IWWG Writing & Wellness Retreat
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August 11-15, 2025
Stepping Stone Retreat Center
320 Sawkill Road Kingston NY 12401
Room block link:
International Women’s Writing Guild
The link will expire in May 31st. A new block will open in June if needed.
View Property - https://lumen5.com/user/bestwestern/33195-bw-plus-kings-0y7lb/
Monday, August 11 – Arrival Day
Tuesday, August 12 – Thursday, August 14
Daily Schedule
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
- Linda Leedy Schneider – The Wonder of Words: Writing for Your Life
- Lynne Barrett – Fiction: Building Narrative Through Structure
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Maureen Murdock – Mythmaking and the Art of Memoir
- Linda Bergman – So You Think Your Life’s a Movie?
- June Gould – Poetry: Our Lives in Brackets
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
- Myra Shapiro – Poetry Workshop
- Dorothy Randall Gray – Ancestor Spirit: The Well of Wellness
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
- Judith Prest – SoulCollage®: Visual Poetry for Writers
- Kelly DuMar – Creative Writing from Your Photo Stream (2 days)
- Kelly DuMar – Putting Our Grandmothers on the Page (1 day)
also from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Genre-based writing sessions & group critiques
- Yoga, Meditation, Guided Walks, Massage
Evenings
- Open Mic Readings, Community Sharing
- Optional informal gatherings at hotel bar/restaurant
Friday, August 15 – Departure Day
Meals & Shuttle Info
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Complimentary Breakfast – at hotel each morning
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Lunch (Tues–Thurs) – provided at retreat center
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Dinner (Tues & Thurs) – group dinners at retreat center
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Shuttle Service – Daily shuttle between hotel and retreat center (1 mile). Participants may also drive.
Workshop Descriptions
Ancestor Spirit: The Well of Wellness - Dorothy Randall Gray
Dive into the ocean of the power and presence of those who came before you. Explore African, Native, Asian & planetary inspirations. Music, meditation, heart-centered handouts and sharing circles. Write in all genres. Your Soul is calling - pick up the phone!
The Wonder of Words: Writing for Your Life - Linda Leedy Schneider
Come, let go of control and find your creative flow. Be part of a supportive community and write in response to poetry and prompts with opportunities to read your work. Leave this workshop with lots of fresh writing, stronger in your craft, inspired, and eager to continue! All writers welcome!
Mythmaking and the Art of Memoir - Maureen Murdock
Explore memoir as a journey into personal mythic themes, with readings and writing prompts from authors like Joan Didion and Natasha Trethewey.
Putting Our Grandmothers on the Page: Poetry, Prose, Persona & Memoir - Kelly DuMar
This workshop explores the theme of grandmothers—whether ancestors, ourselves, or figures from literature—using prompts from photos, objects, and memory. Writers will create poetry, prose, persona, and memoir to express complex influences and explore revision and craft. Open to all levels.
How Pictures Heal: Creative Writing from Your Photo Stream - Kelly DuMar
Using personal photos, this workshop helps writers explore emotions, memories, and meaning through creative writing. Participants will craft stories and poems that capture the beauty, loss, and deeper connections within their images, with all levels welcome.
Linda Bergman: So You Think Your Life’s a Movie? is Linda Bergman’s screenplay class where you learn how to get to good story fast, learn the nuts and bolts of a script and see an Oscar winning film to prove what works and what doesn’t.
June Gould: Poetry - Our Lives in Brackets
Poetry with Myra Shapiro
Fiction Workshop, Lynne Barrett - Too much plot? None at all? Characters who want their stories told, but how? The use of place, conflict, and change tests characters and builds stories from flash to novel-length. We'll explore scenic structure, character connections,complications, reversals, and narrative design, including point of view and options for the presentation of time. Bring your ideas, notes, drafts, the manuscript that’s been trying to get published, or a blank notebook waiting to be filled.
Afternoon Soul Collage - Judith Prest: Recharge your writing brain! Make SoulCollage (R) cards in the afternoon. Working with images will lead you to discover deep aspects of your story. SoulCollage is like "awake dreamwork", and collage-making is visual poetry. I believe that visual art enriches our writing!
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Please note registration is for retreat, workshops, and meals only. Rooms will be booked separately under an IWWG block below. Rooms must be booked by May 31 for early bird rate of $129 per night for a room with two queens. You can share, but you must decide on your roommate and book together. IWWG is not handling hotel reservations. Nearby Kingston retreat center for workshops with shuttle services.
ROOM BLOCK LINK:
International Women’s Writing Guild
To help you with your guest accommodations needs, we have created a customized reservation link for your room discount. Please test the link so you understand how it works. Guests can adjust the dates to the night or nights they need.
Reservations can also be made by calling the hotel directly 845 338 0400 and ask for the group by name.
Please make your reservations early. Individual reservations can be cancelled up to 24 hours prior to arrival. A new block will open in June if needed.
View Property - https://lumen5.com/user/bestwestern/33195-bw-plus-kings-0y7lb/
