“Among nature writers now working, Charles Hood is my favorite.”
—Jonathan Franzen
“A unique poetic collaboration that brings clarity to the language”
—Gary Snyder
on Red Sky, Red Water
Charles Hood’s course at Cavallo Point, Aug 30-Sept 2nd
Observation, Imagination, and the Art of Place
Day One
Learning to See
Inspired by the extraordinary setting of Cavallo Point and San Francisco Bay, Charles introduces the writer's most essential craft: observation. Through examples from his poetry, travel writing, guidebooks, and natural history books, participants learn how curiosity leads to authentic description and memorable storytelling.
Topics include:
Seeing beyond the obvious
Using all five senses on the page
Writing place as character
Finding story through careful observation
Writing Exercise
A guided outdoor field notebook exercise followed by transforming observations into a poem, scene, or essay.
Workshop Discussion
Participants share brief new work while Charles demonstrates techniques for strengthening imagery, specificity, and voice.
Day Three
Writing with Wonder
The final morning focuses on revision—how writers refine language, deepen meaning, and preserve the sense of discovery that first inspired the work.
Drawing on decades of writing across poetry, essays, guidebooks, and natural history, Charles shares practical strategies for creating work that is both precise and emotionally resonant.
Topics include:
Revision through clarity and precision
Strengthening imagery without overwriting
Finding the universal within the particular
Developing a lifelong practice of observation
Workshop Critique
Final manuscript discussions, individual recommendations, and strategies for continuing to cultivate a writer's observational practice long after the retreat.
Writing the Living World
with Charles Hood
Observation, Imagination, and the Art of Place
Every memorable piece of writing begins with attention. In this immersive three-morning workshop, Charles Hood explores how close observation, curiosity, and a sense of place can deepen poetry, fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction. Inspired by the extraordinary setting of Cavallo Point and San Francisco Bay, participants will discover how careful noticing transforms ordinary details into compelling stories.
Charles Hood is an award-winning poet, essayist, naturalist, and traveler whose work invites readers to see the world with greater curiosity and attention. The author of more than twenty books spanning poetry, essays, travel, and natural history, he is known for transforming close observation into writing that is vivid, surprising, and deeply engaging. His work has taken him from deserts and mountains to remote corners of the globe, always exploring the rich connections between landscape, science, memory, and imagination. Among his popular books are A Californians Guide to the Birds Among Us, A Californians Guide to the Mammals Among Us, and Double Hyenas and Lazarus Birds, which will be available at the retreat along with his forthcoming Acorns in a Nutshell.
At the Catamaran Writing Retreat, Hood will lead Writing the Living World: Observation, Imagination, and the Art of Place, a three-morning workshop for poets, fiction writers, memoirists, and essayists. Drawing inspiration from the spectacular setting of Cavallo Point and San Francisco Bay, participants will learn how careful observation can deepen every genre, turning everyday moments into compelling, memorable writing. Whether writing about nature, travel, or personal experience, participants will leave with practical tools for both seeing and writing.
Designed for poets, fiction writers, memoirists, and essayists alike, this workshop offers practical tools that writers can apply long after the retreat. Whether your work is rooted in nature, travel, or the inner landscape of memory and imagination, you'll leave with new ways of seeing—and new ways of writing.
As a special evening event at the Catamaran Writing Retreat at Cavallo Point, Charles Hood will give a reading from his new book Acorns in a Nutshell (August 2026) followed by a conversation with readers and a book signing.
Day Two
From Observation to Story
Drawing upon examples from his books on travel, birds, deserts, and the American landscape, Charles explores how facts become narrative and how research, memory, and imagination work together to create compelling writing.
Topics include:
Building emotional resonance from real places
Using landscape to reveal character
Blending science, history, and storytelling
Creating vivid scenes through sensory detail
Writing Exercise
Expand field observations into a complete poem, memoir scene, fictional passage, or creative nonfiction essay.
Workshop Critique
A selection of participant manuscripts receives thoughtful group discussion and editorial feedback.
Throughout the Workshop
Each participant receives:
Guided observation and field-writing exercises
Small-group discussion with no more than twelve writers
Constructive feedback on submitted manuscript pages
Practical techniques adaptable to poetry, fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction
Reading recommendations drawn from Charles Hood's poetry collections, celebrated guidebooks, and acclaimed books on nature, travel, and the American landscape
Participants are encouraged to spend time exploring Cavallo Point between sessions, using its remarkable meeting of coastline, wildlife, military history, and dramatic scenery as an ongoing source of inspiration. Throughout the retreat, Charles demonstrates that the writer's greatest tool is sustained attention—and that every landscape contains stories waiting to be discovered.
This format complements the intimate atmosphere of the Catamaran Writing Retreat, giving writers both a broad understanding of the novel as an art form and practical editorial guidance they can immediately apply to their own manuscripts.