Whistler One Day Writing Retreats
Our One Day Writing Retreats were a huge success and have completed for this year. Check back in early 2024 for a whole new series! Let us know if you would like to be on an email list for these events at writers@whistlerwritersfest.com
How does an uninterrupted day of writing, and a desk with a view of the mountains and a glacial lake sound to you? Our Whistler One Day Writing Retreats are back and in 2023 we have four, yes four, sessions to offer you.
Join us for one, or all four, full day writers’ retreats at The Point Artist-run Centre* on the shores of beautiful Alta Lake. The Point provides the perfect venue with views to inspire and some solitude to focus on your work. There will be opportunities to connect with other local writers, or lock yourself away for the whole day and get your word count in.
We’ll start each retreat day with a meet and greet, including a description of your writing project and/or goals. After that, we’ll each find a quiet spot and delve into our writing projects (or happily daydream). Writers will meet again for a delicious potluck meal to discuss craft and troubleshoot projects.
Each retreat day will run from 9am to 4pm at The Point Artist-run Centre at 5678 Alta Lake Rd in Whistler in Whistler.
Retreat Dates:
Sunday March 26
Sunday April 30
Sunday May 28
Sunday June 25 – includes mindfulness workshop with guest Nicola Bentley – see more info below
All writers at all stages of their writing careers are welcome. Register now before these retreats sell out!
Investment: One day is $40**
Please bring a snack and food to share for the potluck meal.
Maximum of 15 participants per retreat date.
* The Point Artist-run Centre is a rustic cabin located in a rural area. There are three flights of stairs to access this venue. If accessibility is a concern, please contact us at writers@whistlerwritersfest.com to discuss an alternate access option.
** If cost is a barrier to your attendance, please contact us at writers@whistlerwritersfest.com so we can discuss options to make a writing retreat happen for you.
Presence and the Practice of Observation – Inspiring Creativity Through Mindful Awareness
As writers we are explorers, adventurers, transcribers, and observers of all that we encounter. We draw on our own interactions and experiences to create entirely new worlds and lives on the page. Our own senses are the doorways through which we can access the richness and nuance that we convey in our writing and storytelling.
Mindful awareness is the practice of paying attention, moment to moment, with curiosity and openness for all that arises. Being present can deepen the quality of every interaction and connect us to the possibilities of our own creativity.
In this workshop you’ll be introduced to mindful awareness as a tool to reconnect with your senses and your own powers of observation. We’ll sample several sensory practices including a short body scan, a guided meditation, and a visualization exercise, all with the intention of inspiring your creativity for a day or writing. Come prepared to explore and discover.
ABOUT NICOLA BENTLEY:
Nicola Bentley, IMTA, CMT-P is an engaging presenter and workshop leader who inspires participants to “Connect to the Power of Awareness” to bring clarity, focus and intentionality to everyday life and leadership. Nicola is the founder of ClarityWorks Training and the creator of the Resilient Leadership and Power of Awareness workshops. She leads workshops for corporations and community organizations and also offers one-on-one mindfulness mentorship programs. Nicola has led a variety of mindful awareness practice sessions and workshops for the Whistler Writers Festival over the last three years.
Nicola is a Trained Mindfulness Facilitator through UCLA’s, Mindfulness Awareness Research Centre (MARC), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour, where she works as a part-time mentor and workshop facilitator. She is also an Independent Affiliate Mindful Awareness Practices Teacher (MAPs). MAPs is UCLA, MARC’s signature program taught to organizations across North America. Nicola is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher, Professional Level, with the International Mindfulness Teachers Association.