- Home
- About SWG
- Become a Member
- Find Saskatchewan Writers
- Programs & Services
- Events & Workshops
- Retreats
- Resources
Do you need a little time and space away from the pressures of everyday life to focus on your writing? Join us for our April 2024 Facilitated Retreat; this retreat is perfect for beginner or emerging writers who have never been to a SWG retreat and would like to dive deeply into their writing for a few days.
We are hosting our Spring Facilitated Retreat from April 18-21, 2024 at St. Peter’s Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan. At the SWG Facilitated Retreat, our Writer-In-Residence will give an introductory talk on an aspect of writing and meet with each retreatant individually to discuss your writing and/or answer your writing-related questions. Retreatants will also enjoy undisturbed writing time, provided meals and socialization with each other, the inspiration of St. Peter’s Abbey and a sharing of each others’ work on April 21. The facilitated retreat is designed as a time for you to focus on the writing you would like to do and to gain encouragement and motivation by interacting with the Writer-In-Residence and your fellow participants.
What You Can Expect to Gain at a Facilitated Retreat
The cost is $350 per person and includes a private room and all meals as well as interaction with the Writer-In-Residence as described above. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the retreat; carpooling may be available (please inquire).
To apply, applicants 19 years and older should submit 10 pages of writing they would like to have evaluated by the Writer-in-Residence, a letter describing their writing experience and why they want to attend the SWG Facilitated Retreat, and a completed application form. Please see our full application guidelines before submitting.
Application deadline is Thursday, March 21, 2024 (midnight).
Preference will be given to Saskatchewan-based SWG members who have not published a book and who have never attended any SWG retreats. This facilitated retreat is primarily a retreat for beginning and emerging writers and priority will be given to these writers. However, if there is space available, we will consider applications from more experienced writers, non-SK residents and non-SWG members. A maximum of ten participants will be accepted.
Payment is due upon acceptance to the Facilitated Retreat. A non-refundable late fee of $35 will apply to all applications received after the application deadline.
Eligible retreat applicants may also apply for the Doris Hillis Scholarship, which provides one recipient with full fees for the Facilitated Retreat at St. Peter’s Abbey. The scholarship is for an emerging BIPOC Saskatchewan writer working on poetry or drama. To apply, please fill out this application form in addition to your Facilitated Retreat application form.
Please contact Program Director Yolanda Hansen at programs@skwriter.com or 306-791-7743 with any questions.
Gordon Portman will be the Writer in Residence for the April 2024 Facilitated Retreat.
Gordon has been a professional writer and teacher for more than thirty-five years. For much of that time, his work has primarily been associated with theatre; however, for the past fifteen+ years he has been a creative writing instructor / mentor at Brandon University, where he introduced students to a range of techniques associated with all four of the main writing disciplines – non-fiction, fiction, drama, and poetry. He is a recipient of several creation / production grants, was short-short listed for the CBC Literary Prize in non-fiction in 2011, and most recently has been published in the queerness-oriented anthology This Is Beyond.
His Thursday talk will be The Story in the Telling: Intersectionalities of Craft Across the Disciplines.
Gordon explores how the basic tools of a writer's work - things like structure, voice and POV, character development, and imagery - can effectively and engagingly be deployed in non-fiction, fiction, drama, and poetry, all with the aim of transmuting inspiration into communication.
Funding by:
In partnership with:
