Upcoming Writing Retreats
March 30-April 5, 2025
Arcachon, France
May 11-17, 2025
Bordeaux, France
Carol Weston
Writing Retreat
A week in a castle? Oui, s’il vous plaît! We’ll gather each morning, inside or poolside, to focus on craft and storytelling, whether you’re working on a memoir, essays, or fiction for adults or young people. Carol Weston will lead a dynamic and encouraging discussion, then offer prompts for two bursts of writing. We’ll share our words in a way that is supportive and constructive, and afternoons are free for writing, reading, and exploring.
During our sojourn together, each writer will also have a one-hour private consultation. As a group, we can visit the château’s vineyard, enjoy a private wine tasting, admire a farmer’s market, and tour the Citadel of Blaye, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Chefs will cook for us, our refrigerator will be stocked, and one day, we’ll sample the local fare at a restaurant.
Get ready for a life-changing week at this extraordinary château.
Storytelling Sojourn with
Jamie Ford
Join us for a week of creative splendor with seven fellow writers at a spectacular château in the Pays de la Loire region of France.
Each morning we’ll gather for three hours in one of the château’s cozy rooms, or poolside, to workshop beginning chapters, opening scenes, and examine the types of contracts we make with readers on page one.
We’ll discuss writing vs. storytelling, ways of immersing the reader, and how to bank and spend emotional currency. Each participant will also have a 1-hour private session.
Jamie’s retreat is designed for intermediate-advanced fiction writers.
June 3-9, 2025
Pays de la Loire, France
June 15-21, 2025
Chamonix, France
David Rocklin
Writing Retreat
Join David for an inspiring writing retreat in the high-alpine village of Chamonix.
Every day our group of 8 writers will gather for a three-hour workshop in a luxurious high-alpine villa.
The classes will be a combination of generative writing exercises and small-group critiques in a close-knit & nurturing environment. Each student will also meet with David for a one-hour private session.
David’s retreat is designed for beginner-intermediate writers, all genres are welcome.
Christina Baker Kline &
Paula McLain Retreat
Join Christina and Paula for this unique opportunity for a creative deep dive in the coastal village of Arcachon, a historical gem south of Bordeaux.
Every day our group of sixteen women writers will gather for a three-hour workshop in one of our two luxurious villas.
The classes will be a combination of generative writing exercises and small-group critiques in a close-knit & nurturing environment.
We’ll vary the groups each day to keep the energy fresh, and each student will meet with either Christina and Paula for a one-hour private session.
Christina & Paula’s retreat is designed for intermediate-advanced writers, all genres are welcome.
September 14-20, 2025
Arcachon, France
September 28-October 4, 2025
Arcachon, France
Phyllis Biffle Elmore
Writing Retreat
Phyllis’ writing retreat is for writers of all genres who want to dive into a deeper relationship with their writing in a nurturing group dynamic.
We will spend three glorious hours each morning discussing and discovering the following: roadblocks, hinderances and/or the brick wall that prevent you from developing as a writer, purpose, voice, and style, inward-looking vs action oriented, pacing and flow, and writing as a form of healing.
We will also examine why your story is your story, what makes your story your own, and why you are the only one who can write it.
Phyllis’ retreat is designed for all levels, all genres are welcome.
September 22 - 28, 2024
Chamonix, France
Kevin Larimer
Writing & Publishing
For writers in any genre who are ready to make a strategic plan for getting their work published and building a sustainable writing career.
Each morning we will gather for three hours to learn about every aspect of publishing, establish goals and expectations for finding and sharing our work with readers, and outline a step-by-step plan for approaching publishers with our work. We will develop a deeper understanding of our own writing as we learn how to write about ourselves and our own projects. In these daily workshops we will create compelling elevator pitches, query letters, plot summaries, and author bios that will entice potential publishers.
“What a lovely experience from start to finish. Everything was so well done for us with such consideration for each of us. The view from my room was spectacular!”
– Mercilee Jenkins