Judyth Hill, writing teacher Judyth Hill, writing classes with Judyth Hill, writing house

Judyth Hill

master teacher & poet

Judyth Hill is a poet, performer, writing teacher, and author, (and secret pastry chef). Educated at Sarah Lawrence College, and apprenticed to poet, Robert Bly and storyteller, Gioia Timpanelli, she made her pocket money for college baking New York cheesecakes. Plain, dark chocolate Amaretto swirl, and, of course, cherry glazed; oy, don’t ask…

She is the recipient of many grants from the Witter Bynner Poetry Foundation, the McCune Foundation, and New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities. She served for many years as the Literature Coordinator for the New Mexico State Arts Division, while creating, owning and operating Santa Fe’s premier gourmet bakery, The Chocolate Maven, where she was as known as much for her brownies as for her poetry...

Judyth conducts writing workshops at Writing Conferences, and many museums, including the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the International Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe. She is the annual Poet-in-Residence at various schools in the United States, and offers writing classes online, at www.judythhill.com.

quote Her six published books of poetry, include Baker’s Baedeker, The Goddess Cafe, Hardwired For Love, Presence of Angels, Men Need Space, which is in its second printing, and Black Hollyhock, First Light. Her poems are included in numerous anthologies. She has recently recorded her first CD, Wage Peace: New & Selected Poems.

Judyth Hill authored the cookbook for the celebrated Santa Fe, NM restaurant, Geronimo, published by Ten Speed Press in Berkley, CA. Her new book, “Dazzling Wobble”, is forthcoming in 2012.

She is a noted Food writer and journalist; and was the Santa Fe, NM restaurant critic, for the Albuquerque Journal for 9 years. Her art and travel writing have been widely published. She is the author of the internationally acclaimed poem, Wage Peace, which has been set to music and recorded by the Cincinnati Women’s Choir. Judyth was described by the St. Helena Examiner as, "Energy with skin”, and by the Denver Post as, “A tigress with a pen”. And yes, she still bakes…for friends…shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Career Narrative: Living the Writing Life

I often say that I'm from the "Everything Matters" school of writing.
I feel entirely blessed. I have the pleasure and privilege of devoting my time to making and performing poems, teaching writers of all ages, free-lance journalism, teaching poetry in museums, and generally making all the important, juicy mistakes of life.

I am dedicated to studying and teaching creative process as the next major phase in the development of the Future Human. All while living seriously rural, with my sweetheart, on our Eco-Arts Idea Farm, in a fertile valley ringed by mountains, just outside the sacred, magical city of San Miguel de Allende.

It's a life about passion, and choices. And joy. And having fun.
Years ago, leaving NYC, my childhood home: I chose New Mexico. Chose her above all others for beauty, for the possibility of preserving still-pristine landscape, air and waters, for her swirl of tangy cultures, and green chile and melted cheese on everything.

And now, have chosen again. Chosen my Beloved, and a culture where everyone says hello 3 different ways each day, all meals are served with a blessing, trumpet vines bloom fuchsia year round, and the fields are plowed by oxen.

My writing, performing and teaching come from my faith in the delicate and intricate connection of our political, emotional, cognitive, spiritual, imaginational bodies, both within the self, and within the social web, to each other.

And all of this connected to our funny bone.

I am lucky: I love to write. I love the balancing of craft and passion, the work behind the work. And then, I love to read it to you.
Because that's what completes the circle of the creative act: it's not "whole and sole" without your presence.

So, Everything Matters:

Being a force for good in the world, keeping a sense of justice and a sense of humor. Knowing to fall in love with each other, good desserts, white egrets in flight. To notice the pressas when they are full, the appearance of morning doves in June, the line breaks in Williams, the melody in Yeats, the instress in Hopkins and the way the jacarandas fill the city with purple blossoms in April.

To use my mother’s good dishes because she never did, and my own gift with language, because if I don’t, who will?

Making love, dinner and connections. Getting the point. Listening deeply to the music of the ordinary, the wisdom of elders and infants, and the night wind moving through garambolas. And singing it back, as best my innate talents and acquired skills will grant me.

Making sure my best keeps getting better.

Admiring the plain, astonishing beauty everywhere present, and not losing sight of the fallen, the Middle East, and oil spilling onto our so-vulnerable seacoasts.

Remembering to show gratitude, forgiveness and a little leg.
Remembering that if it’s true that 90% of success is just showing up, 10% of every effort goes for glory.
So, here I am, ready, willing, able and going for gold.

Click here to learn more about Judyth Hill