Brown Sugar's 2nd Annual
Women's Writer's Conference
Join us in the Poconos on a cozy weekend getaway for women writers and creatives, ready to pick up the pen again.
What Is It?
Our Women's Writer's Conference is a 5 day retreat focused on bringing new and veteran writers together to sharpen their pencils, flex their fingers, and exercise their craft in a safe space, while ultimately learning and growing from one another. From dusk to midnight, we have literary activities set ahead, to enter the fall with either fresh ideas, inspiration, or simply just with new pages written.
Tuition and Fees?
The program fee for the Brown Sugar Women Writer’s Retreat is $500 USD for the long weekend. Registration covers participation in all workshops, electives and readings, in addition to room and board.
Program Itinerary
We will have 2-hour daily workshops focused on the craft of storytelling, plot, character development, and worldbuilding in a classroom setting;. We will also have 2-hour electives where writers can explore their craft further through genre, imagery, and descriptions–hobbies, crafts, activities to enhance your writing. Outside of this, writers are encouraged to use the retreat as a getaway, form bonds, and dive into their writing headfast.
See the full Itinerary here!
When and Where will it Be?
Wednesday, September 2nd - Sunday, September 6th.
We will be staying in a cozy Airbnb in the Poconos, or Upstate NY area.
We will be providing transportation for staff and guests. Specific details on the residence and travel meetpoint will be shared with applicants closer to application deadlines.
About Our Staff
Led by Shanille Martin, a Regional Program Director for WritopiaLab, and Ashley Imane Fields, an Assistant Editor at Disney Publishing Worldwide, the Brown Sugar Retreat is supported by a strong team of talented writers, editors, bookworms and dedicated literary advocates of color, all passionate about sharing safe spaces with fellow creatives. For more information on this team of six, please see our About page.
Interested in Joining?
Please note, a separate application will be open for those who submit an Interest Form. On that application, we will request you submit sample pages (up to 10 pages of prose and/or poetry) so we can get a sense of your writing style.