As an especially committed aspiring author, Bill O’Neill traveled from Iowa City, Iowa early last year to participate in the first ever Sonoma County Writers’ Retreat in Santa Rosa. It was a significant investment of time and money, but it paid off, he believes.
“Kicking off 2024 with the retreat set an inspiring tone for my writing year,” O’Neill recalled of the six-day gathering that attracted nearly two dozen fellow authors for group workshops, literary sharing sessions and peer support on what can be a very challenging artistic pursuit.
“The circle of mutual trust and curiosity led to some beautiful pieces (in his personal essays and poems genre), many composed during the retreat,” he said.
Founded by accomplished author Lizzie Simon, the writers’ retreat is set to welcome another class from Jan. 3 to Jan. 8, 2025, as the group converges on The Astro motel in downtown Santa Rosa.
There, at the retro-designed property, writers will explore the deep nuances of essays and memoirs, led by Simon and a trio of guest authors — Nina Renata Aron, Phyllis Grant and Joanna Hershon.
Simon, who lives in Manhattan’s East Village with her husband, Santa Rosa native Eric Anderson, has taught memoir writing for more than 20 years, since her own first book and nonfiction narrative, “Detour,” was published in 2003 by Atria Books.
“We’re going to dive into eliminating writing blocks, and engage writers in expansive, challenging ways to consider a more literary approach to memoir,” she said. “Writers will get blasted with inspiration and courage, and they will gain specific direction on how to set up a lasting, sustainable writing practice, as well as editorial tools to sharpen and elevate their writing.”
While Simon takes the lead throughout the retreat, each guest author will offer concentrated insight.
Aron, a literary critic and author of the memoir “Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls,” will host a seminar on weaving historical writing into memoir. Grant, author of the memoir “Everything is Under Control,” will focus on sensual writing and on setting up a sustainable writing practice. And Hershon, author of five novels, including The New York Times-reviewed suspense novel “St. Ivo,” will focus on applying tools of fiction to memoir.
“There will be guidance, yes, tons of it. Critique, no,” Simon said. “There will be writing exercises and people will be invited to read their work — but this is not a pile-on, critique-style workshop. I do not believe in them at all. I think they’re responsible for confusing and inhibiting writers. There is a time and place for editorial feedback — with a skilled editor, one on one, once the material is ready for it.”
The idea to launch retreats in Wine Country came because Anderson is one of the owners of The Astro and the nearby partner restaurant The Spinster Sisters.
Attendees will stay at The Astro and enjoy a welcome dinner at The Spinster Sisters. Other activities include wine and chocolate tastings, along with afternoon excursions to local spots such as Bodega Head, Armstrong Redwoods, Lake Sonoma and Jack London State Historic Park.
In addition to being fun ways to explore Sonoma County, the outings encourage relaxed interaction.
“They’ll form bonds with other writers that will bolster them and hold them accountable to their goals,” Simon said.
As for real world opportunity in the rapidly changing literary world, participants of the writers’ retreat can get a peek behind that curtain, too.
“Between myself, Phyllis, Nina and Joanna, we’ve been published by mainstream publishers and featured in literary magazines and national and international publications,” Simon said. “We can help writers understand who and how to pitch, and what to expect.
“For example, while legacy media and book publishing is contracting, and the gatekeeping is more forbidding than ever, self-publishing companies like Ingram Spark and newsletter platforms like Substack are creating inroads for writers to publish and build an audience for their writing,” she added.
Simon points to a student of her ongoing Zoom memoir classes who this year sold her memoir manuscript to a commercial publisher for a high six-figure advance. But at the same time, Simon personally manages a popular Substack called “Lizzie’s Letter.”
“Commercial publishing is still powerful and worth going for,” she said. “Yet I earn more from my Substack than I did freelance writing, and I don’t have to bother pitching editors or altering my work to fit a publication.”
Details
Enrollment deadline for the Sonoma County Writers’ Retreat is Jan. 3, 2025. Tuition is $2,500, or $1,600 for locals who are not staying at The Astro (use the code SOCOLOCAL). lizziesimon.info