The Grove 2022: Come Together
This is not just another writing retreat – it’s time for deep creative play.
Join award-winning authors Rahna Reiko Rizzuto and Sherri L. Smith in the mountains of California and reignite your creative spark.
It’s been a long winter these past two years, but now Spring is near. Come shake off your shaggy coat and tired mind with a week in the mountains! Two Trees Writers’ Collaborative’s 2022 Grove Retreat is about rebirth and renewal in surprising ways. Crack the ice and stretch your writing fingers, celebrate what’s been gestating in the dark.
Monday, April 25 – Friday, April 29, 2022
Two Trees Writers Grove Retreat
at UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge
Participation is limited to 12 writers.
THIS RETREAT IS OVER. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR NEW RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS COMING UP!
A Taste Of What's To Come
The Grove explores the intersection of craft and enchantment, tapping into the well of creativity that feeds your work. Open your mind to the possibilities of the Fool's Journey using tarot for writers with Rahna Reiko Rizzuto. Come sit by the fire and explore a path through an old tale, deep into the Story Forest, with Sherri L. Smith. Delve into dreamwork, move your body, explore your craft, reconnect with the reasons you write.
“We will go inward, into our knowing, with the Tarot, but I am also super excited about a series of playful mind un-mapping exercises I am developing to ‘storm your brain’. It’s all about bringing what you don’t know that you know into the light.” – Reiko
“Fairytales are old wisdom that offer maps for survival. Those maps take on new dimension when we view them in terms of our writing. I'll be guiding you through an old, familiar tale to help you re-enchant your writing craft." – Sherri
What You Get
Over our five days together you will receive:
- Ten hours of guided creativity sessions.
- An optional one-on-one conversation with an award-winning author mentor, focusing totally on your work.
- Daily writing prompts.
- Time to write.
- Evening community events.
- A cohort to connect with and friendships to take home.
Your all-inclusive tuition of $2485.00 also covers:
- Three, award-winning, chef-prepared meals daily (beginning with dinner on check-in day and ending with lunch after our final morning).
- A two-story, two-bedroom deluxe chalet with your own private ensuite bedroom and a shared living room with fireplace.*
- Access to all recreational equipment and activities, as offered by the resort, including a fitness center, hot tub, and heated pool.
*If you are interested in, or have need of, a different kind of housing situation, please inquire with as much advance notice as possible. Our ability to accommodate you will depend on resort policies and availability and may require a different housing fee. If you are coming with a friend and want to share a chalet, please let us know in your application(s). We are available to answer questions and find solutions at [email protected]
Where We Will Be
The Grove Retreat takes place at a beautiful 42-acre mountain resort on the shores of Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California. Take a nature walk surrounded by Ponderosa pines and Douglas fir. Visit the lake, challenge each other to a game, find a quiet space with a view to read a good book … doesn’t that sound good?
What To Bring
Bring your passion! Even if it’s feeling a bit dim and weary these days. Bring your stories and your hopes for them. Bring your whole self to the table and meet eleven other writers doing the same. Community heals. Art heals. Come and heal.
Join us this spring, and get ready for some serious play.
FAQs, Policies, and the Fine Print:
Deadline to apply: March 31, 2022 (but early applications are welcome as space is limited)
How to apply: We want to get to know you. Please submit a PDF or word document with a personal statement and up to five pages of a writing sample of your work. These should all be compiled into ONE file, and will accompany your $25 non-refundable processing fee. You will have the opportunity to submit this file once you get to the billing page during your APPLICATION check out. You will see a button for file upload in the top left corner of that form. If you have any problems, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected], or using the contact form on the contact page.
For your personal statement, please address the following three areas:
- Tells us a little about yourself and your writing to date.
- What are you currently working on (or wanting to work on)?
- What do you hope to get out of the retreat?
What happens next? If you are accepted into the retreat, you will be redirected back to this page to enroll.
Tuition: Your full tuition payment of $2485.00 is expected upon acceptance to secure your place. Space is limited, and unpaid acceptance slots will not be held.
What’s not included: Alcohol is not provided (you can bring your own). The venue is a tobacco and drug free space. Pets are not allowed on the property with the exception of service animals (see Accommodations below).
Covid Policy: The resort has put into place a robust Covid-19 mitigation effort. This is being kept up to date on its website and can be found here. In order to ensure that our participants are as safe as possible, and as per the venue requirements, we are requiring proof of vaccination and a negative covid test within 72 hours of arrival (which must also be documented and provided to the venue). This is particularly important as the chalets have private bedrooms and bathrooms, but share a living room. Our exclusive, designated meeting space has high ceilings, windows, and outdoor seating options, depending on the weather. The resort currently requires indoor masking in all public places; masking in our private meeting area may or may not be optional depending on the prevailing Covid policies. We understand that the Covid situation may change between now and April, and our policies will meet or exceed the most stringent venue, local, state, and/or federal guidelines.
Cancelation policy: Your tuition is due within 48 hours of acceptance and is not refundable, except in the case that the retreat is canceled by Two Trees (refunded in full) or the resort is closed due to force majeure (includes state or federal Covid closures, refunded up to the full amount returned by the resort).
Accommodations: ADA compliant living spaces are available, but cannot be guaranteed unless the request is received by us and forwarded to the venue more than 16 days before our arrival. (If you prefer not to climb stairs, please let us know.) Requests for consideration for a service animal must be received by the venue at least 30 days before check in. Additionally, if you require any learning accommodations, please let us know upon acceptance to the retreat so that we can do our best to provide them.
Please see our Terms of Service for more information on Two Trees’ policies.