When Anna Driehuyzen invited two writer friends to join her in Gold Bridge last summer, she wasn’t sure anyone would actually come.
“I didn’t really believe anybody was going to come up," she recalls. "But a week later, Liz was emailing and saying, ‘OK, are we doing this?’”
The response—sent by Victoria-based writer Liz Crocker—sparked what would become 'Mining for Gold,' a grassroots writing retreat in the remote Bridge River Valley.
From July 24 to 27, the retreat returns for a second year featuring workshops led by published authors and a lineup of cultural and community events aimed at building up a writing community in Gold Bridge and beyond.
'What an opportunity'
Crocker, Driehuyzen and Carmen Kinniburgh of Thunder Bay, Ont. met online in 2022 as part of the same cohort in Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio, led by non-fiction author Claudia Cornwall. After graduating, they kept in touch.
“We were working together, sharing [our] writing and feedback with each other,” says Crocker. “And then approaching last summer, we thought, ‘Wouldn’t be great to have our own writing retreat?’”
The idea for a gathering gained steam when Crocker missed out on a different retreat. So, Driehuyzen pitched a trip to Gold Bridge.
And while the South Chilcotin community, with a permanent population of about 40 residents and a prohibitive three-and-a-half-hour drive up the Hurley from Pemberton, wasn’t the most obvious gathering spot, Driehuyzen’s fellow alumni had long been captivated by her written descriptions of the area.
“Her descriptions of it in her stories just piqued our interest,” Crocker says. “And so we just thought, ‘Wow, what an opportunity to get to go to Gold Bridge.’”
What started as a casual conversation quickly turned into a three-day pilot retreat.
“We decided that we were going to make this the best retreat for the three of us,” Driehuyzen says. “Whoever wants to join, fantastic. But if it’s only the three of us, we’ll be super happy.”
The inaugural retreat saw eight writers gather at the one-room schoolhouse where Driehuyzen teaches. Locals showed up for open mic night. Vancouver Sun columnist Douglas Todd made a surprise appearance. And a young mother from town secured childcare and attended her first creative writing seminar.
Space for writing in place
This year’s retreat builds on that first edition with a longer itinerary, more defined structure and expanded programming that includes two morning workshops, author readings and evening open mics.
Friday’s writing session will be led by their former instructor, Claudia Cornwall, and Saturday’s by poet Jami Macarty. Guest author readings will take place Saturday night at the Bralorne Church, a historic venue that's a short drive from Gold Bridge. Pat Dobie, a local author who has twice won the 3-Day Novel Contest, will attend the reading.
“And we also have this kind of walking morning where we let nature and walking the path allows us to be find inspiration,” says Driehuyzen, referring to a Sunday morning labyrinth walk on a stone path modelled after the Chartres Cathedral design in France.
“It’s part of letting nature and movement inspire us,” adds Crocker.
The natural setting of the Bridge River Valley was a key inspiration during last year’s open mic night, when locals turned out to share stories inspired by the 2023 Downton Lake Wildfire.
“All of them were touched by the fires a couple of years ago,” says Crocker. “And so their pieces were just like heart wrenching [and] gut wrenching.”
This year’s open mic night will take place Sunday, July 27 at the Bralorne Church, as part of the FireWeave Arts Festival, a community art exhibit led in part by artist and MA student Gillian Der. Her work explores the ecological and emotional aftermath of the wildfire.
Meals and accommodations are being coordinated informally, with some breakfasts and lunches provided at the Gold Bridge Community School and group dinners planned at local establishments like the Bralorne Pub and Tyax Lodge.
“If the writing wasn’t enough of an enticement, we hope the food and the company will be,” Driehuyzen says with a smile.
While a donation is suggested, organizers have secured funding support from SFU, the Bridge River Valley Community Association and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District to help cover instructor travel and food costs.
Mining for meaning
The name “Mining for Gold” is both a nod to the region’s extractive past and an invitation to unearth something deeper.
“There’s something in that title,” Driehuyzen tells Pique. “We can start looking to mine for the gold in this day and age where there’s so much division and catastrophes by looking for the stories that uplift us.”
“We’ve been talking about this theme of transformation,” adds Crocker. “That alchemy of turning something rough into something beautiful.”
For the organizers, key to transformation is helping to guide and inspire burgeoning writers in Gold Bridge. When asked how much of a writing community exists in the community, Driehuyzen didn’t hesitate:
“None. We’re it.”
Still, she’s hopeful that the writing retreat, open to scribes of all levels, can start to change that.
For aspiring writers, Driehuyzen suggests writing consistently and finding an audience of some kind. She’s found regularly contributing to the local newsletter The Mountain Telegraph has been particularly motivating.
Crocker offered another word of encouragement to those who are just starting out: find other writers.
“Have people around you who understand the process and can support you and encourage you,” she says, “That’s why I joined the Writer’s Studio, in the end, was to get that community, because it’s so important.”
For more information on the event, including directions and suggestions for accommodations, or to express interest in attending, contact [email protected].
