The first Word Garden Writing Retreat for Women and Non-binary Creative Nonfiction Writers will take place from March 10-13, 2023 at Prospect Street Writers House, a newly renovated, state of the art residence in the heart of North Bennington, Vermont. Much gratitude to founder and director V. Hansmann for welcoming the workshop to this gorgeous space! Visit prospectstreet.org for photos and further information about where we will be meeting/working. Register here.
Some of you may notice that these dates overlap with the annual AWP conference taking place this year in Seattle. I couldn’t make it to Seattle and thought there might be a few of you who also might be looking for an east coast/New England writing retreat to nurture your writing life.
Workshop details are below. If you are interested in joining what is sure to be a small but mighty literary community (7 writers + me), please use this contact form to get in touch. Once we’ve touched base, the application process will involve providing some basic information about yourself, a paragraph about why you’d like to dig in the Word Garden that weekend, and a 10-15 page writing sample or link to published work, all via email. There is no application fee.
Tuition of $690 includes:
- Check-in Friday, March 10, 3-5 pm
- Check-out Monday, March 13, 11 am
- Meals from Friday dinner through Monday breakfast
- Communal dinners each night
- Friday welcome reception
- Morning workshops (Sat./Sun./Mon.) for feedback on an essay or memoir chapter
- Afternoons free for writing or recharging on nearby hiking/cross-country ski trails
- Evening group readings (Sat. & Sun.)
- Atmosphere of sharing/support
- Single room with bed, desk/chair, private bathroom/shower, welcome swag
- Communal sitting areas with kitchenettes
- Communal living and dining rooms
- Free parking on premises
- One ADA-accessible room available
- Retreat location: Prospect Street Writers House, 20 Prospect St., North Bennington, VT 05257
- Partial scholarships available. Please inquire.
Retreat organizer and workshop facilitator Sue Repko was the 2019 Maine Literary Award winner for Short Nonfiction. Her essays have been named notable in The Best American Essays three times, and her work has appeared in Hippocampus, The Southeast Review, Brevity Blog, The Common, and elsewhere. She received her MFA from Bennington and recently completed a memoir about her gunsmith father and an unintentional shooting that left a neighbor dead. She is represented by Gail Hochman of Brandt & Hochman. In addition to offering writing workshops, Sue is a freelance editor and writing coach. For more information, visit suerepko.com.