Carol Dougherty is the director of Wake Up and Write Writer's Retreat Workshop (an offshoot of Writers Retreat Workshop), and teaches writing practice and much of the curriculum developed by the late Gary Provost. 

She began her association with Writer’s Retreat Workshop and Gail and Gary Provost in the early 90’s, attending the workshop four times between 1991 and 1994. After Gary’s death in 1995, she taught his curriculum at WRW from 1998-2000. In 2000, she changed her focus from writing fiction to writing as a Zen practice with Natalie Goldberg. She lived and worked for San Francisco Zen Center, was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest, and earned a Master of Divinity at Naropa University. 

Carol has a long-time relationship with horse racing, dogs, Shakespeare, and Georgette Heyer among many other interests. While at Naropa she performed a memorial service the day of the final episode of the soap opera, The Guiding Light. She loves train travel and has seen much of the US from the California Zephyr and the Southwest Chief, from the red rocks of New Mexico to the snow-filled mountains of the Donner Pass.