Sometimes, we all need to retreat. From schedules, responsibilities, routine and expectations. Our campers ‘retreat’ when they join us at camp each summer and our adult writers (plus their families) retreat when they join us in Costa Rica each February. But we don’t just retreat from – we retreat to. This past week, he 12 of us retreated to nature, healthy food, daily writing workshops, an immersion in our personal projects, wonderful weather and a community of like-minded souls. All of us came back rejuvenated and with fresh inspiration for our work.
Finca Luna Nueva is our magical writing base in the heart of rain-forest in Costa Rica. Mornings were spent in writing workshops, on a gorgeous deck looking down on the bamboo restaurant and pool. While hummingbirds flitted past us, cicadas buzzed and howler monkeys roared in the depths of the forest, we explored writing techniques together. In the afternoon, we wrote in hammocks, at our desks and atop a glorious lookout tower. We swam in the pool, lazed in the hot tub, ate food growth steps away on the biodynamic farm and created a community of kindred spirits. We took a night tour in the rain-forest, immersed ourselves in the healing waters of the local hot springs, went out to dinner in the lovely town of La Fortuna and so much more. Most of all, we shared stories, laughed together, wrote a whole lot and fed our creative souls.
At the end of the week, Kim – the manager at Luna Nueva Lodge – said to me, “We love having your writers here. They are such incredible people.” There’s certainly something special about people who love to write – the honesty they bring, the empathy they have, the ideas they share. Over the past few years, our writing retreat participants have included Centauri Arts Camp campers and their families, grown adults who attended camp years ago, camp parents and grandparents who love to write, as well as beginner and experienced writers from all over North America.
With our 4th annual retreat behind us, we’re now looking forward to next year! If you’d like to join us for our next writing adventure, check out our information here:
https://www.centauriarts.com/retreats/creative-writing-retreats-and-holidays/
You can also read reviews by past participants, and a full account of our writing adventures, here:
https://www.facebook.com/centauriwritingretreats/
