#Write2TheEnd's Kim Jorgensen Gane and Ami Hendrickson proudly announce the WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat! We would love to have you join us.
From Friday, May 19 through Sunday, May 21, we've reserved Camp Cedar Lodge, in Lawrence, Michigan, to serve as your personal muse and writing retreat. A 12-acre private lake provides idyllic inspiration. Over a hundred fifty acres of wooded hills encourage exploration. A homey lodge offers camaraderie and fellowship.
Oh, yeah.
We've also engaged top-notch faculty to help you set and reach your writing goals -- no matter what your writing or publishing experience. In addition to offering workshops, our amazing faculty will be available throughout the retreat to help with your specific writing concerns and to answer your questions.
I've always wondered...
From the time you arrive Friday evening, till departure on Sunday, we will do everything we can to make your writing success our priority. Camp Cedar Lodge's top-notch staff will cook your meals (gluten free? vegetarian? no problem!) and keep the coffee coming.
Imagine: no laundry. No dishes. No need to interrupt your writing mojo to wipe someone else's nose, or to play chauffeur, or to referee. Plus, you'll have the added benefits of a group of writers who understand exactly what you need in terms of support, solitude, community, and caffeine.
...what that would be like.
If you're in a writing rut -- we'll help bump you out and get you back on track.
In between projects? Use the weekend to take stock, regroup, and plan your next Big Thing.
Craving uninterrupted writing time? Got it. We've got a Sekrit Weapon [a flag of invisibility -- no, really!] that will guarantee no one disturbs you.
Desperate to network with other writers? WE ARE SO HERE FOR YOU!
WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat Faculty
One of the hallmarks of all #Write2TheEnd workshops is the delicate yin / yang balance between facilitators. [Author Ava Chin once famously dubbed Kim and Ami "the Thelma and Louise of writing workshops." Of course we were delighted!] We have striven to maintain that balance with our esteemed faculty.
Presenting:
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| Yi Shun Lai |
A novelist, non-fiction editor, writing coach, and essayist, Yi Shun holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. She is the non-fiction editor of the Tahoma Literary Review, the former fiction editor of the Los Angeles Review and has worked for a variety of publications including The Atlantic, Audubon, AARP the Magazine, and many more.
Her debut novel, NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK: THE MISADVENTURES OF MARTY WU, published in 2016, is in its fourth printing and is taught in classes ranging from Critical Thinking to American Literature.
Yi Shun is a consultant in external communications with experience in journalism, social media and business strategy, copywriting, and line and developmental editing. She lives in the greater Los Angeles area. Yi Shun's approach to teaching is direct, no-nonsense, and Louise-like. She and Ami are cut from the same facilitating cloth.
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| Shawna Ayoub Ainslie |
Shawna holds an MFA from Indiana University. She is an essayist, writing coach, consultant, survivor, and poet. Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Art Saves Lives International, and others. She is the former editor-in-chief of Open Thought Vortex Magazine.
Shawna's work addresses themes of race, place, abuse, mental health, family, and faith. She founded the Writing Through Trauma series to help survivors of trauma shed their fears and heal. She resides in Bloomington, Indiana. Shawna, like Kim, is an empathetic, nurturing Thelma-style teacher and facilitator.
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| Ami Hendrickson |
Ami is the ghostwriter for several internationally recognized master horse trainers and other notable experts. Books she has been involved in creating include: Clinton Anderson’s Downunder Horsemanship, The Rider’s Pain–Free Back, and Geoff Teall on Riding Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation, in addition to training manuals for the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) and the United States Polo Association (USPA).
An award-winning scriptwriter, Ami's screenplays have received recognition in the Cinequest Screenwriting Competition, the Great Lakes International Screenplay Competition, the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriting Competition, and others.
A tireless mentor and cheerleader, Ami has helped scores of writers from 13 year–olds to septuagenarians get their first byline. She graduated with distinction from Andrews University and holds degrees in English and Education.
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| Kim Jorgensen Gane |
Kim writes on a variety of topics including parenting through midlife crisis, infertility, health and wellness, personal empowerment, and politics.
Since 2015, Kim has been the Producer of the Southwest Michigan Listen To Your Mother show. She was most recently published in 51%: Women and the Future of Politics.
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For our inaugural session, the WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat is open to women only. Ladies -- whatever your writing goals, we invite you to come and join us! Just click the "Buy Now" button at the upper right. Save $50 if you register before April 20, 2017!
AND NOW... THE FAQ's:
Q: When is the WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat?
A: Friday, May 19 through Sunday, May 21, 2017.
Check-in and Registration will start Friday afternoon. The Retreat will officially start Friday evening with a Meet & Greet featuring local wines and micro-brews.
Check-out is noon on Sunday.
Q: Let's talk food. I'm vegetarian / gluten free / a coffee junkie. When do we eat?
A: Camp Cedar Lodge has a wonderful kitchen staff (cooking skills vouched for by Ami's teenage daughter, who spent a week at summer camp and pronounced the food "fantastic"). Children literally come from all over the world to attend Cedar Lodge. The cooks are accustomed to cooking for special dietary needs. Please let us know, in advance, of any special considerations.
Your Retreat registration includes four meals: Saturday's breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and brunch on Sunday. Fruit, light snacks, coffee, tea, and cold beverages are available at all times. We are big on snacks. Snacks, snacks, snacks...
Q: What are the accommodations like?
A: Summer camp, baby! Yeah! A little bit wild and a lot rustic. Camp cabins are set up as bunkhouses. It's almost-but-not-quite living off the grid. If you ever attended summer camp, you know the kind of instant camaraderie that cabins bring.
If you never went to summer camp... (seriously? Some people never went to summer camp? This makes me sad.) ...here's a chance to check it off your Bucket List. Use the experience to add verity to your writing. Explore your reactions to something new...
Bath houses have private shower facilities and flush toilets. Yes, it's rural and rustic, but we're civilized. Yeesh.
Q: What will it cost for me to attend the WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat?
A: The price of the retreat is $499 per person. This includes all workshops (you may attend as many as you wish), your lodging, meals, and any other incidentals that are part of the Writer's Retreat. Just click the "Buy Now" button and register. From the time you arrive on Friday till check-out on Sunday, we've got everything covered.
Parking at Camp Cedar Lodge is free for participants. Your transportation to Camp Cedar Lodge is not included in the Retreat registration.
Q: What do you mean it's open to women only?
A: The Spring Writer's Retreat is open to women only. If you are male and would like to attend a WriteAway retreat in the future, please email us. We'll add you to the WriteAway Wish List and let you know when there's a retreat with your name on it.
Q: Where is Lawrence, Michigan, anyway?
A: Cedar Lodge is located 2 hours from Chicago and 3 hours from the west side of Detroit. It is 5 miles north of I-94 off of exit 52.Nearby airports include Kalamazoo, MI (30 miles away), South Bend, IN (60 miles) and Chicago's Midway and O'Hare (130 miles).
Q: If I attend this retreat, do you promise I'll get published?
A: Erm, no. No, we do not. In publishing, there are no guarantees.
We do, however, promise that you'll meet some cool new writers to network with. They'll listen attentively to the writing you share. They'll make suggestions for improving your work. They'll enrich your writing and your life with new insights and experiences.
Have a question that's not answered here? Email us: info @ write2theend . com. We hope to see you this Spring!
A: Erm, no. No, we do not. In publishing, there are no guarantees.
We do, however, promise that you'll meet some cool new writers to network with. They'll listen attentively to the writing you share. They'll make suggestions for improving your work. They'll enrich your writing and your life with new insights and experiences.
Have a question that's not answered here? Email us: info @ write2theend . com. We hope to see you this Spring!
