Ben Jackson

Ben Jackson is the executive director of The Writing Salon. Over the past fifteen years, he has taught composition, literature, and creative writing at a wide range of colleges, schools, and retreat centers, including the University of San Francisco, The Writing Salon, and the Esalen Institute. His poetry has appeared in New England Review, Southern Review, Hudson Review, FIELD, Poetry Daily, and elsewhere. He has won awards and fellowships from the Tor House Foundation, Warren Wilson College, Vermont Studio Center, Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and Jentel Artist Residency Program.

Did the retreat meet your expectations?
Yes! The quiet vineyard setting, the cozy writing space, the clean accommodations, the warm interactions with my host at Moshin—all of it created a welcome environment for me to write, read, reflect.

What was the most unexpected part of your stay?
In the weeks prior to my retreat, new Covid cases had been surging around the country, including near my home in the Bay Area. At Moshin, I hadn’t expected to feel so removed from the pandemic, so fortunate—privileged, really—to be working on my creative projects.

What was the most enjoyable aspect of your retreat?
As executive director of The Writing Salon and as a parent of two kids (ages 2 and 5), I don’t have long stretches of time to sustain my creative thinking, certainly not through meals and bedtimes. During my retreat, I enjoyed staying up late and waking early, the uninterrupted hours of writing, the creative freedom, the spaciousness of a day. I relished the opportunity to carry poems in my head on walks through the vineyards, to read during meals.

Did the vineyard setting inspire you and/or your writing? In what ways?
There were a couple rainy days when I left my room only to peer at the rain, the winery’s empty parking lot. Those days were inspiring, contemplative. And then there were sunny days when I hiked through the Calliope and Rosalina vineyards, laid out my books on the picnic table, and took in the panorama to the south. Those days offered a brighter sort of inspiration—birds soaring, sun warming the pages of my notebook. Perhaps more than inspired, I felt fortunate, full of gratitude for everyone who had made this week possible for me.

What did you work on during the retreat?
I composed a few new poems, unearthed several “keepers” from my laptop’s archives, put the last touches on poems that were ~95% finished, and edited and re-imagined others. I chose the poems to include in my full-length manuscript. I also reserved a day and a half for two personal essays, one of them in its early drafting phase and the other in late-phase editing.

What other activities did you do during the retreat—any napping, hiking, or exploring the local area?

I went on a couple pleasant walks along the Russian River and snapped pics of the changing leaves. I read a lot—Nate Klug’s Hosts and Guests, Ocean Vuong’s Night Sky with Exit Wounds, Carolyn Forché’s In the Lateness of The World, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, and a collection of Indigenous myths and stories from The Last Best Place: A Montana Anthology. Several times I hiked Moshin’s property. I visited with my host Julia in the tasting room and enjoyed Moshin’s whites, especially the Vermentino!

Did you participate in any activities or events arranged by the host winery?
There were Covid restrictions in place during my retreat, so Moshin didn’t arrange any activities or events. The tasting room was often empty and quiet, but I did drop by for a few socially-distanced conversations, wine glass in hand.

Any tips or advice you think might be helpful for future residency applicants?
Carefully consider the scope of your creative project when you’re applying to the residency and spend time imagining your project over various time lengths—1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks—to see what sort of opportunities surface with each duration. This kind of focus will sharpen your ideas about the project and help you make concrete decisions should you be accepted.

Can you sum up your experience in eight to ten words?
A beautiful week of writing, walking, reading, and wine.