THE JOY RETREAT: FIVE DAYS OF WRITING TOWARD DELIGHT

REGISTRATION OPENS APRIL 7.

Mark your calendars! Join Freshwater Writing for a week of generative, joyful writing on the North Shore, complete with delicious food and your own room at the edge of the North Shore woods at the brand-new Trailside Hotel in Duluth, MN. Writers of all levels, all genres, and all backgrounds are welcome.

The retreat dates are Tuesday, July 15 - Sunday, July 20.

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About the Retreat

What sustains us through hard times? What sustains our art? One answer is joy. Nevertheless, we often think of joy as frivolous, selfish, or avoidant. But would we keep writing if we took no joy from it? In this generative retreat, we will remember that joy is necessary—it is a source of individual and collective strength, clarity, and connection—and we will invite joy to find us.

As Jack Gilbert writes, “we must risk delight.” For five days, we will build delight into our practice and our work, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of the North Shore and from one another. Together, we will contemplate what it means to cultivate joy in our writing and in our daily lives. With nourishing meals, time to wander the shores of Lake Superior, a sauna with windows looking into the trees, access to hiking trails, morning meditations, yoga, and writing in the company of others, this retreat is designed to support deep, easy self-care. There will be time for quiet reflection, and time to explore. There will be joy.

Each day will begin with an optional morning meditation, followed by a writing workshop centered on joy. Afternoons can be spent meandering the lakefront or all that Duluth has to offer, writing together our daily Writers’ Lounge, or taking part in an on-site yoga class. Evenings we will come together for a hosted cocktail hour, followed by dinner and good conversation. Other activities include a craft talk and a final reading to celebrate one another’s work.

Tuition includes all workshops, craft talk, morning meditations, and two yoga classes. Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included, as is lodging at the brand-new Trailside Hotel, which features cozy rooms stocked with local coffee and treats, private bathrooms for every writer, a relaxing sauna, and direct access to the Keene Creek and Superior Hiking Trails.

This retreat is created for writers of all genres and all levels. While the workshop is meant to be generative rather than critique-based, there will be plenty of opportunities to share work.

We hope you’ll join us. Let’s risk delight together.

Chelsea & Rachel

retreat Facilitators

retreat Schedule

Each morning, we’ll meet for an optional guided meditation. Then we’ll gather around the table for an engaging workshop, where we’ll discuss elements of craft and process, and generate fresh writing in response to thoughtful prompts and exercises. Take the afternoons to write together or on your own, soak up the sun at the beautiful Park Point Beach on Lake Superior, curl up with a book under a tree, explore Split Rock Lighthouse or the Glensheen Mansion, hike the trails with easy access points at The Trailside Hotel, or even take an on-site yoga class from Elizabeth Fletcher, a writer and yoga instructor who specializes in movement and creativity. In the evenings, we’ll reconvene for drinks and dinner, and plenty of laughs. Finally, retire to your room, or take a sauna, and rejuvenate. Writers will leave with a renewed sense of joy, gratitude, and connection.

Tuition

Tuition is $1875. Tuition may be paid in full at the time of registration, or in two installments. If you choose to pay in installments, a $100 deposit is due at the time of registration to hold your spot (the amount will be credited toward your tuition). Please contact Chelsea if you would like to pay in installments, or have any other questions.

Additionally, one partial scholarship is available. Please contact Chelsea if you’re interested in receiving the scholarship (no need to disclose any financial information).

What’s Included

LODGING

Tuition includes five nights lodging at The Trailside Hotel, a stylish, brand-new resort (opening in May!) located in Duluth, Minnesota (approximately 2.5 hours north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport). The Trailside Hotel offers access to some of the area’s best hiking (Keene Creek and Superior Hiking Trails), lots of outdoor space, a sauna and cold plunge, gear storage (if you choose to have any outdoor adventures), and more.

All rooms are thoughtfully designed with renovated bathrooms, local coffee, and a small refrigerator and microwave, and promise a cozy, comfortable stay. Some rooms do include additional space or enhanced amenities, such as a king bed, kitchenette, or full kitchen. Rooms will be assigned on a rolling basis, so registering early is advisable. While we cannot guarantee specific room requests, we will do our best to accommodate everyone’s needs.

nourishment

Tuition also includes daily breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, all prepared locally for our weekend retreat, as well as evening cocktail hours. While we work and write, we can relax knowing our bodies will be well-fed. 

yoga + Meditation

Every morning will begin with an optional guided meditation, led by Rachel, who will help us explore joy as a mindfulness practice.

In addition, we are thrilled to offer the opportunity to unwind in two yoga classes taught by Elizabeth Fletcher, a writer and yoga therapist from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Elizabeth’s fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine, HAD, New Flash Fiction Review, Lost Balloon, Tiferet, and the award-winning anthology Awakenings: Stories of Body & Consciousness. Her work has been included on the Wigleaf Top 50 Longlist and nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. When she’s not writing, she teaches yoga and offers practices that bridge movement and creativity. Elizabeth believes yoga is for everybody and relishes empowering people to cultivate wellbeing through its practices. Learn more about her writing on www.esfletcher.com or her yoga offerings at www.heartseedyoga.com.

craft talk

New to Freshwater Writing this year! We are delighted to be joined by writer and scholar Emily August for a morning craft talk. Emily will discuss new ways to introduce joy and play into our work, and why we might do so.

Emily is the author of The Punishments Must Be a School (The Word Works), and is an Associate Professor of Literature at Stockton University. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best New Poets, her poems have appeared in Callaloo, Cimarron Review, Ninth Letter, Southern Humanities Review, and elsewhere. She divides her time between Lake Superior's North Shore and the Atlantic Ocean's Jersey Shore.

WRITING + connection

Finally, tuition includes daily generative writing workshops grounded in joy and designed with intention and care, an informal Writer’s Lounge in the afternoons for anyone who wants to write quietly together, a reading on the final evening so that we can delight in each other’s work, and most important, the opportunity to spend time with other writers on the beautiful North Shore in shared admiration for and curiosity about the written word.

“I think of joy . . . as being a practice of survival.” —Ross Gay, Inciting Joy

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