Workshops in the Wilderness
Nature | Story | Community
What relationships are driving you to the page?
Join writer & essayist Christie Tate, author of the New York Times Bestselling memoir, ‘Group’ for a four day writing workshop in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Canada.
The Workshop: Writing Our Relationships
The beating heart of any beloved story is the relationships; they drive the action on the page as they drive us in our lives. In this workshop we will explore the relationships that are calling us to the page. Together we will excavate the compelling scenes and critical turning points of the relationships that have helped shape who we are and what we want. To dig into the glorious complexity of our most intimate relationships, we will do a series of generative exercises and examine the work of some of our favorite writers.
During the retreat we will create a safe space for your writing to emerge as well as help you to foster a deep connection with the land that will bring you back to a place of wholeness. The time in nature will allow your thinking to shift away from busy life distractions towards a more creative self.
The workshop is for writers of all abilities.
What’s Included:
Welcome Reception
5 nights accommodation at the secluded Juniper Hotel in Banff National Park
A Forest Bathing experience in Banff National Park with Forest Fix Canada
A carefully crafted Writing workshop led by NYT bestselling author, Christie Tate
Nourishing food (All Breakfasts & Lunches included)
A Farewell Dinner
Time to write, share & reflect
What’s not included:
All international and domestic travel costs to and from Banff.
Travel or medical insurance
Evening Meals
Schedule (may be subject to minor changes)
Sunday, June 5th: Arrive by 5pm for Welcome Drinks & Canape at 7pm
Monday, June 6th: Forest Therapy & Writing
Tuesday, June 7th: Writing Workshop AM & PM
Wednesday, June 8th: Writing AM / Free Afternoon
Thursday, June 9th: Writing AM & PM /Farewell Dinner
Friday, June 10th: Breakfast & Closing Ceremony, check out at 11am
Prices & Accommodation Arrangements:
Single Room Occupancy $3299 CADpp
I would like my own room.
Double Room with Friend (2 Double Beds) $2599 CADpp
I'll be sharing the room with a friend participating in the program. If you are sharing a room with a friend
* Your friend also needs to submit a separate Reservation Request Form.
Twin Room Share (2 Double Beds) $2499 CADpp
I am traveling alone and would like to share a twin room with another participant.
* We’ll do our best to match you with another participant requesting to share a room.
Double Room with Partner (2 Double Beds) $2599 CAD
I’ll be sharing the room with a partner who will not be participating in the program.
*we will need your partners name for the hotel’s information.
No Accommodation, Workshop Only (all writing sessions will be held at The Juniper Hotel in Banff) $1699 CADpp
(Includes Welcome Reception, Forest Bathing, Lunches & Farewell Dinner)
How to reserve your space:
To reserve a space on the ‘Writing our Relationships Retreat’ please fill out the reservation form here.
$500 CAD deposit payable on booking by bank card / PayPal to a secure place.
Full balance due six weeks before the start of the retreat.
Please see Terms and Conditions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO GET TO BANFF & FURTHER DETAILS ON THE RETREAT - PLEASE SCROLL DOWN
Christie Tate is a Chicago-based author and essayist. Her debut memoir Group-- How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life, was published in Fall 2020 and was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and an instant New York Times bestseller. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Review, The Rumpus, Atticus Review, Carve Magazine, McSweeney's, and elsewhere. Kiese Laymon chose her essay, Promised Lands, as the winner of the New Ohio Review's 2019 nonfiction essay contest. Her work explores alienation, perfection, addiction, recovery, therapy, and friendship. Her second memoir about female friendship will be published by Avid Reader Press in 2023.
Forest Bathing with Ronna Schneberger
Ronna Schneberger will guide you through the beautiful landscape in Banff, cultivating a sense of presence, and exploring nature’s capacity to ignite new realizations and creativity, inspire wonder, and help us heal. Participants often share that their stress dissolves, confusion lifts, hearts open, emotions surface, ideas spring — and they take home a renewed sense of connection, meaning, and purpose in their lives
Shinrin Yoku literally translates to “Forest Bathing” which is the Japanese practice of mindfully experiencing nature through the senses. In the early 1980s, the Japanese government sponsored several studies that showed that forest immersion has a wide array of health benefits including lowering the stress hormone cortisol, strengthening the immune system, and improving mood and cognition.
Ronna Schneberger is one of the first Forest Therapy guides and trainers in Canada teaching the famous Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing process. For the past 25 years she has been an award winning master interpreter, naturalist, and hiking guide in Banff National Park. Currently, she is the Chair of Nature and Forest Therapy of Canada.
The Land: Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada’s first national park and the world’s third, it has a rich heritage as one of the world’s most awe-inspiring mountain destinations. For centuries, indigenous peoples have lived in the foothills and forests of the Rocky Mountains, hunting bison and other big game animals, fishing, and trapping. It was also a sacred place where medicines were gathered and healing sought in the natural hot springs. The area that is now Banff National Park is Treaty 7 Land which encompasses the traditional territory of:Stoney Nakoda, Blackfoot, and Tsuut’ina Nations.
How to get to Banff
Travel Information
The closest airport is The Calgary International Airport (YYC) from which you can take an airport shuttle directly to The Juniper Hotel. The shuttle bus usually takes a maximum of two hours. Remember to allow adequate time for customs & baggage retrieval.
https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/brewster-express/schedule-locations/
Accommodation & Workshop Location: The Juniper Hotel
Address: 1 Juniper Way, Banff, AB T1L 1E1, Canada
The retreat is being held at the Juniper Hotel, which boasts panoramic views of the mountains and is about a 12-15 min walk from the centre of Banff Town or an 8 min drive.
Room arrangements - If you want to arrive earlier at the hotel or stay longer please contact Christy at christy@thejuniper.com and she will make those arrangements for you.
The hotel has Free Parking, if you plan to hire a car or are bringing one with you.
For more information on the hotel, it’s history & what it has to offer read here:
