unplug and Write in this All-inclusive Luxury yoga and writing Retreat
Connect with your creativity.
Honor your courage.
Nourish your body.
Claim your voice.
This luxury retreat gifts you the dedicated time, space, and guidance that your writing deserves, all inside a safe bubble of ten other women and two instructors. Mornings begin with gentle yoga and meditation followed by welcoming workshops designed to take your writing to the next level. Afternoons are left free for exploration, play, and rest. In addition to yoga and instruction, you’ll receive a private bedroom, all meals, snacks, and beverages, access to all the grounds including writing nooks and a private pool, and a one-on-one coaching session with bestselling author and tenured writing professor Jess Lourey.
The workshop takes place in a majestic but comfortable Victorian mansion on historic Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. This site is listed on the historical registry and was even visited by President Taft. The backyard offers a private pool and jacuzzi for safe, secluded rest and renewal. Let Cindy and Jess use their four decades of combined writing and life coaching experience to nurture and guide you in their hometown!
August 8-14, 2021
Total retreat cost: $3200
Reserve your spot with a 25% down payment
A Summit Avenue mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota
Read more about all this historical avenue has to offer in this free walking tour guide.
Join us in this warm and welcoming mansion to write and deepen the story you’re meant to write, the one that’s burning inside of you, the one that calls in joy, abundance, and ease. It could be a project that you're immersed in, or one you’ve started and stopped, or a story you’re meant to discover on a beautiful, relaxing vacation with a group of fantastic and fun-loving women.
During our time together, we’ll begin each morning with (weather permitting) outdoor yoga for all, followed by a delicious and healthy breakfast. After we’re nourished in mind and body, we’ll set our individual writing goal for the day. Jess will provide expert guidance designed to help you release creativity blocks, organize your ideas, deepen your writing experience, and tap into the flow.
Your afternoon is free to structure as you wish. Write on your own or with new friends, schedule your individual coaching with Jess, take a self-led, socially distant Summit Avenue walking tour, read a book in a cozy nook, lounge by the pool or jacuzzi to warm your bones, or sink into a well-deserved nap. We’ll come back together before dinner to meditate and share insight and laughter. This retreat is capped at 11 women to ensure everyone gets the instruction and support they need and also to make sure the retreat is safe, comfortable, and adhering to COVID-19 best practices.
You will be shown how to:
Combine meditation and movement to release creative blocks
Organize your creative ideas
Dig deeply into your recurring themes, characters, and scenes
Edit and workshop to your comfort level
Claim your voice
Structure your project
Incorporate creative writing into your everyday life
Relax and re-center
All workshopping follows the Amherst Writing and Artists’ model, a gentle, proven method that recognizes and nurtures the writing genius we all possess whether we are new to the process or experienced creative writers.
This retreat is for women who want to:
Work with a master instructor who values laughter, creativity, and community
Begin or advance a written project
Explore the world with a fun-loving community of creatives
Bond with interesting, joyful women
Honor, celebrate, and strengthen their intuition
Ground and nourish themselves
Enjoy fresh and delicious local cuisine
Dedicate time for creativity but also for play
Retreat Leader
Jess Lourey is a TEDx presenter, Psychology Today blogger, creative writing professor with 20+years teaching experience, winner of The Loft’s Excellence in Teaching Fellowship and the bestselling author of 18 books and multiple short stories, essays, and blog posts across genres. She wants to help you write your best story.
retreat support
Cindy Hager is an accomplished photographer, small business entrepreneur, and meditation leader. Her goal is to to help you release your creative potential and develop a plan for incorporating your writing goals into life after our time together. She will be your point of contact leading up to the retreat.
“When I signed up for Jessica Lourey ’s fiction writing workshop, I was at a low point. I was stuck. I longed to write a novel, but I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t think I had any stories worth telling. Jess helped me realize that I have a lifetime of experiences just waiting to be tapped into, a lifetime of stories, characters, settings and plot twists. Anyone can teach the mechanics of writing, but not anyone can inspire like Jess.”
— Tina M.