Kamouraska, Québec · September 4–10, 2027
Join me in Kamouraska, Québec, for a six-night writing retreat on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, September 4–10, 2027.
This small-group retreat is designed for writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who want sustained time for their work, thoughtful conversation, and a setting that invites attention. Mornings will be devoted to workshop and craft discussion; afternoons will be open for writing, reading, walking, exploring the region, or simply being quiet.
We’ll stay in and around Kamouraska, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, with shared meals, local food and wine, and transportation to and from Québec City included. The retreat is limited to 8–12 participants.
The Workshop
The retreat is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each morning, we’ll spend about three hours together as a full group of writers, focused closely on participants’ writing.
A central question throughout the week will be how place helps reveal story. We’ll look at the ways setting can carry memory, tension, history, atmosphere, and emotional meaning—and how the physical world on the page can deepen character, voice, and narrative.
Each session will grow out of the writing itself. Working from what is on the page, we’ll discuss the craft questions that emerge from it: scene, backstory, situation, voice, language, tone, and the deeper dramatic or emotional tension at the heart of the writing.
Sessions will end with a writing exercise or prompt designed to help participants continue exploring those questions during the retreat and beyond.
The Setting
Kamouraska sits along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Québec’s Bas-Saint-Laurent region, about two hours from Québec City. The landscape is shaped by the river and its tides, farmland, gorgeous sunsets, and the Charlevoix mountains across the water.
The retreat is designed to leave room for that setting to matter. Afternoons will be open for writing, walking, exploring the village and surrounding region, or simply spending time by the river. The idea is not to fill every hour, but to create enough structure for serious work while leaving space for the place itself to enter the writing.
Where We’ll Stay
Participants will stay in a small group of carefully selected upscale local inns with plenty of character and within easy walking distance of one another. All rooms have private bathrooms, with both private and shared-room options available.
One inn will serve as the retreat hub, where workshops, shared meals, and most group gatherings will take place. The arrangement keeps everyone closely connected while still allowing for privacy and quiet at the end of the day.
Meals & Evenings
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included throughout the retreat. Meals will draw on the distinctive food culture of Bas-Saint-Laurent, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients and regional flavors. Wine will be included with dinner.
Evenings will be relaxed and communal: shared meals, conversation, and time to unwind after the day’s work. (One fun idea: reading Anne Hébert’s classic novel Kamouraska together over the course of the week!)
The emphasis will be on creating a generous, convivial atmosphere without over-scheduling the evenings.
What’s Included
The retreat fee includes six nights’ accommodation, all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, wine with dinner, five morning workshops, and round-trip transportation between Québec City and Kamouraska.
Afternoons will be free for writing, resting, exploring the village and surrounding region, or simply enjoying the setting.
For current pricing, room options, and registration, please visit the WeTravel registration page.
Before registering, please review the retreat’s cancellation and refund policy.
