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The Hells' Backbone Writing Adventure is a five day workshop with Pam Houston and CMarie Fuhrman where writers will work with both faculty members to generate new work while exploring the hoodoos, cliffs, canyons, and plateaus of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The workshop is limited to 20 participants to ensure an intimate setting, plus plenty of time to write and explore all the outdoor wonders southern Utah has to offer.

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When: February 17 - 21, 2027 in Boulder, Utah at Boulder Mountain Lodge at Hell's Backbone Grill & Farm

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Tuition: $2,500 includes all workshops, group excursions, lodging and meals. Additional $500 fee for a single room.

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Lodging & Meals: Lodging & Meals: Lodging and meals are provided on-site at Boulder Mountain Lodge at Hell's Backbone Grill & Farm. Writers will be housed in double occupancy rooms. Single occupancy rooms are available for an additional $500. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free meal options are available.

 

Format: The Hells' Backbone Writing Adventure in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is open to all levels of writer. Each day we will have time for outdoor activities, writing and craft talks. We won’t be reading and critiquing manuscripts, but rather generating new material and closely examining elements of craft with the intention of allowing participants to see their work with deeper insight.

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Faculty: Pam Houston & CMarie Fuhrman

Faculty

Faculty

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Pam Houston

Pam Houston is the author of the short story collection Cowboys Are My Weakness, the memoir Deep Creek: Finding Hope In The High Country, and seven other books of fiction and nonfiction. Her books have won multiple Western States, Mountains and Plains and Colorado Book Awards and her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories, the O Henry Prize Anthology and Best American Short Stories of the Century. She teaches creative writing at The Institute of American Indian Arts and UC Davis, is cofounder and creative director of the literary nonprofit Writing By Writers and fiction editor at the environmental arts journal Terrain.org. She lives on a homestead at 9,000 feet near the headwaters of the Rio Grande. Her book of essays on kinship, Animals Taught Me Everything, will be published by Torrey House Press in October, 2026.

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CMarie Fuhrman

CMarie Fuhrman is the author of Salmon Weather: Writing from the Land of No Return, Camped Beneath the Dam: Poems and the co-editor of Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, and Poetry and Native Voices: Indigenous Poetry, Craft, and Conversations. She has published poetry and nonfiction in numerous magazines, including Terrain.org, Emergence Magazine, The Ex-Puritan, Northwest Review, Yellow Medicine Review, Poetry Northwest, and various anthologies.  CMarie is an award-winning columnist for the Inlander and the Director of the Elk River Writers Workshop. CMarie is the Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Western Colorado University, where she teaches poetry and nature writing. CMarie is the host of Colorado Public Radio's Terra Firma podcast. She is a former Idaho Writer in Residence and lives in the Salmon River Mountains of Idaho.

CMarieFuhrman.com

Travel Information

Boulder, Utah: Situated at the base of Boulder Mountain, nestled between (and within) land of the BLM, Forest Service, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Boulder is isolated, remote, and spectacular. 

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Boulder Mouontain Lodge: For nearly three decades, the Boulder Mountain Lodge has been a home base for visitors exploring Southern Utah’s immense and unique landscape. Nestled in the heart of Boulder, a town of 250 people, the Lodge provides an increasingly rare experience of peace and wilderness, while still offering modern amenities to enhance comfort and convenience. Together with Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, the Lodge is committed to the values of abundant hospitality, ecological stewardship, and community responsibility.

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Arrival & Departure: Check-in begins at 4pm on Wednesday, February 17th. Our welcome and orientation is at 5:30pm. The workshop will end at after breakfast on Sunday, February 21st.

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Travel InformationThe closest international airport is Salt Lake City, which is about 4.5 hrs away. There is a regional airport in St. George that is 4 hrs from Boulder. Guests also use the Las Vegas airport, which is a 5.5 hr scenic drive.​

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Coordinating Travel: If you wish to coordinate with other workshop participants please use the comments section below.

For additional information please contact us at info@writingxwriters.org. We look forward to seeing you in Hell's Backbone!

Travel
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Workshop Schedule

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17

4:00 – 5:00 pm         Check-in, Front Desk
5:30 – 6:00 pm         Welcome & Orientation
6:30 – 7:30 pm         Dinner
7:30 – 8:30 pm         Faculty Reading

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18

8:00 – 9:00 am         Breakfast
9:00 – 12:00 pm       Hike Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: Calf Creek Falls*
12:30 – 1:30 pm       Lunch
2:00 – 4:00 pm         Full Group Workshop 

4:30 – 5:30 pm         Explore Hell's Backbone Bird Sanctuary
6:30 – 7:30 pm         Dinner

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19

8:00 – 9:00 am         Breakfast
9:30 – 3:30 pm         Hike Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: Wolverine Canyon*
4:00 – 6:00 pm         Full Group Workshops 
6:30 – 7:30 pm         Dinner

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20

8:00 – 9:00 am         Breakfast

9:30 – 11:30 am       Small Group Workshops 
12:00 – 1:00 pm       Lunch
1:30 – 3:30 pm         Hike Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: Devil's Garden*

4:00 – 6:00 pm         Small Group Workshops 
6:30 – 7:30 pm         Dinner

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21

8:00 – 9:30 am         Breakfast & Goodbyes

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* Hiking schedule subject to weather and trail conditions

Schedule

Application Details

The Hells' Backbone Writing Adventure in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is open to all levels of writer. Participants should be comfortable and capable of outdoor activities. The total cost of the Hells' Backbone Writing Adventure in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is $2500 which includes all lodging, meals, group excursions and workshop fees. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from Boulder, Utah. The Hells' Backbone Writing Adventure in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is limited to 20 participants and will be accepted on a rolling basis.

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Cancellation Policy: If you cancel up to 90 days before the event your tuition will be refunded minus a $150 cancellation fee. Refunds for cancellations made less than 90 days from the event are contingent upon filling your place and will be made only if your place is filled. No refunds are available less than 30 days from the event. In the unlikely event that we must cancel a workshop and you do not wish to transfer to another workshop, you will receive a full refund.

Registration 

Apply
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