I wrote at the edge of the restored wetlands of Tomales Bay. Like grief, the terrain was in constant flux.

ABBY REYES, AUTHOR OF TRUTH DEMANDS | ALUM 2018

Mesa Refuge is a sacred writing space. It’s a place of drift, of telling details, on the edge of consciousness and civilization, where my true inner self can emerge.

MARGARET JUHAE LEE, AUTHOR OF STARRY FIELD | ALUM 2023

Comfortable armchair by a window with views of lush gardens and the estuary.

Being in such a spacious and picturesque environment gave me the quiet and psychic space to reflect, recharge, and allow ideas to find me—ideas that later rooted themselves in the work.

BRYANT TERRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST, JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING CHEF, AUTHOR, AND PUBLISHER (4 COLOR) | 2008 & 2009

In the midst of seismic change, the time and space to think expansively is a true gift.

BONNIE TSUI, AUTHOR OF ON MUSCLE | ALUM 2010 & 2021