Fall Workshop
October 17, 2026
CANCELLED DUE TO VENUE ERROR.
We are so disappoint to cancel this event. Burr Oak double booked the space and left us no viable alternatives on short notice. Sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment.
Workshop Instructors
Sherrie Flick
Barbara Marie Minney
Barbara Marie Minney
Sherrie Flick is the author of six books, including the story collection I Have Not Considered Consequences (Autumn House Press, 2025). Recent awards include a Creative Development Grant from The Heinz Endowments and a Writing Pittsburgh fellowship from The Creative Nonfiction Foundation. She is co-editor of the Norton anthology Flash Fic
Sherrie Flick is the author of six books, including the story collection I Have Not Considered Consequences (Autumn House Press, 2025). Recent awards include a Creative Development Grant from The Heinz Endowments and a Writing Pittsburgh fellowship from The Creative Nonfiction Foundation. She is co-editor of the Norton anthology Flash Fiction America and a senior editor at SmokeLong Quarterly. She teaches in the low-res MFA program at West Virginia Wesleyan College and for Mad Women in the Attic at Carlow University. She lives in Pittsburgh.
Barbara Marie Minney
Barbara Marie Minney
Barbara Marie Minney
Barbara Marie Minney, a native of West Virginia and a seventh generation Appalachian, is an award-winning poet, writer, speaker, teaching artist, guest reader/editor, and quiet activist. Her powerful poetry and essays have been featured in prestigious publications such as Politico, The Buckeye Flame, Woman Scream: The International Poetry
Barbara Marie Minney, a native of West Virginia and a seventh generation Appalachian, is an award-winning poet, writer, speaker, teaching artist, guest reader/editor, and quiet activist. Her powerful poetry and essays have been featured in prestigious publications such as Politico, The Buckeye Flame, Woman Scream: The International Poetry Anthology of Female Voices, and I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing, Ohio's Appalachian Voices. Barbara is a retired attorney, and lives in Tallmadge, Ohio, with her wife of over 43 years and a menagerie of stuffed animals.
Megan Bee
Barbara Marie Minney
Megan Bee
Singer-songwriter Megan Bee creates evocative folk-Americana infused with a strong sense of place. Her lyrics, inspired by her experiences as an environmental educator and traveler, reflect her love for the land. Based in Athens, Ohio, her sound blends modern songwriting with Appalachian folk traditions. In October 2025, she released her
Singer-songwriter Megan Bee creates evocative folk-Americana infused with a strong sense of place. Her lyrics, inspired by her experiences as an environmental educator and traveler, reflect her love for the land. Based in Athens, Ohio, her sound blends modern songwriting with Appalachian folk traditions. In October 2025, she released her fifth album, Fiction, featuring regional musicians and showcasing her lyrical depth. Bee’s previous album, Cottonwood, garnered acclaim for its raw storytelling. For over a decade, she has captivated audiences with vivid tales and humor.
Make a weekend out of it!
Lodging
The park offers hotel-like accommodations at the State Park Lodge overlooking Burr Oak Lake, multi-room Cabins a short walk to the lodge, and a Campground a 10-mile drive to the lodge.
Class descriptions
Crafting Flash One Person at a Time
with Sherrie Flick
People. Characters. How do we evoke them in short pieces of prose? We’ll look at character and its connection to objects, setting, time, atmosphere, and viewpoint in flash fiction and nonfiction. We’ll practice getting people onto the page—moving around, talking, thinking, and sometimes breaking your heart.
Songs of Place
with Megan Bee
Join Megan for a short guided walk that encourages you to expand your awareness of the world both around and within you. After engaging your senses outdoors, we will return to our writing and see where it leads us. Exploring both solo and collaborative song prompts, we will focus on bringing our senses into the lyrics. No musical experience is necessary.
Poetic Vision Board
with Barbara Marie Minney
It is not too soon to look forward to 2027. A new year offers a fresh beginning – a spacious moment to reflect on what matters most and to gently set intentions for the year ahead. Vision boards use images and words to give form to our hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Barbara will guide you to create your own personal vision board, write meaningful goals, and explore your subconscious to create small, doable steps that will help illuminate a path forward into the new year. This workshop will be applicable to all creatives and will be a no critique/no criticism workshop. We are coming together to support and encourage each other, which is a hallmark of Words in the Hills.
schedule
Saturday October 17, 2025
9:00AM Check in at Chickadee Room (coffee, tea, and light breakfast snacks provided)
9:30AM Welcome with Megan Bee
10:00AM - 12:00PM Crafting Flash One Person at a Time with Sherrie Flick
12:00PM Lunch provided by Burr Oak Lodge
1:00PM - 2:45PM Songs of Place with Megan Bee
3:00PM - 5:00PM Poetic Vision Board with Barbara Marie Minney
5:00PM - 7:30PM Dinner Break (dinner on your own available in the lodge restaurant)
7:30PM Writers Open Mic registrants are invited to share a poem, story, song, or surprise us. Guests welcome to attend.
schedule subject to change
Photo Gallery
