Welcome to BRW’s online home, which is under construction. BRW is a meditation and freewriting group that welcomes everyone. Learn more here. As we continue to work on other parts of this site, we want to tell you about our upcoming retreat…
Writing Together:
Online Retreat
January 8-10
Get quiet. Burrow into your writing.
Clarify and explore your creative intentions for the new year.
Be buoyed by group energy.
Limited to 16 participants. Register now.
See how mindfulness, structure, and community can propel your writing.
Our sessions for this retreat will be similar to BRW’s Studio Time Circles in which we meditate, freewrite, and share together before we dive into working on our own writing project(s) for a couple of hours.
Poet Christine Irving describes her Studio Time experience: “The BRW process broke some inner boundary I had unknowingly set. Thank you, thank you for that. I am sure the meditation clears the path in, over, and under the wall around the secret garden of my creativity.”
January is a good time to remember and commit to the practices you want to prioritize in the coming months. This retreat is designed to help you connect deeply and lastingly with your writing.
We welcome people of all genders. Newcomers welcome.
The Basic Schedule:
Friday, January 8, from 7 to 8:30 pm ET ~ settle in, get started
Satuday & Sunday, January 9 & 10, from 9:45 am to 5:45 pm ET, with a lunch break
Optional Extras:
Saturday & Sunday Early Risers Session, January 9 & 10, from 7:30 to 8:45 am ET (free - no extra charge)
Saturday Evening Salon, January 9, from 7 to 8:30 pm ET (free - no extra charge)
One-on-One Sessions with Lisa ~ Your Intentions for Your Writing in 2027 ~ to be scheduled during the open writing time (additional fee)
This retreat is limited to 16 participants. We’ll be able to get to know one another, and there will be ample time to hear and respond to everyone’s work.
Registrations processed on a first come, first served basis.
We take a whole-person approach to the project of writing: Body. Mind. Heart/Spirit…
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BODY
January - deep into hibernation season - is an auspicious time to pause and root down in to your body.
What does it crave?
What stories does it hold that have not yet been told?
What more subtle sensory details can we notice and express in this quiet season?
This retreat is structured to help you stay connected to your body even as you focus on your writing and Zoom in from time to time to be with your retreat companions.
We use the lunchbreaks to bring attention to the colors, flavors, textures of our food. And we keep the body in the creative mix with breaks to stretch, dance, and hydrate!
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MIND
Our minds have so much to handle at this point in history: avalanches of information, much of it about cruel, mindboggling behaviors, and personal issues that reflect the communal mire of late-stage capitalism, like insurance claim appeals and unaffordable groceries.
It’s not always easy to just sit and try to make friends with your mind.
But it’s more do-able with a guide and companions. And even a few minutes of settling and inviting your attention to rest can free up the constriction of overload.
A path really does emerge, and the writing you’ve been trying to make space for comes through.
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HEART & SPIRIT
The goal of this retreat is to help you find a sense of ease and playfulness, even daring, in the act of writing. This floating feeling isn’t bound by the ego’s judgments and comparisons.
It’s connected to your tender, open heart. Having or developing the courage to stay with our hearts when there is pain or sadness or rage is the practice that guides us to stay open to the creative impulses that express our deepest humanity.
This kind of writing feels risky. It is risky. That’s why the Breathe/Read/Write process, with its time to share your writing and get supportive responses, is essential.
Super Early Bird Price of $160 only available through October 16!
We’re excited to have you join BRW’s January 2027 WRITING TOGETHER Retreat from January 8 to January 10.
BASIC SCHEDULE:
We gather in Zoom on Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday for guided rounds of breathing, free-writing, and writing/editing time. Each cycle ends with ample time to share your work in a small group where you get the kind of feedback that serves your project best.
CANCELATION POLICY:
If you notify me by December 18 that you can’t come to the WRITING TOGETHER RETREAT, we will apply your payment to future BRW circles and/or one-on-one coaching sessions.
After December 18, emergencies are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Are you hesitating because of Zoom fatigue?
Anybody want to spend your weekend staring into a computer screen? Not me!
The camera’s always optional in BRW circles. People come together, generally speaking, with video on to say Hello at the start of every session. Then we meditate and freewrite, during which most everyone turns their video off. When we regroup to share our freewrites and respond, we have video on.
When we do our hours of writing alone together, most people turn their cameras off.
So you’re not tied to your computer and its screen. You’ll have the motivation of structure and companionship along with the freedom to use your time as you see fit.
A Note about Breathe/Read/Write
In BRW circles, we meditate, listen to a selected poem, freewrite in response, and share what comes through. It’s a reliable structure that kindles creativity and connection.
Find out more about BRW and its founder Lisa Freedman…