IWWG Writing & Wellness Retreat – Virtual Track
Monday, August 11 – Friday, August 15, 2025
Online via Zoom
Monday, August 11
7:00 PM – Hybrid Welcome with Jan Phillips
Join us to open the retreat with reflections on writing, community, and the journey ahead.
Tuesday, August 12
8:45 AM – Mindful Mornings: Ground, Path, Fruition with Lisa Freedman
Begin each day of the retreat with meditation and freewriting guided by Lisa Freedman. On Tuesday, we arrive and tune into our intentions for the next few days. On Wednesday, we root into where we find ourselves now and what’s coming up in our writing and creativity. On Thursday, we turn our attention toward harvesting the tangible and intangible fruits we will be taking home. All welcome. No experience with meditation or freewriting needed.
Here’s how each session flows:
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We gather
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Lisa welcomes us and guides us into our bodies to notice the breath
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We meditate, resting our attention on the breath
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Lisa presents a quote or a poem as a freewrite prompt
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We freewrite off the prompt for a timed period
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We have chances to share what we have written
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We return to the open space of silence to close, if time permits
Ease into the retreat with a grounding meditation designed to awaken creativity and presence.
Lisa Freedman is an author, activist, and professor. Her online community, Breathe/Read/Write, blends meditation and writing to cultivate free expression. Lisa has been studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism for 20 years. She’s certified by Dharma Moon/Tibet House as a meditation instructor. See her work in Satya, the NY Times, and elsewhere.
LFWritingCoach.com
Breathe/Read/Write
10:00 AM – Free Write with Karen Kenney
Bring your coffee, your notebook, and your wild heart. This open-ended session invites you to write freely and fearlessly in community. Karen offers prompts, encouragement, and a space to be heard—or simply to write.
In this 2-Hour writing workshop, we consciously create a sacred space for you to remember your voice and to use it. Using the Gateless Method, this workshop offers a proven, love-centered approach to silencing the inner critic and unlocking creative brilliance. Rooted in neuroscience, craft, and spirituality, the session includes a guided relaxation, prompted writing, and optional sharing. Participants are invited to meet their writing with curiosity, not judgment, and receive only positive, affirming feedback. Together, we create a supportive, trust-filled space where your stories can flow freely and your voice can shine.
About Karen Kenney: Karen Kenney is a certified Spiritual Mentor, Writer, Podcaster, and Coach known for her dynamic storytelling, Boston accent, and no-BS approach to spirituality and personal growth. With 25 years of yoga teaching and over two decades as an entrepreneur, she blends spiritual wisdom with practical tools to create powerful transformation. A Certified Gateless Writing Instructor and host of The Karen Kenney Show, she mentors individuals through her 1:1 program THE QUESTand group program THE NEST. Karen combines neuroscience, subconscious reprogramming, hypnosis, and spiritual guidance to help clients remove blocks, rewire beliefs, and reconnect to their true selves.
2:00 PM – The Modern Publishing Landscape
Led by: Bret Newton, Friesen Press
A comprehensive overview of today’s publishing industry: traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing models. Gain practical insight into moving your book from draft to publication and understand which path might best fit your goals.
Giveaway: One free Editor Evaluation ($499 value).
About Bret Newton:
A Publishing Consultant with over 8 years at FriesenPress, Bret has guided over 1,000 authors through publishing. He brings passion, precision, and a flair for theatre.
Wednesday, August 13
8:45 AM: Mindful Mornings: Ground, Path, Fruition with Lisa Freedman
10:00 AM-BRING TO BEAR: Writing & Reading the World We Witness (Part 1)
Led by: Marj Hahne
When Carolyn Forché introduced the term “poetry of witness” in the anthology Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness, she didn’t intend it as a prescription, polemic, or euphemism for “political poetry.” Rather, a poem of witness, written out of what was endured, bears that imprint such that the poem is the experience—and that experience marks the reader, who thus becomes a witness, too.
In this two-part seminar, we will explore contemporary poems of social and historical extremity by Carolyn Forché and others, to inform the writing of our own poems of social, historical, and personal extremity. Exercises will be offered to complete outside of class discussion.
Marj Hahne is a freelance editor, writer, and writing teacher, and a 2015 MFA graduate from the Rainier Writing Workshop, in poetry. She has performed and taught at over 100 venues around the country, including public radio and television programs. Her poems have appeared in literary journals, anthologies, art exhibits, and dance performances. To celebrate the singularity of every poet’s life, and to be in conversation with our po-peers, she launched the online Living Poets Project, posting a poem excerpt by a living poet on their birthday and inviting the reader’s poetic response. To make poetry hospitable, she reads poems to dogs and pairs poems with craft beers, spirits, and coffee for her YouTube channel. www.marjhahne.com
2:00 PM – Paths to Publication: Traditional, Hybrid & Indie
Led by: Jan Phillips
Learn how to discern the best publishing route for your work based on your goals, timeline, and message. Jan shares insider knowledge from her decades of experience, including self-publishing successes, building platforms, and leveraging your story for maximum impact.
Thursday, August 14
8:45 AM: Mindful Mornings: Ground, Path, Fruition with Lisa Freedman
10:00 AM-BRING TO BEAR: Writing & Reading the World We Witness (Part 2)
Led by: Marj Hahne
A continuation of Wednesday’s seminar, this session invites participants to reflect on what it means to bear witness through poetry. We’ll revisit the poems and themes of Part 1 and share what emerged through the assigned exercises.
2:00 PM – Self-Publishing: Working with a Service Provider
Led by: Emily Perkins, FriesenPress
Discover the ins and outs of self-publishing: from DIY to working with a service provider, explore each production phase and how to prepare. Learn how to vet potential partners and set realistic timelines.
Giveaway: One free Editor Evaluation ($499 value).
About Emily Perkins:
With over 20 years in global publishing, Emily now leads the Friesen Press sales team. Her work spans Amsterdam to Canada, with deep experience in design and typesetting.
7:00 PM – Hybrid Open Mic
Hosted by: Lisa St. John & Catherina Coenen
Live from the retreat center with a virtual sign-up option. Share your words with the community. (3-minute time limit; reading order to be announced.)
We will also launch the theme for our next anthology.
Friday, August 15
10:00 AM – Writing Historical Fiction
Led by: Melissa Addey
Explore how to bring the past to life in your fiction: from inspiration and research to plotting, writing, and editing. Learn how to engage readers and navigate the unique challenges of the genre. Receive two free novellas and a downloadable resource packet. Topics include series writing, working with illustrators, and world-building from historical records.
About Melissa Addey:
Melissa Addey writes richly researched historical fiction based on “the footnotes of history.” Her novels span Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco, 18th-century China, and Regency England. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing and was Writer in Residence at the British Library. Based in London, she shares her resources at www.melissaaddey.com.
