a work in progress, updated April 18, 2022, 2022

Monday, May 2

3 p.m. Begin checking in at Inn of the Governors.

4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. Registration packets will be available for pickup at a table in the lobby.

5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Reception (cash bar) in Kiva Room. (Participants only. Guests will be welcome at later events.)

6:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Dinner in Governors Room followed by introductions. Meet the students and instructors. (Participants only.)

Tuesday, May 3

6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.

8:30 a.m. Meet in hotel lobby for a ride to the Santa Fe Institute. Drivers, including commuters and instructors, are asked to help with carpooling.

9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Welcome by Melanie Mitchell, Davis Professor of Complexity at SFI.

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. "Searching for the Perfect Lede." Before listening to two presentations by scientists, the instructors will discuss how to turn science's discoveries into compelling stories.

10:45 a.m. to 12 noon. Presentation by SFI professor Melanie Mitchell on intelligence, real versus artificial.

12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Picnic lunch on the grounds. Meet with your group for the first time and discuss the morning's presentation.

1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Presentation by SFI scientist Chris Kempes about his research on the origin of life.

(Students may use the talks as the basis for a writing assignment, which will be critiqued during the workshop sessions. See the FAQ for details.)

3:15 p.m. Return to hotel.

4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Meet in the hotel conference room for a short discussion about what we learned at SFI.

5:30 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.

Wednesday, May 4

6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.

9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "How COVID-19 Changed My (Reporting) Life." Joe Palca talks about a wild two years in which reporting on the pandemic has stretched some norms of science writing to the breaking point.

10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "Lost Women of Science." Katie Hafner talks about how she and her colleagues started the successful podcast as part of an initiative to recognize the important contributions of female scientists and to encourage more young women to enter the field.

12 noon to 1 p.m. Lunch at the hotel.

1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. "How to Write a Really Bad Cancer Story." George Johnson on avoiding the recycling of common myths and misperceptions that often appear in journalism about cancer.

2:45 to 5:15 p.m. Workshop session. Students will break into groups and meet with their assigned instructor.

6 p.m. Our favorite bookstore, Collected Works, will host a book reading and signing by the instructors at Inn of the Governors.

6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. The reading and book signing.

8 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.

Thursday, May 5

6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.

9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "The Care and Feeding of Your Editors." Michelle Nijhuis, who has been on both sides of the desk, talks about how writers can build good relationships with their editors (and vice versa).

10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "Writing Books About Science." Sandra Blakeslee describes her collaborations with scientists on books about neuroscience, the microbiome and many other subjects and explains what you need to know before writing your own book.

12 noon to 1 p.m. Lunch at the hotel.

1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Workshop session. Meet with your instructor.

3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. You're on your own to explore Santa Fe and its surroundings. Guests are welcome. Walk to the Plaza and nearby museums, Canyon Road, and Santa Fe's historic Eastside. Or arrange with other students to carpool to Bandelier National Monument. Bring sunscreen, hat, water, and (depending on the forecast) rain gear. Another possibility is a visit to Los Alamos and its Manhattan Project historical museum.

6:30 p.m. Walk to dinner at Osteria d'Assisi. (58 S. Federal Place, four blocks from the hotel. Cash bar. Guests welcome.)

9:15 p.m. Return to hotel.

Friday, May 6

6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.

9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Meet for the final time with your group.

12 noon to 1 p.m. Lunch at the hotel.

1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Special guest Nadja Popovich, a data and graphics reporter at The New York Times, will talk about Visualizing Climate Change.

3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. (Open session. Details to be decided as the week unfolds.)

4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Instructors will be available to meet informally with students. Meanwhile relax and prepare for the week's big event.

5:45 p.m. Meet in hotel lobby for a ride to the barbecue. (Guests welcome.)

6 p.m. to whenever. Barbecue at Sandra Blakeslee's house. (The drinks are on us.)

Saturday, May 7

6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel. Please check out before attending the final session. Luggage can be left at the front desk.

9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Pitch session. Drawing on what we learned this week, students will pitch story ideas to the instructors, who will portray crusty editors in charge of an imaginary publication.

10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Closing discussion and farewell.