Writing Retreat at Arowhon Pines in Algonquin Park, Friday, June 7 – Monday, June 10

Algonquin Park Writing Retreat

Friday, June 7 – Monday, June 10, 2024
Arowhon Pines Resort
Arowhon Pines Road
Little Joe Lake, Algonquin Park
Ontario, Canada

Note: We also have a retreat coming up in April at Sherwood Inn, in Muskoka (see here).

Give yourself a long weekend of writing time – a weekend of instruction, inspiration and creativity. Award yourself with time away from distractions, with no dishes to do and wonderful food at every meal, as you sit with your feet up and write in the most beautiful wilderness setting in Ontario. This is where the Group of Seven got its inspiration (Tom Thompson is buried just a couple of lakes over); it’s a wonderful place for you to find your inspiration, too.

The retreat will feature both instruction and guided writing exercises, plus one-on-one critiquing and coaching from Brian.  You’ll also have lots of time to relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect with your creativity.

All writing levels welcome. Whether you are just beginning or have a novel in progress, please join us. 

This year, the retreat will be limited to twelve participants. This will mean plenty of one-on-one time with the instructor.

The setting: Arowhon Pines is a peaceful, quiet resort nestled in the woods on Little Joe Lake inside Algonquin Park. There are no motorboats on the lake, except for the resort’s own pontoon boat which takes guests on occasional wildlife tours.

The resort is without TV and is far from the roar of traffic. The cry of a loon is the loudest noise you’re likely to hear all day.

Rates include charming accommodation (rooms have a mix of queen beds for one person or couples or twin beds for two people rooming together, and a private bathroom of course, and each cabin has a lounge with fireplace to share with your fellow writers). 

Three all-you-can-eat gourmet meals per day are provided, featuring an abundance of fresh food prepared by master chefs and an inspired kitchen staff. (Bring your own wine or beer!)

All activities included. When you’re not writing or for spouses who accompany you, there is plenty to do: canoe or kayak a series of lakes or hike trails to see wildlife (moose, loons, beaver, turtles, fox, deer), swim in the lake, sail, stand up paddleboard, play tennis, relax. For indoor activities there is a games room with table tennis, shuffleboard, books, board games. Your stay also includes access to all Algonquin Park programs and activities including a car pass for you to fully enjoy the park.

Check-in isn’t until 3 p.m., but guests can arrive in the morning to fully take advantage of the facilities (though the meals included in your package don’t begin until after check-in time, so lunch on Friday is extra if you arrive early). Each guest can borrow a day pass for Algonquin Park. The formal retreat will begin late Friday afternoon. On Monday, we'll have our last formal get-together at 11 a.m., ending at 12 noon. Check out time is at 1 p.m.  Most guests have lunch while the bellhops load the car. But once you’ve had lunch, don’t feel you have to rush off!

Participants are welcome to bring spouses, partners or friends, as there will be plenty to do while you’re writing – canoeing, kayaking or sailing, swimming if warm enough, tennis, reading and just plain resting and unwinding, enjoying the wilderness.

Read about a stay at Arowhon Pines here.

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.

Read accounts of previous writing retreats at Arowhon Pines and pieces inspired by a retreat here (and scroll down). 

To see more reviews of Brian’s weekly courses and Saturday workshops, see here. 

Seminar fee:

For the full 4-day, 3-night retreat: $221.24 plus hst = $250

Accommodation fee (including accommodation and food, plus use of all the resort’s facilities):

$346.50 per person per night double occupancy ($693 per couple) OR $434 per night single occupancy, plus 15% service charge (in lieu of tipping), then plus 13% HST. 

Book early – space is strictly limited! Full receipts issued.

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

If you have questions or need more information about the accommodations,
phone the resort: 1-866-633-5661

Who can attend the retreat?

Everyone interested in developing their writing skills is welcome to attend, whether you're aspiring writer or an accomplished author or simply enjoy writing as a hobby. There is no requirement for you to have been previously published or even to have an intention to publish.

I'm a poet / playwright / other writer. Is this retreat for me?

The retreat is open to anyone who enjoys writing. Instruction will focus on narrative writing; i.e., stories, whether fiction or memoir. But if you’re an essayist or poet or whatever, you’re entirely welcome.  

Should I bring my work in progress?

Yes! If you have an on-going writing project, bring it with you. Bring more than you expect to get to; you'll have lots of time for writing. Besides, you may want to switch projects or share a project that’s just started or one that’s all done, except for reading it to a small, appreciative audience. If you’re not currently working on anything, don’t worry, we’ll get you writing.

Should I bring my laptop?

Yes, if you prefer to work on your laptop. If you prefer to work on paper bring that. Or go crazy and bring both your laptop and your notebook.

Can you cater to specific dietary requirements?

Yes, just let the staff at Arowhon Pines know beforehand about your needs.

I want to stay longer or arrive early. Is that possible?

If you want to stay longer, that’s fine. Just arrange it with the resort. Arriving early isn't possible, though, as our retreat is scheduled for their opening weekend. There is plenty to see and do in the park, and Arowhon Pines is a lovely base from which to explore. Arowhon will keep the same rate throughout your stay.

Is there cell phone reception and WIFI?

Arowhon Pines is an island of luxury, but in the midst of wilderness, so spotty cell phone at best and no WIFI, though there are landlines and there’s access to the resort’s Internet connection. (Contact the resort for details.) But be sure to have your writing projects on your laptop when you come, not stored in the Cloud.

How about alcohol?

Arowhon does not serve alcohol, but guests are welcome to bring their own wine, beer or whatever to have with meals or back at your cabin or wherever. (Though do note that Hemingway’s advice to write drunk, mostly produces drivel.)

Can I bring my spouse?

Certainly. Just let them know you’ll be spending most of your time writing, (though you will have some free time every day), and make sure they enjoy superb food, beautiful wilderness, and relaxing on the deck or the dock or out on a canoe as they glide past a moose munching on water lilies.

For more information about the resort, visit their website here.

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca 

To book your accommodation at Arowhon Pines, phone toll free: 1-866-633-5661
And be sure to tell them you're with the writing retreat!

Or you can book on-line here. ~ But be sure to also phone and tell them you're with Brian’s writing retreat!

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

You're invited to our “(Not so) Extreme Creative Writing” class

“(Not so) Extreme Creative Writing”

 ~ For more experienced writers 

In-person: Thursday afternoons, 12:30 – 3:00 p.m.
March 21 – June 13, 2024 {or to June 20 if it fills up. No class April 4 or June 6}
First readings emailed March 14.
Burlington Anglican Lutheran Church, 3455 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, Ontario (Map here)

Extreme Creative Writing isn't like an extreme sport – it doesn't demand something crazy – but it is meant for writers who have been writing for a while or who have done a course or two before and are working on their own projects. You’ll be asked to bring in a few pieces of your writing for detailed feedback, including a couple longish pieces. All your pieces may be from the same work, such as a novel in progress, or they may be stand-alone pieces. You bring whatever you want to work on. 

Besides critiquing pieces, we’ll have discussions on topics of interest to the class. In addition to learning how to critique your own work and receiving constructive suggestions about your writing, you’ll discover that the greatest benefits come from seeing how your classmates approach and critique a piece of writing and how they write and re-write. This is a challenging course, but extremely rewarding.

Fee: $292.04 + hst = $330

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published.  

Read reviews and other pieces about Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

“New Beginnings,” by Helen Arsicot

I didn’t want to go. Nor did I want to stay. Or get out of bed. Shower. Eat. I could go on, but maybe I don’t want to do that either. Let’s face it, I didn’t want to do anything at all. What’s the point, when the one who made it all worthwhile went and bloody well died on you?

Anyway, here I was at Toronto Pearson airport, boarding a flight back to re-claim the home we’d bought together, and that he’d always called our retirement plan. He’d meant that we could live off the rent money it brought in, but I’d given the tenants notice and was moving back in myself.

 I didn’t really have a plan beyond that. My mind was a bit of a fog to be honest. Widow Brain. It’s a thing – look it up. I was definitely not capable of making rational decisions, but I’d bought a one-way ticket, left our rented Toronto home and was heading back … to what? I think I was expecting to cocoon myself in the familiar, happy past. Hmm. How likely was that?

No one knew I was coming, so at arrivals I walked on by the hand-written signs, the eager faces carrying bunches of flowers and welcome home banners, the happy tears of reunited lovers, spouses, families. A father greeting his balloon-toting kids. A couple falling into each other’s arms (that one went right to my heart). Grandparents exclaiming, “My, my, haven’t you grown,” as if it was the most surprising and commendable accomplishment imaginable.

There was even a camera crew. Have you seen CBC’s “Hello Goodbye?” Well, you won’t see me on it, unless it’s a snatched glance of a defeated-looking figure, eyes to the ground, dodging deferentially around trolleys of tottering cases and the odd escaped small child.

Chatting inanely with a well-meaning taxi driver was not on my to-do list, not that I was making those at the moment. You’d think a daily habit of, what, 25 years or thereabouts, since my student days, would just be second nature, but along with any other thought of routine or normalcy, it seemed to have slipped away from me, and I didn’t even have a notebook with me to write that list and make that satisfying and confident check mark as each task was accomplished.

I headed to the train station and the continued anonymity of rail travel, first in towards London, then out again to the ’burbs. Here was that safe familiarity I was craving. I knew the sequence of stations and whereabouts to stand on the platform so that I was near the station exit gate when I got to my stop. Some things seem to be ingrained enough not to require thought.

Here was that safe, warm familiarity I needed. I caught myself feeling a stirring of, what was that? Hope? But just as soon as I recognised it, guilt and grief overpowered it and buried it back in the vault. Not today, positivity. Too soon.

It seemed ridiculous that all I had brought with me was one wheelie case and one backpack. The one from our student days, when we travelled the world with no need for anything but the clothes on our back, a Lonely Planet guide and some saved money from that evening job in the bar. Not a care in the world, and no-one to answer to.

Our parents had something to say about it. Their generation was all about securing a Job For Life, and grafting, day in, day out, till retirement, by which time they were too tired and jaded to be bothered fulfilling those dreams from their youth of travel, fun and adventure.

I remember that feeling of being summoned to sit in the kitchen, “There’s something we need to say to you.” And the lecture about settling down, not throwing away the advantages we were lucky enough to have, with our education, our prospects. Get that foot on the career ladder, work your socks off, provide for a home, a family, and continue the endless wheel of life.

We listened politely, then did our own thing anyway, confident that we could walk into a job just as well with a year of carefree travel under our belt as we could right here, right now. And we did. And look at me now. Imagine if we had put all our travel plans off until retirement. All those precious memories would be reduced to what ifs and if onlys. There’s that glimmer of a spark again. Not hope this time. Is that a smile tugging at my cheek muscles? Nope, gone.

All these thoughts vanished as I trundled my luggage to the crest of the hill, and there was that familiar sight. The red door we’d painted only months before the unexpected transfer to the Toronto office, when we thought we were building a home where we would bring up a bunch of mini-hims and mini-mes. My heart gave one big painful beat, then I could feel it being clamped, the breath left my body and I stumbled.

The next thing I knew, there was a wet nose in my face, and a dog-walking stranger was pulling a phone out of their pocket, “Don’t worry, love, I’ll call an ambulance. We’ll have you sorted in a jiffy.”

“No, I’m fine, really, just need a minute.”

They paused, crouched down to my level, where I was struggling to right myself, the backpack unbalancing me and making me more awkward even than normal. They looked me in the eye. “I’m Betty, and this is Hercules.” She took a deep breath, blew it out, and I felt my heartbeat starting to calm. “Well, I always say a nice cup of tea is the answer. Come with me, and then we’ll see what’s what.”

***

Helen Arsicot’s earliest memories are all based on her wide-ranging armchair adventures from discovering the land of Narnia alongside Lucy Pevensie, to meeting a unicorn with her namesake in Alan Garner’s Elidor, and fighting criminals alongside Holmes and Watson. She has since expanded her explorations, and moved to Canada from the UK in 2012, where she has embraced the outdoors whatever the weather. She has decided to take the leap from consumer to producer of stories, and hopes that you, too, will curl up with a cup of tea or equivalent, and join her for the journey.

Drawings by Amélie Arsicot. See more of her work on Instagram @art.sicot

See Brian Henry's upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

“Progressives for Slavery” by Brian Henry

 

Police academy graduation ceremony in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels

While pro-Hamas protesters celebrate the Houthis, Iran threatens a much wider war

Having seen the “progressive left,” as they like to call themselves, embrace the Hamas death cult as anti-colonial heroes, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see them embrace the Houthis, too. And yet … how depraved can these people get?

This is the official slogan of the Houthi rebels who control Yemen (and in turn are controlled by Iran):

“Allahu Akbar! Death to America! Death to Israel! Curse the Jews! Victory for Islam!” 

While reciting this, they give the Nazi salute….. 

Please read the rest here {and please click on the Heart button to like my piece so they’ll keep inviting me back}.

***

See more of my essays here {and scroll down}.

Three literary agents looking for authors ~ picture books through young adult, plus adult fiction & nonfiction

Crave by Tracy Wolff,
represented by Prospect Agency

Prospect Agency

551 Valley Road, PMB 377 
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043

https://www.prospectagency.com/

Note: You can now get new postings on Quick Brown Fox delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to the new Quick Brown Fox page on Substack here:  https://brian999.substack.com/

You can also get an email about twice a month about what’s coming up in terms of writing classes, workshops, and retreats, plus providing links to the other material on the Quick Brown Fox blog. For that, add your name and email in the Sign-Up box in the righthand column. ~Brian 

Emily Sylvan Kim founded Prospect Agency in 2005. Currently, the agency has three agents, all looking for clients. The agency handles adult fiction and nonfiction, and all types of children’s books: board books through young adult, including rhyming picture books.

Rachel Orr specializes exclusively in children’s literature, where she represents a wide range of authors and illustrators including Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Cathy Carr, Mike Ciccotello, Cori Doerrfeld, Leeza Hernandez, Susie Lee Jin, and Molly Ruttan. 

Before joining Prospect in 2007, she was an editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, where she had the pleasure of working with such successful authors as Dan Gutman and Suzanne Williams. Because of her editorial background, Rachel continues to do a lot of hands-on work with her clients before sending their projects out on submission. 

Rachel is looking for short, punchy picture books (either in prose or rhyme) that are humorous and have a strong marketing hook. She also wants nonfiction picture books, especially biographies or stories with a historical angle.

Plus, she wants illustrators. 

In middle grade and young adult, Rachel is interested in both literary and commercial fiction, in all time periods and most genres. She does not want high fantasy (though she does love a good time travel) nor YA that’s too dark or edgy.

Like many agents and editors looking to acquire manuscripts, Rachel especially loves meeting authors, which is why we had her for a guest speaker at a Kid Lit workshop last February.

Query Rachel through the agency’s submission form here.

Charlotte Wenger was born and raised in Pennsylvania and Virginia. She worked for a publishing services company in Philadelphia until shipping up to Boston to earn her MA in Children's Literature from Simmons College. After gaining editorial, sales, and agency experience, she became an associate editor for Page Street Kids, where she loved working with debut talent and building relationships with authors and illustrators. 

Charlotte brings the same mindset to agenting, valuing the developmental and relational work that goes into creating successful stories and fostering long-lasting collaborations.

Charlotte is interested in working with authors and illustrators of children's books – board books through young adult, but especially picture books.

Charlotte is also seeking adult nonfiction, particularly biographies and memoirs. But she’s not looking for adult fiction.

Query Charlotte through the agency’s submission form here.

Emily Sylvan Kim is the president of Prospect Agency. As an agent, she aims to excel at identifying and nurturing each author's unique strengths and helping to grow long, sustainable publishing careers. Emily is a member in good standing at the AAR. She is also a founding member of the breakout literary production company, et al Creative.

In adult fiction, Emily is looking for commercial and upmarket women's fiction, self-published authors looking to explore a hybrid career, established romance authors and strong debut authors writing mainstream romance.

Emily is also seeking memoir and high interest nonfiction.

In the children’s market, she wants literary and commercial young adult fiction and select middle grade and early reader fiction with strong commercial appeal.

Query Emily through the agency’s submission form here.

See Prospect Agency’s full submissions guidelines here.

Literary agent Jaqcui Lipton will
be the guest speaker for our Feb 25, 2024
"How to Get Published" workshop (see here) 

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, check out our upcoming How to Get Published workshops. Details here.

If you're interested in writing for young people, join us for a one-day Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop with a children’s book editor or literary agent as the guest speaker or for a weekly Kid Lit class. See here {and scroll down}.

Don't miss out on our writing retreats. See details here {and scroll down – because there's usually more than one).

To reserve a spot or for more details about any course, workshop or retreat, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.