Join us April 22-24, 2016 in Newport, Rhode Island for our annual Spring Writing Retreat! Our Newport retreat offers the opportunity for writers of all genres and levels to work alongside award-winning authors & editors to hone their craft and expand their writing skills, while working on new or existing projects. Famous for its seafood and coastline, Newport is rife with writing inspiration. During free sessions in the afternoon, take a mansion tour of gilded-era Newport, visit the Newport Museum, listen to some Newport jazz classics, or just relax beside the ocean watching the sailboats, and let the stunning location influence your writing.
The retreat will be held at our Cape-Cod Style Bungalow (located at 350 Old Mill Ln., Portsmouth, RI 02871). Lodging will be provided at either the retreat house proper or at The Mainstay Hotel and Conference Center (151 Admiral Kalbfus Rd, Newport, RI 02840). Rooms for retreat participants are booked on a first come first serve basis. During the retreat, writers will learn craft techniques alongside award-winning authors such as Jade Sylvan (fiction), Diana Norma Szokolyai (poetry, nonfiction), and Elissa Lewis (yoga, meditation).
Daily creative writing workshops, private lodging, craft of writing seminars, daily yoga and meditation classes, a welcome lunch, and a farewell brunch are included in the $650 tuition. With shared lodging, the price of the retreat is $475. Please send us an email to inquire about partial attendance. There are limited seats for this workshop, so apply early!
If you’d like to join us in Newport, please apply online at cww.submittable.com by April 15, 2016 with a ten page sample of prose or five page sample of poetry, and the $5 application screening fee. (Due to limited seats, early applications are encouraged, but check for rolling admission after deadline, depending on availability).
Featured Faculty:
Jade Sylvan (they/them/their), called a “risqué queer icon” by The Boston Globe, is an award-winning author, poet, screenwriter, producer, and performing artist heavily rooted in the literary and performance community of Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts. Jade’s most recent book, Kissing Oscar Wilde (Write Bloody, 2013), a novelized memoir about the author’s experience as a touring poet in Paris (sponsored by a travel grant from The Foundation of Contemporary Arts), was a finalist for the New England Book Award and the Bisexual Book Award. Other work has appeared in The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, The Toast, Mudfish, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, and many other publications. Jade has toured extensively, performing their work to audiences across the United States, Canada, and Europe. They are currently overseeing the production of their first full-length stage play, Spider Cult the Musical, opening June 24th, 2016 at Oberon Theater in Harvard Square.
Diana Norma Szokolyai is a writer/interdisciplinary artist/educator and Executive Artistic Director of Cambridge Writers’ Workshop. Based in Brooklyn, NY, she is author of the poetry collections Parallel Sparrows (honorable mention for Best Poetry Book in the 2014 Paris Book Festival) and Roses in the Snow (first runner-up Best Poetry Book at the 2009 DIY Book Festival). She also records her poetry with musicians and has collaborated with several composers. Her poetry-music collaboration with Flux Without Pause led to their collaboration “Space Mothlight” hitting #16 on the Creative Commons Hot 100 list in 2015, and can be found in the curated WFMU Free Music Archive. Szokolyai’s work has been published in Quail Bell Magazine, Lyre Lyre, The Fiction Project, The Boston Globe, Dr. Hurley’s Snake Oil Cure, and Up the Staircase Quarterly, as well as anthologized in The Highwaymen NYC #2, Other Countries: Contemporary Poets Rewiring History, Always Wondering and Teachers as Writers. Szokolyai earned her Ed.M. in Arts in Education from Harvard University and her M.A. in French Literature from the University of Connecticut, while she completed coursework at the Sorbonne and original research in Paris for two years. She is currently at work on three books and recording an album of poetry & music.
Elissa Lewis is the Yoga & Arts Coordinator of the Cambridge Writers’ Workshop. She began her journey with yoga in 2006, when she moved to France and made the practice part of her daily routine. She saw yoga as a lifestyle, not only a class, helping her to clear her mind and have more compassion for herself and others. In 2010 she moved to New York and completed her teacher training at Laughing Lotus, a creative, soulful yoga studio that teaches the student to ‘move like yourself.’ She’s taught private and group classes in Manhattan and Brooklyn ever since. Visit her website for informative yoga sequences and information.
Class Descriptions:
Writing Yourself Naked (with Jade Sylvan)
From nonfiction memoirs to poetry, from sci-fi to fantasy, it can be hard to wade through all of our associations, defenses, and unconscious belief systems to find what we really want to say. Through a series of writing and personal reflection exercises, we will begin to slough off the layers of social, environmental, and biological noise to excavate the core of our authentic voice.
What’s at Stake? (with Diana Norma Szokolyai)
Any good piece of writing makes clear to the writer what is at stake. But how do we, as authors, clarify what is at stake? In this craft of writing seminar, we will examine the central driving force of our narratives. Taking examples from literature and applying them to our own writing, we will explore what is at stake in terms of several paradigms: the personal, professional, social, and ideological.
Your Voice: Performing Your Words (with Diana Norma Szokolyai)
In this workshop, we will examine the elements of voice related to performing our work. Whether you are a performance poet or doing a reading at a local library from a short story, novel, or nonfiction work, it is useful to think about how you can craft the delivery of your performance and leave the audience wanting more. We will analyze the performances of several established writers and performers as well as experiment with recording and performing our own work.
Energizing Yoga (with Elissa Lewis)
Expect a breath-centered vinyasa class designed to bring clarity and lift your spirits. A morning yoga practice is a lovely way to begin your day! We will end on a relaxed note; with some combination of meditation and writing in your journal.
Restorative Yoga (with Elissa Lewis)
Gentle yoga to alleviate stress in the body. Expect foundational and restorative poses as well as breathing exercises. Class will end with some combination of meditation and journaling.
FAQ:
What happens after I apply?
Once you apply, you can expect to hear from us within 7-10 days and know whether you were accepted into the program. Once you are accepted, you will receive a welcome packet with detailed information regarding the program.
What is the process of paying tuition?
Once you are accepted into the program, you will need to pay a 30% tuition deposit ($195) to hold your seat within 3-5 days of acceptance but not later than March 20, 2016. This amount is non-refundable. The remainder of tuition ($455) will be due by April 1, 2016. Our standard and preferred method of payment is PayPal invoice. You can also mail us a check. The deposit is non-refundable.
What is included in tuition?
- daily creative writing workshops
- craft of writing seminars
- orientation dinner
- farewell brunch
- lodging in Newport, Rhode Island
- plus daily yoga and meditation classes
Cambridge Writers' Workshop 