Monday, May 7
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). (Participants only. Guests will be welcome at later events.)
6:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Dinner followed by introductions. Meet the students and instructors. (Participants only.)
Tuesday, May 8
6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Continental Breakfast at hotel.
8:30 a.m. Meet in hotel lobby for a ride to the School of Advanced Research. Drivers, including commuters and instructors, are asked to help with the carpooling.
9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Welcome by James Brooks, president of SAR.
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. "The Nuts and Bolts of Science Writing." By dissecting the current week's issue of Science Times, the instructors, joined by David Corcoran, the section's editor, show how the pros turn science's discoveries into compelling, accurate stories.
10:45 a.m. to 12 noon. Presentation by paleoanthropologist Dean Falk.
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 anthropologist John Martin.
(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. Tour the grounds.
4:00 p.m. Return to hotel.
5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Meet in the hotel conference room for more discussion about what we learned at SAR.
6 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.
Wednesday, May 9
6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at hotel.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m."Behind the Scenes at the New York Times." David Corcoran describes how he and the staff go about finding, reporting, and presenting the week's science news, both on paper and online.
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Maryn McKenna. "Reporting for Narrative." Stories come alive through visual and sensory detail -- but detail won't do you any good unless you notice it, capture it, and can retrieve it afterward. Maryn McKenna talks about how she stays organized both in the field and at her desk.
12 noon to 1 p.m. Lunch at the hotel.
1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. George Johnson."The Cancer Chronicles." George Johnson describes how he reported and wrote his recent Times article, Beyond the Genome: Cancer's Secrets Come Into Sharper Focus, and how it fits in with his forthcoming book.
2:45 to 5 p.m. Workshop session. Students will break into groups and meet with their assigned instructor.
5:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Public reading and book signing by the instructors at Collected Works bookstore.
7:45 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.
Thursday, May 10
6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m." David Dobbs. "Structure as An Expressive Force: Longform Lessons from Music." Drawing on lessons from two songs by Led Zeppelin and string quartets by Mendelssohn and Schubert, David Dobbs describes how to use structure in music as a model for structure and narrative strategy in longform nonfiction.
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "What do editors want, anyway?" Tim Appenzeller explains how editors think and how to work with them at magazines from Nature to National Geographic.
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. Meet in hotel lobby for an optional field trip to Bandelier National Monument. Guests are welcome. Bring sunscreen, hat, water, and (depending on the forecast) rain gear. (If you prefer to stay in town, you can walk to the Plaza and some nearby museums or explore Canyon Road and Santa Fe's historic Eastside.)
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Explore the ruins at Bandelier.
6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner at Cowgirl Hall of Fame. (Cash bar. Guests welcome.)
9:15 p.m. Return to hotel.
Friday May 11
6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at 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.
1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.. Freelancing workshop. Michelle Nihuis leads a discussion on how to survive and even prosper as a self-employed science writer, while our editors-in-residence -- Tim Appenzeller and David Corcoran -- chime in.
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Instructors will be available to meet informally with students. Meanwhile relax and prepare for the week's big event.
5:30 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 12
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. Sandra Blakeslee. "Dueling Authors." Sandy Blakeslee describes her recent project -- working with two neuroscientists on a book about magic -- and considers the benefits and pitfalls of journalist-scientist collaborations.
10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Closing discussion and farewell.