Events & Workshops

Do you need a little time and space away from the pressures of everyday life to focus on your writing? Join us for our November 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 November Facilitated Retreat from November 10-13, 2022 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, provide one hour of one-on-one discussion and feedback on your writing and/or answers to your writing-related questions, and participate in informal discussions at mealtimes with the other participants. Retreatants will also enjoy undisturbed writing time, provided meals, the inspiration of St. Peter’s Abbey and a reading of each others’ work on Nov 12. 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.

View St. Peter's Abbey facilities here.

The cost is $350 per person and includes a private room with a bathroom and all meals, as well as access to the Writer-In-Residence as described above.

Please note that the SWG and St. Peter’s Abbey are working hard to provide a safe and enjoyable Facilitated Retreat. This retreat will be held in Lower Severin Hall, which has private rooms and bathrooms for each retreatant, as well as a communal space large enough to accommodate social distancing. Applicants must be prepared to follow any Covid-19 protocols in place. While participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the retreat, carpooling may be available.

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.

NEW! Application deadline has been extended to Tuesday October 18, 2022 (midnight).

Preference will be given to 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 established writers and non-SK residents. 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 intended 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 Manager Yolanda Hansen at programs@skwriter.com or 306-791-7743 with any questions.
 

Mark Abley will be the Writer in Residence for the November 2022 Facilitated Retreat.

Mark Abley is a nonfiction writer, poet and journalist. He is a Rhodes Scholar and a Guggenheim Fellow. His many books include The Organist: Fugues, Fatherhood, and a Fragile Mind, a memoir of his father; Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages and other books on language; Conversations with a Dead Man: The Legacy of Duncan Campbell Scott, an unconventional look at Canada’s colonial history; and several poetry collections and children’s books. His work has been translated into five languages. He grew up in Saskatoon and has lived for many years in Montreal. Mark's newest book, to appear in Feb. 2023, is Strange Bewildering Time: Istanbul to Kathmandu in the Last Year of the Hippie Trail.

Mark’s Thursday talk to participants will be “Keeping the Flame Alive”:

In this informal talk, Mark Abley will explore how to make writing and rewriting a pleasure, not a duty or a chore. Drawing on examples from his own career and also from the work of other writers, he will look at ways to sustain and develop an initial idea. Believe it or not, revising can be fun! And, more generally, Mark will ask how amid the innumerable challenges of daily life and the pressures we all face, it’s possible to keep the flame of inspiration burning.

Funding provided by: