgia as its first “heritage preserve,” set aside in perpetuity for scientific, educational, and cultural uses only.

     One of the largest of Georgia’s barrier islands, Ossabaw has wooded uplands with freshwater ponds, marshlands threaded by tidal creeks, and a long stretch of pristine, white sand beach. It is accessible only by boat, a half-hour trip I have made a number of times.

Click to enlarge.

     I’ll be making that trip again next week to participate in the island’s first four-day Writers’ Retreat. Can’t wait to sleep with the whisper of wind in the pines and awaken to the sight of free-range donkeys, wild hogs, and maybe an alligator or two.

Click to enlarge.

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