Leaf and Pen’s Writing Retreats for Educators
You nurture your student writers. Let us nurture you.
Next retreat: Presidents' Day weekend, February 17th-20th, 2023
Are you working on a story, essay, novel or memoir? An article or blog post or piece of research? Or perhaps you have an idea, but need the time and space to practice what you preach. Or you don't consider yourself a writer, but you want to see what might happen when you put pen to page (or fingers to keyboard).
Join us for four days and three nights of serenity and writing at the Highlights Foundation in the Pocono Mountains. This retreat is designed to offer you the gift of time, affording you unstructured, peaceful days to write, surrounded by nature and away from everyday stresses and demands. You will have the opportunity to share work aloud at our after-dinner readings and, if you choose, to workshop a piece and receive feedback from fellow writers. For those looking for inspiration to get started, an ‘idea lab’ will provide a spark, and optional craft and generative activities will be offered. We will also examine the critical ways in which our retreat work informs our teaching practice and reflect on what we can bring back to our classrooms and our students.
You will have a private cabin or lodge room and choice of writing spaces, three delicious meals a day, use of common areas for sharing work and socializing, and access to gorgeous hiking, walking, running and cross-country skiing trails.
We encourage educator-writers at all writing levels to participate, from beginners to published authors. We are open to all educators, early childhood through higher ed, in any discipline and in any role at their schools or educational institutions. We are proud of fostering discussion about writing education across grade-levels, subjects, and other borders we often encounter in the education community. Leaf and Pen retreats are inclusive, supportive and productive.
Sample schedule (subject to change slightly, depending on the group's needs and wishes):
Friday
1 PM: Arrival, get settled
1:45: Intro activity/brainstorming (full group)
3:00: Formation of workshopping groups (optional)
3:15: Unstructured writing time or idea lab
6:00: Dinner
7:15: Readings (full group)
Saturday
8:30-9:30: Breakfast
9:30-1: Unstructured writing time or idea lab
9:30-10:30 small group activity (optional)
1: Lunch
2-4: Unstructured writing time or idea lab
3:30-5:30: Workshopping (optional)
6:30: Dinner
7:30: Readings (full group)
Sunday
See Saturday
Monday
8:30-9:30: Breakfast
9:45: Teachers as writers: What are our take-aways? (full group)
10:20: Evaluations (full group)
10:30-1: Unstructured writing time
1: Lunch
1:30-3: Unstructured writing time or workshopping
3: Until next time or additional day of unstructured writing time
The gift of time and space:
"This weekend is shaping up to be one of the very best of my life--certainly for my creative life. I am surrounded by warm, brilliant educators; there is too, too much delicious food; there are white-tailed deer outside my private writing space; and I am getting the kind of supportive feedback that makes me think maybe I'm onto something here." --Candi, middle school English teacher, fiction writer
"This was a gift of time and peace and productivity all in one." --Pam, Head of School, nonfiction writer, blogger
"The most important part of the retreat was the opportunity to have time and space to just write - a lot. I came not really really knowing what I would write about, but through talking with the other writers, I was able to find a focus." --Chris, 2nd grade teacher, poet and personal narrative writer
"Thank you so much for all that you put into this restorative and productive weekend workshop - your warmth, your interest, your heart, your thoughtfulness. You are the midwife for our creations. Only another teacher would understand the need and tremendous gift of time away, without worries or decisions about what to do next." --Dana, high school Spanish teacher, memoirist
"To be allowed the time and space to work on something that's been in my head and to do something that was new and very uncomfortable for me was incredibly rewarding." --Trip, high school History teacher, personal narrative writer
Feedback on your work:
"My favorite part of the weekend was workshopping the first section of my middle grade novel. It was immensely rewarding to hear others comment on my story, and give specific critique where I could immediately go back and revise my work. It gave me value as a writer." --Ashley, 4th grade teacher, YA fiction writer
Readings:
"The evening readings are invaluable. The opportunity to hear what other participants have been working on is inspiring and contributes instantly to the sense of camaraderie and support that is so much a part of the culture you establish for us. I was awed by the variety, the talent, the scope and depth of work, and the dedication to craft that participants shared." --Dean, 6th grade Humanities teacher, poet
Idea Lab:
"The idea lab was intriguing to me as I worked on the social identity piece and thought about of all the roles I play and how fluid yet complicated it can be. The writing prompts were also an inventive way to sculpt a piece and it was helpful to get to know others in the group through the words they contributed." --Camille, early childhood educator, personal narrative writer and performer
Classroom application:
"At any given school, we begin to get stuck in our ways, rationalizing away the things that aren’t and should be questioned. Weekends like this one not only make that inquiry possible, but necessary. I’m bringing home the various ways in which my practice has been challenged." --Cory, 7th grade English teacher, admissions associate, novelist
"The social mealtimes naturally lent themselves to discussions of teaching practice and writing process, giving me as much to consider in my teaching as any workshop more directly aimed at classroom work would have." --Patrick, middle school English and History teacher, novelist
Restorative and challenging:
"The Leaf and Pen Retreat was a wonderful experience and everything it was promoted to be. I found my time restorative and challenging in equal parts, which seems an appropriate ratio for creative endeavors. The snowshoeing was great, the silence seductive, the workshopping intriguing, the takeaways useful. We challenge our students daily and to be challenged ourselves heightens our empathic connection in the classroom. Writing on demand, listening actively, bettering through engagement and critique are all valuable classroom skills. I so appreciate the time and beautiful setting for personal and professional growth." --Eliza, high school English teacher, playwright, fiction writer
To be notified of new retreats and workshops, please subscribe to our mailing list, visit https://www.facebook.com/leafpen, and 'like' the page for updates, or follow @leafandpen on Instagram.
You nurture your student writers. Let us nurture you.
Next retreat: Presidents' Day weekend, February 17th-20th, 2023
Are you working on a story, essay, novel or memoir? An article or blog post or piece of research? Or perhaps you have an idea, but need the time and space to practice what you preach. Or you don't consider yourself a writer, but you want to see what might happen when you put pen to page (or fingers to keyboard).
Join us for four days and three nights of serenity and writing at the Highlights Foundation in the Pocono Mountains. This retreat is designed to offer you the gift of time, affording you unstructured, peaceful days to write, surrounded by nature and away from everyday stresses and demands. You will have the opportunity to share work aloud at our after-dinner readings and, if you choose, to workshop a piece and receive feedback from fellow writers. For those looking for inspiration to get started, an ‘idea lab’ will provide a spark, and optional craft and generative activities will be offered. We will also examine the critical ways in which our retreat work informs our teaching practice and reflect on what we can bring back to our classrooms and our students.
You will have a private cabin or lodge room and choice of writing spaces, three delicious meals a day, use of common areas for sharing work and socializing, and access to gorgeous hiking, walking, running and cross-country skiing trails.
We encourage educator-writers at all writing levels to participate, from beginners to published authors. We are open to all educators, early childhood through higher ed, in any discipline and in any role at their schools or educational institutions. We are proud of fostering discussion about writing education across grade-levels, subjects, and other borders we often encounter in the education community. Leaf and Pen retreats are inclusive, supportive and productive.
Sample schedule (subject to change slightly, depending on the group's needs and wishes):
Friday
1 PM: Arrival, get settled
1:45: Intro activity/brainstorming (full group)
3:00: Formation of workshopping groups (optional)
3:15: Unstructured writing time or idea lab
6:00: Dinner
7:15: Readings (full group)
Saturday
8:30-9:30: Breakfast
9:30-1: Unstructured writing time or idea lab
9:30-10:30 small group activity (optional)
1: Lunch
2-4: Unstructured writing time or idea lab
3:30-5:30: Workshopping (optional)
6:30: Dinner
7:30: Readings (full group)
Sunday
See Saturday
Monday
8:30-9:30: Breakfast
9:45: Teachers as writers: What are our take-aways? (full group)
10:20: Evaluations (full group)
10:30-1: Unstructured writing time
1: Lunch
1:30-3: Unstructured writing time or workshopping
3: Until next time or additional day of unstructured writing time
The gift of time and space:
"This weekend is shaping up to be one of the very best of my life--certainly for my creative life. I am surrounded by warm, brilliant educators; there is too, too much delicious food; there are white-tailed deer outside my private writing space; and I am getting the kind of supportive feedback that makes me think maybe I'm onto something here." --Candi, middle school English teacher, fiction writer
"This was a gift of time and peace and productivity all in one." --Pam, Head of School, nonfiction writer, blogger
"The most important part of the retreat was the opportunity to have time and space to just write - a lot. I came not really really knowing what I would write about, but through talking with the other writers, I was able to find a focus." --Chris, 2nd grade teacher, poet and personal narrative writer
"Thank you so much for all that you put into this restorative and productive weekend workshop - your warmth, your interest, your heart, your thoughtfulness. You are the midwife for our creations. Only another teacher would understand the need and tremendous gift of time away, without worries or decisions about what to do next." --Dana, high school Spanish teacher, memoirist
"To be allowed the time and space to work on something that's been in my head and to do something that was new and very uncomfortable for me was incredibly rewarding." --Trip, high school History teacher, personal narrative writer
Feedback on your work:
"My favorite part of the weekend was workshopping the first section of my middle grade novel. It was immensely rewarding to hear others comment on my story, and give specific critique where I could immediately go back and revise my work. It gave me value as a writer." --Ashley, 4th grade teacher, YA fiction writer
Readings:
"The evening readings are invaluable. The opportunity to hear what other participants have been working on is inspiring and contributes instantly to the sense of camaraderie and support that is so much a part of the culture you establish for us. I was awed by the variety, the talent, the scope and depth of work, and the dedication to craft that participants shared." --Dean, 6th grade Humanities teacher, poet
Idea Lab:
"The idea lab was intriguing to me as I worked on the social identity piece and thought about of all the roles I play and how fluid yet complicated it can be. The writing prompts were also an inventive way to sculpt a piece and it was helpful to get to know others in the group through the words they contributed." --Camille, early childhood educator, personal narrative writer and performer
Classroom application:
"At any given school, we begin to get stuck in our ways, rationalizing away the things that aren’t and should be questioned. Weekends like this one not only make that inquiry possible, but necessary. I’m bringing home the various ways in which my practice has been challenged." --Cory, 7th grade English teacher, admissions associate, novelist
"The social mealtimes naturally lent themselves to discussions of teaching practice and writing process, giving me as much to consider in my teaching as any workshop more directly aimed at classroom work would have." --Patrick, middle school English and History teacher, novelist
Restorative and challenging:
"The Leaf and Pen Retreat was a wonderful experience and everything it was promoted to be. I found my time restorative and challenging in equal parts, which seems an appropriate ratio for creative endeavors. The snowshoeing was great, the silence seductive, the workshopping intriguing, the takeaways useful. We challenge our students daily and to be challenged ourselves heightens our empathic connection in the classroom. Writing on demand, listening actively, bettering through engagement and critique are all valuable classroom skills. I so appreciate the time and beautiful setting for personal and professional growth." --Eliza, high school English teacher, playwright, fiction writer
To be notified of new retreats and workshops, please subscribe to our mailing list, visit https://www.facebook.com/leafpen, and 'like' the page for updates, or follow @leafandpen on Instagram.