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Writer’s retreat in the woods

Writer’s retreat in the woods

Participants in a 2024 Great Mountain Forest Woodland Academy workshop at Yale Camp.

Photo by Mike Zarfos

Great Mountain Forest (GMF) will host its first Nature Writing Retreat at the historic Yale Camp in Falls Village from Aug. 7-9, 2026. Writers of all levels are invited to draw inspiration from one of New England’s most notable forest landscapes. GMF envisions the retreat becoming an annual event celebrating writing, conservation and the relationship between people and forests.

This immersive three-day retreat reflects on the legacy of Hal Borland, the American writer and New York Times nature columnist whose work was deeply connected to this landscape. The retreat explores how wilderness shapes language, strengthens close observation and fosters environmental consciousness.

Six workshops, led by nationally recognized authors, poets and environmental experts, will take place throughout GMF’s 6,400-acre forest. Participants will engage in field observation, writing and discussion focused on description, ecological literacy, eco-poetry and nature-based storytelling.

According to Michael Zafros, GMF executive director, “There are few uses of a forest more sustainable than serving as inspiration. Hosting writers and artists is a great way to explore and provide this use of our forests. This new program demonstrates how Great Mountain Forest can be an antidote to the challenges facing our world. The retreat brings people together, builds community in the forest, gets participants outside and off their screens, and uses nature sustainably to heal and inspire minds and souls.”

The weekend includes journaling and campfire conversation on Friday, a guided nature walk and workshops on Saturday, and a closing reflection on Sunday.

Borland wrote, “I challenge anyone to stand on a hilltop and fail to see a new expanse not only around him, but in him, too.” Organizers hope participants in the inaugural retreat will experience just such an epiphany.

The 2026 Great Mountain Forest Nature Writing Retreat is made possible in part through support from H. Bruce McEver, Roshy and Dalton Dwyer, and Housatonic Heritage. The retreat is curated by Tom Shachtman.

Enrollment is limited. An optional post-retreat online anthology of participant work will also be offered. For more information and to enroll, visit greatmountainforest.org/writing-retreat-2026.

Jennifer Almquist
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