Events

Vicki and poet Dawn Leas (aka The Hammock Writer) will lead a weekend of writing and relaxation at the Laingdon Hotel, 8 Ocean Ave., Ocean Grove, N.J.  The weekend includes generative workshops in poetry or prose (your choice), breakfasts and lunches and more.

An early bird registration rate of $50 off the full retreat registration (excluding room) is available until Sept. 4. For details and to register, please go to the event page here.

Nonfiction sessions will be led by Vicki Mayk, author of Growing up on the Gridiron, Football, Friendship, and the Tragic Life of Owen Thomas.

Poetry sessions will be led by Dawn Leas, author of two chapbooks (I Know When to Keep Quiet and A Person Worth Knowing), and one full-length collection (Take Something When You Go).

Here is the full schedule (subject to change):

Friday, October 13, 2023

2:00 p.m.                   Check-in

The Inn’s official check-in time is 2-7 p.m. If your room is not ready, you’ll be able to park (street parking, there is no lot), and enjoy the Inn’s parlor or porch, head to the beach, or explore Ocean Grove.

3:00-5:00 p.m.

Writing and or exploring time

Dinner on your own.

7:00 p.m.     Opening reception

8:30 p.m.

Optional group walk on the boardwalk

Saturday, October 13, 2023

8:00 a.m.                   Breakfast

Complimentary continental breakfast is available at Laingdon.

10:00 a.m.          Workshop

Writing Scavenger Hunt

Participants will be given a list of items to find both inside the Inn and nearby in Ocean Grove, which will include brief writing, warm-up exercises. Dawn and Vicki will then each introduce writing prompts for their genres to the group. Participants may choose to write either poetry or prose.

12:30 p.m.                 Lunch

1:30 - 3:00 p.m.

Free time for individual writing, heading to the beach, or exploring Ocean Grove

3:00 – 5:30 p.m.      Workshops

Participants will choose either prose (Vicki) or poetry (Dawn).

The Things We Carry

The objects we most treasure – from grandmother’s wedding ring to a seashell found on the beach in California – carry powerful memories. In this session, we will use an object as a springboard for writing about a person or place that is important to us. By answering a series of questions, we will fashion a flash piece that examines our treasures and the memories they evoke. Writers are encouraged to bring a favorite object or a photo of the object to use in this session.

Let’s Celebrate the Past and the Present

The roots of the ode wend all the way back to Greece in B.C. times. It’s long in tradition with several famous ones, like “Ode to a Grecian Urn” by John Keats, widely known, read, and discussed. We’ll take a quick look at its history before turning our attention to the more contemporary irregular ode and find our own objects, possibly everyday or mundane ones, to celebrate as we get odes down on the page.

Dinner on your own.

8:30 p. m.     After dinner, participants can spend the evening writing on their own, socializing on the inn’s front porch or an informal reading in the parlor.

Sunday, October 15, 2023

8:00 a.m.                   Breakfast

Complimentary continental breakfast is available at Laingdon.

9:00 a.m.                     Workshop

Blind Contour Drawing + Writing

Participants will draw an object of their choosing in one continuous line -  without looking at the page. You might be thinking, “I’m here to write - I can’t draw!” But, we know you can! This exercise will guide you out of your comfort zone and inspire new creative possibilities.

After drawing, participants will choose between writing poetry or prose, or try both, using prompts that Vicki and Dawn provide.

11:30 a.m.                 Lunch

12:15 p.m.                 Workshops

Participants will choose either prose (Vicki) or poetry (Dawn).

Start Here

A great piece of writing can inspire us to take risks or try new techniques in our own work. In this session, we will borrow lines or structures from flash nonfiction pieces written by other writers as prompts to start fashioning new work of our own.

Questions without Answers

According to Jack Collom and Sheryl Noethe in Poetry Everywhere, “questions without answers is one good working definition of poetry… “without answers” means that the mind keeps seeking.” We’ll share our thoughts on this definition and read a few sample poems. We’ll brainstorm questions like How does a floating feather find its way? Why is lightning so angry? Where do noises go? How high is high?

Then we’ll seek answers to them in our poems.

2:15 p.m.     Free time and departure whenever you are ready.

*Room check-out is promptly at 11:00 a.m.

Our group has access to the common areas at the Inn through 3 p.m.

Accommodations

Our group will be able to reserve rooms at a special retreat rate of $150 or $220 per night. The cost depends on room selected. These discounts are for specific rooms. Other types are available at different rates. Angie at Laingdon will be able to help you select the room after you register for the retreat. A continental breakfast (fruit, cereal, pastries, tea, coffee) is included. You will book and pay for your rooms directly with the Laingdon Hotel here.

Laingdon Hotel amenities include individually controlled a/c and heat, cable television, free WIFI, a hospitality room with an ice machine and microwave, and two common porches with unobstructed oceanfront views. All rooms have private baths and refrigerators.