Take Your Writing Out Of The City

By Betsy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 25, 2011 8:40PM

We’re having trouble dragging ourselves out of this wintertime rut, which means we’re also having trouble motivating ourselves to write much. It’s seems like it’s always raining these days, and we’d much rather complain about the weather than crack open our MacBooks and type away. So maybe the solution is getting out of the city for some writerly inspiration. Here are some out-of-town opportunities to kick start your writing.

826Michigan Writer’s Conference: This Ann Arbor conference includes several classes and workshops focusing on different writing genres: short fiction, novel writing, memoir and poetry. Literary agent Betsy Lerner will also be leading classes about pitching to literary agents. The deadline to register for the workshops is May 1, and there is no deadline to register for the classes. Read more about instructors John Drury (poetry), Joyce Dyer (memoir), Daniel Mueller (short story), and Margo Rabb (novel writing). All fees benefit the 826Michigan mission to support creative writing programming for students.
June 2 - 5, $25 per class and $340 per workshop, visit 826Michigan for more info

Writers Retreat at Ragdale: StoryStudio Chicago is once again renting out Ragdale in Lake Forest for students to immerse themselves in their writing. The Ragdale retreat house is plopped in the middle of five acres of winding paths, pristine prairie, and secluded benches. The weekend retreat includes four class sessions in three tracks: fiction, life stories, and writing for children & young adults. Writers can focus on one track or mix and match sessions. The retreat fee includes all writing sessions, activities and materials, meals, and access to the Ragdale grounds. Overnight accommodations are sold out, but StoryStudio has reserved a block of local hotel accomdations for those interested. Details are on their site.
July 22 - 24, $450; StoryStudio or Ragdale Members: $430, register online