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Writers Retreat at Ragdale

The annual StoryStudio Writers Retreat happens again this year with a full weekend of writing, classes, socializing, and communing with nature at the famous Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Join us July 20-22 in this spectacular setting that offers the best of nature and architecture. The famous Ragdale House has been refurbished and its historic rooms and sleeping porches will be open to us.

For over 100 years, Ragdale has provided the time and space for artists and writers to delve deeply into creative endeavors, and today it has a tangible energy that feeds your work from the moment you arrive. We’re very excited to combine StoryStudio’s dynamic writing workshops with Ragdale’s inspirational setting: the creative possibilities are limitless!

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“One of the unique features of Ragdale is its unbroken continuity as a center for art and creativity. It has been, without interruption, the home of artists.” - Arthur Miller, in the Introduction to Ragdale: A History and Guide by Alice Hayes and Susan Moon.

In addition to our classes and programming, we’ll take advantage of the winding paths, secluded benches, and Ragdale’s five acres of pristine prairie. The history of Ragdale, the unique setting, and the spirit of so many writers who have come before are sure to inspire you.

This retreat includes four class sessions, each one filled with writing prompts to help you find new stories AND develop your understanding of story craft. Writers will choose a fiction or creative non-fiction track to focus on, but we’ll have opportunities to “mix and match” genres.

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Special Guest Instructor
Poet and Memorist Laura Ramos Hegwer will be leading generative class sessions on Saturday using poetry to move you, create new settings, develop characters, and have fun doing it! We’ll have one session for fiction writers and one for creative non-fiction writers. In the evening, we’ll share some of this work and hear a reading from Laura.

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