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214 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 6 Left: Jack Kerouac combined the beauties of Bixby Canyon and the bottle for his novel, "Big Sur." Right: The sparkling coves, wondrously gnarled trees and multi-hued ocean vistas of Point Lobos were thought to be an inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's, "Treasure Island." MODERN LETTERS More contemporary writers, like Robert Heinlein, Beverly Cleary and Eric Schlosser have made their way in and around the Monterey Peninsula. And directly or indirectly, those environs have touched their words. Whatever the length of their sojourns here, the beauty of the land, the easy access to a sense of contemplation, and the incompara- ble coast were all catalysts for the kind of fertile thought siftings that writers require. And would-be or on-the-way writers have a place here too. Contemporary writers can come here for multi-day writing workshops and conferences, such as the Monterey Writer Retreat, which dubs itself "A Writer Retreat for Aspiring Authors, Fiction Writers, and Memoirists With Work In Progress." Or if you're interested in personalized one-on-one workshops and classes with a single writer, which includes a stay at a cottage in The Vagabond's House Inn, consider the Carmel Writer's Retreat. Catamaran is a handsome literary arts magazine published out of Santa Cruz, and the Catamaran Writing Conference is held at the splendid Stevenson School in Pebble Beach. Offerings—which range from fic- tion, nonfiction and poetry work- shops to agents and publishing issues—are deep and juicy. And if you're intrigued by the thought of mulling over deep writerly concerns in the green gor- geousness of Big Sur, you could do worse than attend The Sun magazine's retreat at the stunning Esalen Institute, where the fine magazine's editors will be exploring and celebrating personal writing. Seems like the rich resources of the Monterey Peninsula will be pro- viding succulent writing fodder for another century to come. The immortal John Steinbeck was living in Pacific Grove in 1930 when he met Edward "Doc" Ricketts, the marine biologist who introduced the writer to the curiosities of the sea. Photo: Getty Images Photo: The Pat Hathaway Collection/CAviews.com