WHERE?
The former Wisehart Springs Inn, which lies about a mile and a half from downtown Paonia, Colorado, a tiny town that’s my heart’s home and Colorado’s greatest secret.

WHEN WILL EACH OF THE TWO SEPARATE RETREATS TAKE PLACE?

Oct. 1-5 (Thurs. evening through Mon. morning.)

Oct. 8-12 (Thurs. evening through Mon. morning.)

Take your pick of these three-plus-day retreats held on two long weekends in early October. We’ll gather for a welcome dinner, then have three days of guided, supported writing, and then a final gathering and goodbye on day five. Wisehart is a five-hour drive from the Denver area. Six students maximum.

HOW MUCH?
$1,250.

WHAT’S INCLUDED?  The fee includes instruction, a welcome dinner, and lunches for the next three days. At the welcome dinner, we’ll eat and read a simple homework assignment to the group by way of introduction. For the next three days I’ll lead you in guided, supported writing exercises in the morning and the afternoon (a total of five hours a day.) I’ll also serve lunch on those days. We’ll say goodbye with a final exercise on day 5.

Outside of that, you’ll be free to explore the artistic and culinary delights of  a valley so packed with organic farms and divine food it’s been referred to as The American Provence.

LODGING? The fee does not include lodging, ALTHOUGH there are three unparalleled rooms on-site that you can rent.  If you’d like to take advantage of this short commute (and reasonable pricing!) contact me.

Paonia has a plethora of bed and breakfasts, campsites, and a couple of hotels to choose from. Our meeting place lies 1.5 miles from downtown, where lies my favorite bookstore, PAONIA BOOKS, which contains a wonderful espressoria.

There’ll also be alone time to wander the 40-or-so acres of the horse ranch that’ll serve as our base, and explore the small, vibrant town of Paonia, and even hike the gorgeous Rocky Mountains.

The nearest airports are in Montrose and Grand Junction, each of them about 90 minutes away. Denver International Airport is about 4 1/2 hours away. You cannot beat this location for otherworldly beauty. Paonia is my favorite place on the planet. When I lived here and roamed the world as a travel writer, I’d weep with gratitude when I returned to this beautiful, homey, friendly community.  I’d love to share it with you!

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS: I want to keep everyone safe, so participants  need to agree to steer clear of the group if they’re feeling ill, or if they test positive for Covid, flu, measles, or any other communicable disease. They also need to be willing to be tested if they become symptomatic during our time together.