A Writing Retreat
with Matthew Klam
Sept 6 - 12, 2026
Chamonix, France
As writers, we aim to set the world on fire. But the work itself is another thing. It emerges slowly, one line at a time. A good workshop will get you started and help you persevere, will help you reignite the spark when you’ve lost inspiration. For five days we’ll gather together to write and read and discuss essays, chapters of memoirs, long and short fiction. We’ll explore writing that is confessional, disruptive, funny, intimate, and intense. We’ll spend the bulk of our time carefully reading and examining your writing in a helpful, constructive manner. In our discussions we’ll debunk some of the mystery, as we engage the part that creates, that fills the page with words, that doesn’t look back or edit or second guess.
About Matthew Klam
MATTHEW KLAM is the author of the novel, Who Is Rich?, a New York Times Notable Book, nominated for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, and Sam the Cat, winner of the PEN/Robert Bingham Prize and a finalist for The Los Angeles TimesBook of the Year, First Fiction. He’s a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Whiting Award. His writing has been featured in such places as The New Yorker, Harper’s, GQ, The New York Times Magazine,The O’ Henry Prize Stories and The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction. He teaches at Stony Brook University.
Share a chalet with eight other writers for a week of creative splendor in a majestic high alpine village.
Delicious French meals, prepared daily, infuse the regional joie de vivre
To maximize your writing time, breakfasts and our chef-prepared lunches are grab and go. In the evening, our chef prepares exquisite sit-down dinners.
Experience Chamonix
Activities during your retreat include a train ride to the Mer de Glace and optional walk to the ice cave (steep stairs).
After, we’ll enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.
Immerse yourself in alpine grandeur
In your spare time, enjoy a dip in the jacuzzi and sauna, hone your writing with breathtaking views of the Mont Blanc, or walk into Chamonix just a few minutes away on foot.
Accommodations
The chalet features nine bedrooms, each with a private, full bathroom. One room can be shared with someone you know at a reduced rate.
Amenities include: toiletries, blow-dyer, washer/dryer and scent-free detergent, printer, and wifi.
Matthew Klam's
Writing Retreat includes:
– 6 nights in an ensuite private room
– freshly prepared French meals
– 15 hours of workshop instruction
– one-hour private critique
– scheduled dining out & activities
– local transportation
– on-site concierge services
– Please note that alcohol is not included
– Mercilee Jenkins