Sadeqa Johnson &
Julie Cantrell Retreat
April 5 - 11, 2026
Arcachon, France
CULTIVATING CREATIVITY:Unlock Your Voice
Share a villa with sixteen other writers for a week of creative splendor in the Southwest of France. Escape to the beautiful coastal village of Arcachon with Julie and Sadeqa! In this unique opportunity, you’ll join not one, but two, bestselling authors for a creative deep dive south of Bordeaux. Every day our group of sixteen women writers will gather for a three-hour workshop in one of our two waterfront villas. Perched in this historical bayside community, the workshops will offer a combination of morning meditations, generative writing exercises, and roundtable critiques in a close-knit and nurturing environment. We’ll also be tackling five core craft skills: Character, Plot, World Building/Setting, Dialogue, and Revision. We’ll vary the groups each day to keep the energy fresh, and each student will meet with either Julie or Sadeqa for a one-hour private session. All genres are welcome.
Meet Sadeqa
SADEQA JOHNSON is a New York Times bestselling author of five novels. Her most recent novel, The House of Eve was an instant New York Times Best Seller, Reese’s Book Club selection, Target Book Club pick, and nominated for a NAACP Image Award. Her previous novel, Yellow Wife, was named by Oprah Magazine as “27 of 2021 Most Anticipated Winter Historical Fiction books.” Keeper of Lost Children will be published in February 2026. She teaches for the MFA program at Drexel University and serves on the Story Summit Foundation board. Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa currently lives near Richmond, Virginia. For more information, www.sadeqa.net.
Meet Julie
JULIE CANTRELL is a multiple award-winning, New York Times, USA TODAY, and international bestselling author, editor, creative writing instructor, TEDx speaker, and ghostwriter. Her novels have earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and have been featured in Top Reads lists by LitHub, Redbook, Southern Living Magazine, REAL SIMPLE, BookBub, HuffPost, USA TODAY (HEA), and more. As a novelist, she’s received two Christy Awards, two Carol Awards, and the Mississippi Library Association Fiction Award. She was named a two-time shortlist finalist for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, and she served as the editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review. She currently serves as the Managing Director of Story Summit. For more information, please visit www.juliecantrell.com
On arrival, you'll be whisked to this amazing villa on the glorious Bay of Arcachon.
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.
Throughout the day,
you can always find a sweet spot to write on your own.
Immerse yourself in Arcachon
In your spare time, enjoy a dip in the jacuzzi, hone your writing with a view of the bay, or explore the village of Arcachon just minutes away on foot.
Other Activities
Activities during your retreat includes a private boat tour of the Bay of Arcachon, a visit to the neighboring village, Cap de Ferret, and lunch at a local restaurant.
Accommodations
Inside the villa, you’ll be enveloped in a warm and inviting space.
Together, there are 17 bedrooms in two villas, each with a private full bathroom and its own unique characteristics.
Amenities include: toiletries, blow-dyer, washer/dryer and scent-free detergent, printer, and wifi.
Sadeqa & Julie's 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
The cost of this retreat:
$6,650 for a private room
$5,650 each for a shared room with someone you know
“What a lovely experience from start to finish. Everything was so well done for us with such consideration for each of us.”
– Mercilee Jenkins