Events
Desire Lines hosts workshops, panel discussions, and community events designed to support and inspire mountain writers at every level. Our events are built around the belief that great storytelling shouldn't require an MFA, an industry connection, or a lifetime of access — just curiosity and a willingness to show up.
Upcoming events are listed below. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when new events are announced.
WORKSHOP
The Two-Hour MFA
Ever wished that you'd attended an MFA program, but lacked the time and access? In this two-hour intensive workshop, award-winning author and Desire Lines joint Editorial Director Katie Ives will provide a brief introduction to some of the sources of story ideas, elements of craft, tips from well-known writers, and techniques of drafting and revision that she gleaned from her two-year MFA program at the Iowa Writers Workshop. She will conclude with advice about how students might continue their education and become published writers. Open to all experience levels.
Date/Time: July 7, 4 – 6 pm PT | Duration: 2 hours | Audience: women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming writers
Pre-workshop Preparation: Students should arrive with a means to write (e.g: pen/paper or computer). Katie will email copies of handouts ahead of time.
WORKSHOP
“A,” “The,” and Nothing: Articles, Attention, and the More-Than-Human World
Poet, nature writer, and part-time fire lookout CMarie Fuhrman (author of Salmon Weather: Writing from the Land of No Return, director of the Elk River Writers Workshop, and founder of the Confluence Writing Community) will lead this workshop exploring how some of the smallest words in the English language — "a," "the," and their absence—carry enormous weight in nature and place-based writing and social justice writing. Through close reading and writing exercises, participants will discover how article choice shapes relationships, intimacy, and the way the more-than-human world is rendered on the page. They'll move from attention to language to craft, and leave with new tools for listening to what their writing is actually doing.
Date/Time: September 16, 3 – 5 pm PT | Duration: 2 hours | Audience: women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming writers
Pre-workshop Preparation: Participants should come with paper and pen (or a blank document open) and, if possible, a short piece of their own nature or place-based writing to refer to. CMarie will supply lecture notes and a handout.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Restoring Lost Histories
In recent years, writers have increasingly sought to create more accurate and inclusive histories of mountaineering, acknowledging the many significant contributions of underrepresented climbers — beyond the familiar roster of famous white men. Nandini Purandare (coauthor of Headstrap: Legends and Lore from the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling), Pasang Sherpa (University of British Columbia anthropologist), and Bernadette McDonald (author of Alpine Rising: Sherpas, Baltis, and the Triumph of Local Climbers in the Greater Ranges) will discuss how examining oral histories, mountain artifacts, desire paths, and other creative forms of research can highlight perspectives long relegated to the margins of mountain literature.
Date/Time: August 6, 5:30 – 7 pm PT | Duration: 90 minutes | Audience: Open to attendees of all genders
Registration coming soon
A Note on Participation
Desire Lines Collective is dedicated to elevating women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming writers of mountain literature. The majority of our workshops are limited to self-identified members of these communities. We trust participants to honor this space and to uphold our value of fostering communities where women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people feel safe taking imaginative risks. Disruptive behavior or violation of our community values will result in removal from the workshop without a refund. Desire Lines Collective will not tolerate hate speech or harassment of any kind.
Fee Waivers
Desire Lines Collective believes in sharing knowledge about the craft and the business of writing as a means to break down barriers and subvert gatekeeping. To that end, a limited number of fee waivers are available for each class. We encourage applications from Black and Indigenous writers, writers of color, writers with disabilities, writers from LGBTQIA+ communities, and writers whose voices have been historically underrepresented in the outdoor publishing world.
Please fill out the fee waiver request no later than 10 days before the workshop start date. If granted a fee waiver, you will be responsible for a nominal fee (no more than $10).
Fee waivers are made possible by our supporting members. Join the movement and support our mission to keep workshops accessible.
Membership Discounts
Each of our workshops has discounts for our supporting members. Discount codes will be issued once the workshop registration goes live. Subscribe and save!
Basecamp: 5% off
Trail Buddy: 10% off
Alpine Ally: 15% off
Summit Team: 25% off
Refund Policy
If you are unable to attend a workshop for which you have registered please email us at hello (at) desirelinescollective.org
If you submit a request seven days before the workshop, you will receive a full refund. For cancellations received after this timeframe, a 50% refund will be issued. No refunds will be issued once the workshop begins.