Writing as a Sacred Practice: The Berkshires, Massachusetts

Join “Common Ground” for a writing retreat this spring at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Drawing on women’s writing from the Middle Ages to the present, Vanessa Zoltan from the hit podcast Harry Potter & the Sacred Text and Dr. Rev. Stephanie Paulsell, professor at Harvard Divinity School, will spend three days exploring scriptio divina — writing as a spiritual practice. 

Early practitioners of lectio divina often described reading as a practice that worked the earth of the heart.  We will approach writing in a similar way, asking: what fresh ground do we want to break in our lives through writing?  Together we will learn new writing practices that help us read what is written on our hearts, work with the fragments we are holding, think with other art forms about the practice of writing, and move past the fear and torpor that often keep us from putting our pen to the page. You do not need to be a professional writer to come on this retreat. In fact, you do not need to consider yourself a writer at all to join us. Together, we hope to think about new roles that different forms of writing can play in our lives.

We’ll be examining the work of writers like Virginia Woolf to guide our writing practices. By putting existing work in conversation with our own lives, we hope to make a framework for our own creativity to thrive.

There will be a lecture and a writing workshop each day as well as time for reading, writing, creating florilegia, walking, enjoying delicious meals together, and sharing our writing with one another. We hope you can join us.

What’s Included:

• Three night stay at Kripalu in a shared or dormitory style room

• Meals from dinner on Thursday, April 25th to lunch on Sunday, April 28th

• Eight yoga classes at varying levels

• Optional one-on-one chaplaincy session

• Access to Kripalu’s grounds and facilities, including 100 acres of New England woodlands, a sauna, and a fitness center

• Daily class time on sacred writing with Dr. Rev. Stephanie Paulsell and Vanessa Zoltan

• Customized journal

Logistics:

Registration is first-come, first-served. We will reach out to the first registrants with a link to make their payment within 72 hours of receiving their registration link. Our registration system automatically acts as a waitlist, and we will let you know via email once a spot has been confirmed for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at commonground@notsorryproductions.com.

Refund Policy:

These trips involve a lot of planning, logistics, and up front costs. Because of this, we cannot guarantee refunds in event of a cancellation. Please be sure you can attend the event before booking. If an unforeseen circumstance does occur, we will do our best to find a replacement for you. If we are able to get someone to take your place, we will refund your full payment minus a service charge. We strongly urge you to purchase travel insurance in the event of a personal conflict, health issue, or unexpected circumstance.