Maine Writing Retreat : 2021

2021 MAINE WRITING RETREAT - CANCELLED

Due to the unpredictable nature of COVID / travel options, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Maine Writing Retreat. Please check back in early 2022 for retreat updates.

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Who Should Come

You are a writer in the midst of a work-in-progress and need focused time towards research, writing, or editing. You might be at the beginning stages of a novel, on the third draft of a screenplay or in the final stages of a poetry translation. You need time and space for focus and reflection. You need to be unplugged, stimulated by nature and the company of other writers.

The Area

Midcoast Maine is renowned for its craggy beaches, rugged tree-lined mountains, quaint villages, and resplendent coastlines. Home to several state parks, lighthouses, and nature preserves, the region is a popular weekend getaway for nearby New Yorkers and Bostonians looking to escape city life. But as its James Beard Award-winning restaurants, breweries, museums, and craft artisans garner more attention, the region is quickly becoming a haven for transplants in search of a simpler, quieter life.

LODGING

The Lincolnville Motel

Owner Alice Amory grew up in neighboring Camden, but left to explore the world and work as a line cook in New York restaurants. She returned to Maine and in 2015 renovated the 1950s-era roadside Lincolnville Motel, formerly known as Abbington’s Seaview Motel & Cottages.

The cabins and motel rooms are minimalist, airy and bright, and furnished with comfortable beds, retro record players and books. Maine’s idyllic charm is nestled right up against the four-acre property: a short walk down, the property opens up to views of Penobscot Bay and nearby islands, and Lincolnville Beach is just down the road. There are no televisions or phones, so you’ll be completely unplugged.

We’ll gather for group conversations in the motel’s library room and, weather permitting, enjoy meals on the sun deck.

MEALS

Lincolnville Motel owner Alice Amory is a trained chef and we’re thrilled to have her delicious meals. She’ll be catering breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the group. Alice’s food favors simplicity in flavor and highlights the bounties of Maine’s farms and waters. Dietary restrictions will be taken into consideration by the chef, however, she may not be able to accommodate extreme restrictions. Please be in touch with your particular circumstances, and we will do our best to accommodate.

GETTING HERE

National and international flights run through two main airports: Portland International Jetport (PWM), an hour and 45 minutes south of Lincolnville or Bangor International Airport (BGR), which is approximately an hour and 15 minutes north of Lincolnville. You may also fly to Boston and take a regional flight to Rockland, Maine (30 minutes south of Lincolnville).

Car services, shuttles and rental cars are situated in the transportation hub of each of the above mentioned airports. We suggest you make a reservation ahead of time.

REGISTRATION

Fees for the four-day writing retreat:

$950 - Double Occupancy (available for couples / friends / those willing to share a double room)

$1100 - Single Occupancy

Registration includes:

Lodging, catered meals (no alcohol provided; you are welcome to bring your own), workshops, one-on-one consults, and additional materials. Individual travel expenses to and from The Lincolnville Motel are participant’s responsibility; we will do our best to put participants in contact with one another so carpooling / shuttle expenses may be minimized.

Payment terms:

Payment due in full upon registration.

PLEASE NOTE: Once we have met our minimum number of participants, there are no cancellations or refunds issued. In the event that we do not meet our minimum number of participants, the retreat will be canceled and your registration payment will be returned in full.

Registration deadline: July 1st

SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Much of your time at the retreat will be spent alone writing, but we’ve carved out time for the group to be together to set intentions for the day’s work, reflect, and share personal work. Don’t worry, if you don’t feel like reading your own work, you can always share another piece of writing that speaks to you. Additionally, we’ll be available for one-on-one sessions if you’re interested.

Here’s what to expect during the scheduled group sessions:

Intention Setting: We’ll share aloud what we plan and hope to produce that day. It’s a chance to set intentions for ourselves and in sharing it with each other, we get to know what everyone is working on and hold each other accountable. This will be a brief, post-breakfast session before we begin the day’s work.

Prompted Writing: A pause in work is necessary — for creativity and mental health. In this session, we take a break from focused work and have a little fun with some prompted writing and/or group exercises. Consider this an hour of much needed stretching for your writing muscles.

Reading: We wind down for the evening by sharing a piece of writing with the group. You can choose to read from your current project, from something you’ve written in the past, or from someone else’s work that speaks to you. It’s a great opportunity to get to know everyone’s writing, the stories they want to share, and perhaps a little bit about what compels them to tell their stories.

Here’s a day-to-day schedule:

Thursday

3 - 5 pm	Check-in
6 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm	Group welcome

Friday

8 am	Breakfast
9-10 am	Group session: Intention setting
10 am - 12 pm	Solo writing
12 - 1 pm	Lunch
1 - 2 pm	Group session: Prompted writing
2 - 6 pm	Solo writing / Optional one-on-one sessions (30 mins each)—must schedule ahead with facilitators
6 - 7 pm	Dinner
7 - 8:30 pm	Group session: Reading

Saturday

8 am	Breakfast
9 - 10 am	Group session: Intention setting
10 am - 12 pm	Solo writing
12 - 1 pm	Lunch
1 - 4 pm	Group session: Tess Gerritsen talk on craft + Q&A
4 - 6 pm	Solo writing / Optional one-one-sessions (30 mins each) - must schedule ahead with facilitators
6 - 7 pm	Dinner
7 - 8:30 pm	Group session: Reading

Sunday

8 am	Breakfast
9 - 9:30 am	Group session: Reflections on the weekend
9:30 - 11 am	Solo writing
11 am	Check out

ABOUT & THEN WRITE

& then write was born out of a desire to support writers near and far.

Writers often lack the connection they crave with other writers. A community. Not all of us live in thriving artistic communities and even if we do, maybe we’re still looking for something more, something different.

Whether you find inspiration through the podcast, participate in a retreat, enroll in an online course, or engage with the & then write community on FB: Welcome.

& then write is a space for you to find encouragement, to feel supported in your process, and to find other like-minded creatives.

It’s also a mantra of sorts. As writers, sometimes we are our own biggest hurdle. We need to get out of our own way... & then write.

BIOS

Stacy Walsh is a writer, editor, teacher, and host of the & then write podcast. As an undergrad, she studied film production at Grand Valley State University, moving to Los Angeles to work in the film industry for a decade before returning to her home state of Michigan. She obtained her MFA in creative writing from Naropa University in 2009. Her current writing work focuses on creative nonfiction and screenplays; she is the writer for the recently released PBS show Life in Bloom, a lifestyle show centered around flowers.

Irene Yadao is a freelance writer, editor and producer based in Maine, New York and San Francisco. She has written and edited for The Village Voice, San Diego Union Tribune, Maine Magazine and DownEast Magazine, among others. She studied journalism at San Diego State University and received her MFA in creative writing at Naropa University. She’s editing her latest screenplay for a short, coming-of-age film, is producing and directing a documentary about the experience of being a twin, and is wrapping up on the first episode of a series of micro-documentaries profiling women in the food industry.