About Our Retreats

"The workshop hums and the honey reeks of thyme." – Virgil

Birds & Muses is delighted to announce the resumption of our writing-intensive retreats following a long hiatus due to COVID-19. Our forthcoming retreats will remain alert and responsive to public health concerns. To learn all the latest news from us, including dates of upcoming retreats, please subscribe to our Newsletter or contact us.

Birds & Muses offers intimate writing retreats at soul-stirring locations in the U.S. and abroad. Knowing that what most writers lack is writing time—a writer's most precious and elusive resource—the primary goal of Birds & Muses retreats is to provide writers with experienced guidance, sanctuary, and time to write.

One participant has called Birds & Muses retreats "a room of one's own with dinner parties."

Our signature retreat is a Guided Writing Intensive: participants receive in-depth consultation on their entire writing project and create a strategic work plan before the retreat, followed by a week of supported writing or revising during the retreat. Unlike a workshop-style retreat, the focus is your own writing, and the retreat resembles a stay at an artists' residency coupled with a mentor's ongoing, hands-on wisdom and encouragement.

No retreat would be complete without the company of inspiring, supportive, like-minded writers, dynamic conversations about literary life over wine and sumptuous meals, and the opportunity to refresh the imagination and recharge in a new and stimulating setting. 

Limited to small groups of  3-10 writers, retreats typically include optional yoga or nature walks, morning writing prompts, craft lessons over cocktails, participant readings, and special guests from the literary or artistic world who join us for a meal and a conversation. Always included are bucolic, restorative lodging and seasonal organic meals using local foodstuffs whenever possible, often prepared by Kate and the Birds & Muses guest faculty (many of whom also write about food and cooking), punctuated by Kate's renowned baking. Optional activities might include meditation & massage, hiking, swimming or beach walking, day trips to nearby cities or historic sites, antiquing, seasonal  leaf-peeping or olive-gathering, absorbing the inspirations of landscape, and sampling from local farms, wineries, and artisan makers of food and crafts. 

Private group retreats (up to 10 participants) can be arranged by request. What writer wouldn’t want to spend a long weekend -- or a week -- being cooked for, pampered, and talking about their writing? 

For writers seeking ongoing literary community, Bookgardan is our annual, 13-month program for up to 6 women writers with book projects in progress. Beginning and ending with week-long artists’ residencies at Craigardan Arts Center in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York, Bookgardan offers one-on-one support from Kate plus the collegiality of an intimate cohort of talented, dedicated writers throughout the year. Learn more about Bookgardan here.

For more information or to schedule an individual or private group retreat, contact the Birds & Muses team. 

Please take a moment to consult the Birds & Muses Ltd. liability & sick policies here before applying to any retreats. 

Waiver: All applicants must also review and sign the Birds & Muses Retreat Agreements waiver to be considered for a retreat spot. Click the "Sign Your Waiver" blue tab at the bottom right of this page to get started.

UPCOMING RETREATS

2025 DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED IN DECEMBER 2024

PAST RETREATS