Presence, Prayer and Writing from the Heart Retreat

“The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them.
If a story comes to you, care for them.
And learn to give them away where they are needed.
Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.”
– Barry Lopez in Crow and Weasel

All of us have myriad stories to tell. Some involve your family history, spiritual journey, experiences in Nature or a life-changing situation. Stories can take many form — memoir, essay, poem, series of blog posts, or journal entries — but the most compelling are the ones written from the heart, those that touch and move us and sometimes even transform both the writer and reader. Writing from the heart demands attentiveness, honesty, courage and a commitment to engage with a creative process that pulls us into the unknown where we are often surprised at what surfaces. It’s a journey of discovery. And what can help are presence and prayer.

This writing retreat is structured for those currently working on a project, those who want to start one, or simply desire to spend time in beautiful surroundings playing with words. In addition to Centering Prayer sessions — silence can be a portal to the Source of creativity and truth-telling — there will be ample opportunities to write, walk, think and just be.

Anne A. Simpkinson is an award-winning journalist, editor and writing coach. She and her former husband Chuck founded Common Boundary, a nonprofit organization that explored the relationship among psychotherapy, spirituality and creativity. She co-authored Soul Work: A Field Guide for Spiritual Seekers and two anthologies, Sacred Stories and Nourishing the Soul. When living in New York City, she rode the media transformation from websites to digital communications in her positions with Beliefnet.com, Prevention magazine, WeightWatchers.com and Guideposts. She also served as Communications Director for Mercy by the Sea for several years. Anne has been practicing Centering Prayer (CP) since 1996. An Introductory CP Workshop facilitator, she leads retreats, workshops and Quiet Days in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Along with Claire Rusowicz, she co-facilitates two weekly Centering Prayer Zoom groups as well as day and weekend retreats.