Eco-Contemplative Creative Writing Retreat

Three Creative Writing Workshops in One Day

Join three talented workshop facilitators who will guide you through contemplative and nature-based creative writing practices to inspire and generate your writing. No experience necessary, join us for a nourishing and creative day. Lunch is prepared by our chef, a simple yet nourishing meal from our gardens and local farmers. An optional guided prairie tour is included.

Schedule

8:30 – 9:00 am – Arrival and Coffee
9:00 – 9:30 am – Opening Circle and Intentions
9:30 – 11:00 am – Writing and Wellness with the Land – Megan Sharpless
11:00 – 11:45 am – Prairie Tour (optional)
12:00 – 1:00 pm – Lunch
1:00 – 2:30 pm – Listening to Land, Listening to Self – Rebecca Jamieson
2:30 – 3:00 pm – Coffee Break
3:00 – 4:30 pm –Observational Writing & Sensory Storytelling – Léna Remy-Kovach
4:30 – 4:45 pm – Closing Circle & Gratitude

Workshop Leaders – Megan Sharpless, Rebecca Jamieson, Léna Remy-Kovach

Megan Sharpless, creative writer, anthropologist, lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her family. She offers Writing & Wellness workshops and Creative Spark hikes in nature. She loves bringing people together in nature to inspire joy, creativity, and partnership. Her current writing projects include a suspense novel and a guide to meditation practices. Learn more at SharpLit.com.

Rebecca Jamieson is the author of The Body of All Things (Finishing Line Press, 2017). Her writing has appeared in Entropy, Mid-American Review, The Offing, Rattle, and other publications. She is a 2025 Madison Writers Award recipient, a Tupelo Press Prose Prize winner, and a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has been supported by fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center, the Fishtrap Writers’ Conference, and the Spring Creek Project. Locally she writes for the Isthmus.

Rebecca holds an MFA in Writing and Publishing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is also the founder of Contemplate Create, where she teaches creative writing through a mindfulness-based lens. She lives on Ho-Chunk land in Madison, Wisconsin. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, baking, or cuddling her two cats. Learn more at www.contemplatecreate.com and @rebeccabjamieson on Instagram.

Léna Remy-Kovach (she/her) is a polyglot writer, educator, and translator whose creative practice bridges languages, landscapes, and bodies. With a background in literary translation and a focus on decolonial approaches to Indigenous stories, she invites participants to explore the textures and rhythms of language through movement, memory, and sensory attention. Her workshops create space for slow writing, deep listening, and joyful experimentation

Cost

$85/person, includes snacks, lunch and program

Register

Please register by August 10, 2025. The capacity of the program is 30 people and registration will close when full.

Cancellation policy: If you need to cancel your registration, 75% of the cost is refundable before the August 10, 2025 registration deadline, and 50% of the cost is refundable after the registration deadline until the start of the program.