The Retreats:
The coast and waters of Down East Maine have, for hundreds of years, inspired artists and writers of every stripe: the painting of Fairfield Porter, Sarah Orne Jewett's beloved novella The Country of the Pointed Firs, Robert Lowell’s poetry, the children’s classics of E.B. White and Robert McCloskey, and the storytelling, art, and puppetry of Ashley Bryan.
A Moss Wood Retreat invites you to be similarly inspired. Come join us for five days in an uncommonly small community, to focus on your writing.
Our retreats are designed to meet the needs of writers working in all genres, from the beginner to the seasoned professional.
The retreats take place on Cape Rosier, in Moss Wood, a house perched on the shore of Penobscot Bay. Our gatherings take place (weather allowing) on the spacious porch at Moss Wood. From here, the view is of the island studded bay, across Spectacle Island toward Little Deer Island and Eggemoggin Reach. (Pick up a copy of Robert McCloskey’s classic TIME OF WONDER to see where we are).
The daily sounds from the porch are the distinctive conversation of eagles, the consternation of gulls, and an occasional lobster boat chugging by. Sometimes a loon, always the sound of water. On the stillest of mornings, a seal’s head emerges from feeding and a porpoise can be seen gliding into the cove below.
We are adjacent to Hiram Blake Camp, a more than 100 year old classic Maine cottage colony.
Our retreats also happily welcome attendees from the surrounding areas, fondly known as Day Trippers.
Each day, you will join with your fellow authors in a working session overlooking the sea. Every Moss Wood session aims to:
Cultivate a conversation on the questions of craft, inspiration and the creative process.
Encourage and enable you to take risks with your writing .
With so few participants the conversations and workshops will be richly personal and deeply focused.
There is ample time for writing, and quiet book-filled spaces in which to do it (see faq).
You should come.