The GWL’s writing retreats and all writes offer you a productive, goal-oriented, and community-based writing environment. Counteract the isolation of a long writing project by writing in the company of others. We provide a distraction-free space as well as snacks and meals so you can direct all of your focus toward producing your best work. Structured goal-setting, breaks, and accountability check-ins keep your energy high and help you meet your goals.

What to Expect

Leave the grading, social media, electricians, and grocery lists at home - bring your writing materials, writing supplies, and your focus to our structured group writing sessions! All events begin with group goal-setting, facilitated by a GWL fellow, to help you create realistic time and task-based writing goals for the session. After writing down your goals, you’ll take a few minutes with 1–2 other participants to calibrate your goals before setting off to write. Structured breaks and meals help reenergize you for the next writing session and provide some needed balance. At the end of the event, you’ll revisit your goals, noting which tasks you completed and reflecting on what helped you be productive.

Daylong events called “Writing Retreats” begin with breakfast and break for lunch midway through the day. Half-day events called “All Writes” typically begin with 1.5 hours of writing, followed by a meal, followed by 1.5 hours of writing. Snacks, coffee, tea, and drinks are available throughout all events. Within long stretches of writing, short activity breaks boost your energy and freshen your focus.

Lateness and No-Show Policy

Please plan to arrive five minutes early to claim a writing space and begin setting up. Because we promise a distraction-free space, arrivals more than ten minutes late will not be permitted. A $25 fee will be charged to no-shows to cover food purchased for each participant. If your plans change and you cannot make session for which you have registered, please cancel your registration in YaleConnect at least 24 hours prior to the start of the event.

Yearly Schedule

Writing retreats are all-day writing sessions, with a special weekend retreat at the beginning of each term and a weeklong “Write into Summer” event each May. All writes are half-day events typically offered in a sequence of 3 sessions per cycle during the fall and spring terms.

Upcoming sessions are announced in our weekly newsletter, our Yale Connect site, and on the calendar below.