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Writers in the Round Retreat
   Star Island – September 9-12 (Friday-Monday), 2022
(Registration is open)

The Writers in the Round Retreat (founded in 2005 by Deirdre Randall) is a multi-day creative retreat for songwriters and poets (of any level of skill and experience) in a beautiful natural setting, on a history-rich island off the coast of New Hampshire. Our retreat is a time for artistic growth in a safe environment, fostered by instructors who are experts in their art, be it songwriting, poetry, or spoken word, and who are whole-souled in their approach to life.

Star Island

  A Supportive Approach

The small group experience consists of classes for instruction, workshops for creative expression, and evening programs, which support a healthy group dynamic.

We encourage participants to take risks and push themselves to explore new aspects to the process of writing. Honesty, compassion, and humor are qualities valued by retreat organizers and participants.

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  Activities: New Beginnings and New Horizons

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 The development of a nurturing yet challenging creative environment is a central goal. Morning and afternoon session are organized around generative activities and workshops of poems and songs in progress. There is also time for informal sharing, exploring, and meeting with other conferencees on the island. Through immersion in structured and unstructured activities, participants often embark upon new creative directions and form new associations with others outside of their daily walk in life. As such, the retreat fosters diversity and celebrates new beginnings and new horizons.

  Registration Information

We enroll on a first-come-first-served basis. We also limit enrollment and seek a balance between songwriters and poets (of any level of skill and experience) to preserve the quality of the retreat for participants. Our conference enrollment tends to fill up fast. Room and board is arranged with Star Island, choices made at the time of registration. Our conference fee is – $120.

Registration will remain open until our maximum enrollment of 24 is reached. We strive for a balance of 12 poetry-focused and 12 songwriting-focused participants.

Writers In the Round Registration Link: REGISTER

Once our registration is closed, you are welcome to contact Ellen Taylor at: ellen.taylor@maine.edu if you wish to be on a waiting list for potential openings due to cancellation.

Financial aid from the Star Island organization may be available. Retreat attendees have made good use of financial aid in previous years. Full details are listed on the Star website: starisland.org/conferences/financial-aid

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  About the Instructors

POETRY:  Julia Bouwsma
Julia Bouwsma, Maine’s sixth poet laureate, lives off-the-grid in the mountains of western Maine, where she is a poet, farmer, freelance editor, critic, and small-town librarian. She is the author of two poetry collections: Midden (Fordham University Press, 2018) and Work by Bloodlight (Cider Press Review, 2017). She is the recipient of the 2018 Maine Literary Award; the 2016-17 Poets Out Loud Prize, selected by Afaa Michael Weaver; and the 2015 Cider Press Review Book Award, selected by Linda Pastan. Her poems and book reviews can be found in Grist, Poetry Northwest, RHINO, River Styx, and other journals. A former Managing Editor for Alice James Books, Bouwsma currently serves as Book Review Editor for Connotation Press: An Online Artifact and as Library Director for Webster Library in Kingfield, Maine. She also teaches at the University of Maine at Farmington.
SONGWRITING:  Cormac McCarthy
cormac Cormac McCarthy, has been described as a distinctive songwriter, a deft guitarist, and a lyricist with elegance, wit, and insight. (Not to be confused with the novelist,) McCarthy’s literary background has informed his work and infused his lyrics with intelligence and grace.
As a teacher, Cormac is inspirational and entertaining, drawing from his experience in editing, composing, and decision-making. He includes history, scaffolding, speculation in his classes and is applauded for the rapport he cultivates. 
Cormac has performed nationally on many stages including three times at the Newport Folk Festival, twice on NPR’s Mountain Stage Live Radio Show, Boston’s WUMB Folk Radio 10th anniversary celebration, headlined at the Night of Humor and Songwriters and American Troubadours with Eric Andersen and Townes Van Zandt at Boston’s Somerville Theater, Ben & Jerry’s One World, One Heart Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and more.

  The Conference Co-Chairs
Long-time friends, Maine poet, Ellen Taylor, and New Hampshire songwriter, Craig Werth, have volunteered to co-chair this conference since 2012. This year, Craig will be away serving as faculty at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine's Convocation. Ellen has stepped into the role of sole chair of this year's conference. For more information about the Writers In the Round Retreat for Poetry and Songwriting, contact Ellen at: ellen.taylor@maine.edu
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    About Our Founder
“Writers in the Round” was created by our dear friend, singer-songwiter/publicist,
Deidre Randall, in 2005. She led the retreat for several years until she passed it on to Ellen and Craig in 2012. Deidre's publishing company, founded by her father, Peter Randall, can be visited here. Her beautiful music can be discovered here.

Links

WITR Conference Registration 

Star Island Information

Financial Aid