Thriving Along Disturbed Edges
Explore the Threefold Path of Past, Present & Future to Plot Your Best Next Chapter
October 7 - 9, Friday - Sunday
*Our title comes from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, who draws on her life as an indigenous scientist, mother, and woman, to show how other living beings—asters & goldenrod, strawberries & squash, salamanders, algae & sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. Kimmerer writes: “Sweetgrass is best planted not by seed, but by putting roots directly in the ground. Thus the plant is passed from hand to earth to hand across years and generations. Its favored habitat is sunny, well-watered meadows. It thrives along disturbed edges.” So, too, might we.
Whatever you dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Your life’s major plot points shape both who you are and who you will become. And how you arrange and rearrange those plot points changes everything. But plotting a life, on or off the page, is especially challenging in times of deep uncertainty. Paradoxically, language and narrative provide us the very tools we need to face such uncertainty and thrive within it. That’s because we understand ourselves and others through the lens of story, and we achieve agency in our lives by creating coherent, empowering narratives from what can otherwise seem like random experiences. At this extraordinary retreat, we will tune into the past, present, and future using inventive, relentlessly curious, and often hilarious creative writing exercises to shake up and unearth our narrative selves. We will question everything in order to reinvigorate our life stories, bringing greater clarity to the past, greater power to the present, and far greater possibility to the future. Participants will leave with fresh takes on their old stories and a dramatically expanded and clarified vision of the chapters not yet written. In this light, the retreat is perfect and profoundly helpful for memoirists and personal essayists, but writers (and humans!) of all genres will find value, because this retreat is designed to supercharge your writing life both creatively and practically. Creatively, you’ll come away energized, inspired, and loaded with specific craft tools for refining and electrifying your writing. Practically, you will come away with clear writing goals and a structure through which to actually achieve those goals over the next decade. You’ll also come away with new material and deeper, sharper insights into any current works in progress. If you don’t have a current writing project, that’s fine: just bring an open mind and heart, a willingness to play with language, a deep curiosity about your own life story, and a desire write your own best next chapter. To note: you do not need to be a writer to benefit. We all have life stories, and we are all narrators of our own lives, and we all benefit from scrutinizing our own stories within the context of our past, present, and future. Space is limited for this intimate retreat, so inquire soon. We are very happy to answer questions to help you decide if this is the right retreat at the right time for you. Just send us an email.
where is the retreat?
Thriving Along Disturbed Edges will be held at Hackmatack Retreat Center in Richmond Illinois (bordering Wisconsin). Hackmatack Retreat sits on almost 30 acres of protected land in the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge in the heart of the Midwest. The land is native prairie with a winding slow river, two ponds, 200+ year old oaks, and big sky. With countless places to curl up and write, gathering spaces for our group work, and writing nooks and crannies indoors and out, Hackmatack seeks to offer “time out for time in” amidst this noisy world. Only five minutes from two small towns with all the amenities needed, and within an hour or so of major airports of O’hare, Midway, Milwaukee, or Rockford, Hackmatack is all about ease. We’re also 15+ minutes from the world class historic resort town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
who is the retreat for?
This retreat is for anyone interested in using the power of language to explore life a more conscious, more authentic, and more creative way. It is ideal for memoirists and personal essayists, but fiction writers and poets will find value as well. Our retreats are highly unique. People tell us year after year that no matter how many workshops or retreats they’ve attended, ours is different. We build creatively intense spaces that are also deeply nurturing. This helps to open and challenge every individual at every level to go further into the work, see new angles, discover sharper facets. Our intentional workshops lead you toward unfolding and connecting, discovering and uncovering. We use precise exercises to guide us in ways we never imagined. Language comes alive again, grows more elastic and expands with possibility. So, then, do we. Many find this work life-changing.
what will participants take away?
Approximately a dozen well-developed, memoiristic scenes from your life story
Fresh and empowering new takes on your old stories
Greater clarity about your present circumstances
Tools for visualizing, mapping, and stepping into the future you want
A coherent narrative arc for your life to date
A roadmap for your next best chapter
More urgency and structure related to your creative practice
A blueprint for resuming, sustaining and/or supercharging your creative practice
An enhanced sense of agency
An expanded sense of possibility
A renewed love for language and respect for its power in defining our lives
Valuable strategies for thriving along the disturbed edges of our uncertain times
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who are the faculty?
Writing will be taught by Jeannine Ouellette, award-winning author of the memoir, The Part That Burns, and creative director of Elephant Rock Writing, a creative writing program she founded in 2012. Jeannine is the recipient of numerous awards for her essays, fiction, and journalism. She is also a skilled teacher and facilitator, with more than 20 years experience leading diverse groups across a broad range of ages and in a wide variety of settings, from elementary classrooms to college lecture halls to Sri Lankan retreat centers to remote islands to private living rooms and backyards. She currently writes and teaches at the University of Minnesota, The Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, and through Elephant Rock. You can learn more about Jeannine here, and hear from others about Elephant Rock retreats here.
Meditations will be led by Tyler Lewke and Grant Goehler, LCSW. Partners in life and work, Tyler and Grant own and operate Good,Works Collective, a community of clinically licensed and experience-based healers working together to enhance the emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being of individuals, families, organizations, and communities. Good, Works collective provides affirmative, trauma-informed services to individuals, relationships, families, groups, teams and companies. They believe that to be truly happy requires living with an open heart and a beginner’s mind. Their focal areas include meditation, mindfulness practices, systems theory, EMDR, DBT, CBT, trauma informed psychotherapy, resilience mind/body therapies, cognitive-behavioral and expressive, developmental, psychodynamic therapies, yoga, body movement, compassionate accountability and performance based coaching.
what are your Covid-19 protocols?
We value your safety, and our own. To minimize the risk of Covid-19 transmission during this in-person event, we commit to the following:
Requesting proof of vaccination (please email to jorianlewke@gmail.com).
Requesting Covid-19 rapid test on Friday prior to arriving at Hackmatack.
Facilitating as much of the retreat outdoors as possible (the grounds are beautiful and conducive to outdoor programming).
Using an air filtration system indoors and, weather permitting, keep windows open.
We support masking for all who choose to do so (but do not require it).
what is the retreat schedule?
Friday, 6 – 9 PM: Arrive at Hackmatack for a welcome session and first writing workshop
Saturday, 9 AM – 5 PM Workshop with lunch and refreshments on site
Saturday, 8 - 9 PM Sound Immersion at Hackmatack
Sunday 9 AM – 5 PM Workshop lunch and refreshments on site
what is the cost?
$990 payable by check. (If you are unable to pay by check, arrangements can be made for Venmo—please email for instructions depending on your preferred payment method). Note that we are unable to offer refunds so please be sure the dates and logistics work for you, and please don’t hesitate to ask any and all questions prior to registering! We are happy to help you discern if this is the right retreat for you.
what is not included?
Dinners are not included (though snacks, beverages, and lunches are included all days). Nearby dining recommendations will be provided.
Lodging is not included. Many affordable hotels and Airbnbs are available in or near Richmond (10- to 15-minute drive from Hackmatack Retreat) and, for those interested in checking out the quaint resort area of Lake Geneva, that’s about a 20-minute drive from Hackmatack (and a bit pricier than Richmond). In general prices range from as low as $29/night for a room in a shared-house Airbnb to as much as you wish to spend.
To note: We recommend booking lodging early. Our retreat concierge, Jorian Lewke, can assist you in finding the best option if you desire. She can also assist you in connecting with others who would like to share lodging and/or ride share. Email Jorian here.
is this a buddhist retreat?
No, it’s a life story retreat. We incorporate some breath work and guided meditation to support the writing process.
*note that Hackmatack grounds proper are alcohol-free, but you are welcome to celebrate off site however you wish during the evenings.
is this a writing retreat?
We will write, yes! But truly, this is a life story retreat. You need no previous writing experience, only a willingness to trust that language holds secrets, secrets that can transform your life. We find that the more you open to the mystery of language (and release any inner critic!), the deeper the benefits of transformation.
what is included?
Guided yoga practice Sat & Sun morning.
Guided day-long life story workshops.
Other guided experiences intended to support the life story process, including structured review of past, present & future self, walking meditations, guided body scan and grounding meditation, and more.
Integrative exercises to facilitate discovery of newer, truer, more potent life narrative.
Clear, usable tools to continue and deepen your life story work long after the retreat is over.
Group choral chanting led by Blue Lotus visiting monks.
Saturday evening sound bath.
Sri Lankan buffet lunch prepared and served at Hackmatack by Blue Lotus monks on Sunday.
Coffee/tea /soft drinks and light snacks throughout Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Hackmatack.
Unrestricted use of the retreat grounds throughout the weekend.
A dedicated retreat concierge to assist with the retreat from start to finish, beginning with travel logistics and continuing throughout the weekend in service of whatever your practical needs may be, including a cup of good coffee.
what is hackmatack retreat center like?
Hackmatack Retreat is gorgeous and magical! As mentioned, it sits on almost 30 acres of protected land in the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge in the heart of the midwest. The retreat center itself was born during the pandemic, when co-owners Tyler and Grant were, like so many of us, re-evaluating their priorities and missions. The first phase of the center’s development, along with its main structure, are now complete, with a fully renovated mid-century space filled with light, love, and art from around the world. At Hackmatack, every detail is infused with intention, care, and beauty, so that guests find themselves in a carefully tended environment in which their senses are both soothed and engaged. It is the perfect atmosphere for guests to find the rhythm of their own breath again, as creativity responds to beauty’s invitation.
how do I register?
Easy! Just email us a quick note to express your intent to register. Please include any questions you have—none too large or small. If you don’t have questions and are ready to secure your spot, please let us know that and we will provide you with the address for paying by check and/or instructions for paying with Venmo or other apps.
