2008 Santa Fe Science-Writing Workshop


Monday, May 19

3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Registration at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe. Pick up your room key and registration packet at the front desk.

5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reception followed by buffet supper in the courtyard (weather permitting) or dining room. Meet the students and instructors.


Tuesday, May 20

7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

8:30 a.m. Meet in front of the building for a ride to the School for Advanced Research.

9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. "The Art and Craft of Science Writing." By dissecting the current week's issue of Science Times, the instructors, joined by David Corcoran, the section's deputy editor, show how some of the pros turn science's discoveries and abstractions into compelling tales.

10:45 a.m. to 12 noon News conference on "Religion, Society, and Political Leadership." Two scientists at SAR discuss how biology and culture conspire to bring about the emergence of religious leaders in ancient and modern societies: the Anasazi of Chaco Canyon and the American Christian Right. John Kantner, an archeologist and vice president of SAR, will begin with his work on social structures at Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico.

12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Box lunch at the School for Advanced Research. Meet with your group for the first time and discuss the morning's presentations.

1:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The news conference continues with Omri Elisha, a resident scholar visiting from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Fordham University, presenting an anthropological perspective on the modern evangelical movement. Students may use these talks as the basis for a writing assignment, which will be critiqued during the workshop sessions. See the FAQ for details.)

3:45 p.m. Return to Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Meet again with your group to plan out the week's sessions.

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


Wednesday, May 21

7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "Behind the Scenes at Science Times." David Corcoran on how he and the staff go about finding, reporting, and presenting the week's science and medical news.

10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "Altered Oceans." Kenneth Weiss tells how he persuaded his editors at the Los Angeles Times to pursue a marathon investigation that won the 2007 Pulitzer prize for explanatory journalism.

12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. "Sleights of Mind." George Johnson on how a conference on consciousness, incongruously held on the Las Vegas Strip, gave rise to a Science Times cover story that walked the line between a personal essay and a news report.

3 to 4:45 p.m. Workshop session. Students will break into groups and meet with their assigned instructor.

5:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wine and cheese reception at Collected Works Bookstore with readings by George Johnson (The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments) and Sandra Blakeslee (The Body Has a Mind of Its Own

7:45 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.

Thursday, May 22

7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "Is This Thing On?" David Kestenbaum. Some thoughts about science reporting learned the hard way -- by doing it for radio.

10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "Writing for Smithsonian." Laura Helmuth describes how to marshall great characters, great scenes, and a clean narrative arc into fresh, dramatic, and satisfying magazine stories.

12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

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

3 p.m. Meet in front of Ghost Ranch Santa Fe for a field trip to Bandelier National Monument. Bring sunscreen, hat, water, and (depending on the forecast) rain gear.

4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Explore the ruins.

7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner at Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

9:15 p.m. Return to Ghost Ranch Santa Fe. (Cash bar -- drinks not included.)


Friday May 23

7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

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

12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.

1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Freelancing workshop. Michelle Nijhuis and Christie Aschwanden lead a discussion on how to survive as a self-employed science writer.

3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Each instructor will be available to meet informally with students from all groups. Meanwhile relax and prepare for the week's big event.

5:30 p.m. Meet in front of Ghost Ranch Santa Fe for a ride to the barbecue.

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


Saturday, May 24

7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe. Please check out before attending the final session. Luggage can be left at the front desk.

9 a.m. to 11 a.m. "The Body Has a Mind of Its Own." Sandy Blakeslee tells how she and her son, Matt, translated complex ideas about body maps and neural plasticity into a book that Nature called "a striking example of how complex issues in contemporary research can be presented to entertain everyone."

11 a.m. to noon. Closing discussion and farewell.