The Writing Cross Culturally Retreat will provide writers with resources and tools for telling stories that are not their own with care, respect, and sensitivity. We will discuss representation and misrepresentation, as well as dig deep into the many ways our own prejudices and privileges connect to every part of the writing and publishing process. Participants will be encouraged to look beyond themselves and their inherent biases, and learn how to analyze not only their own internal prejudices but those endemic to publishing.

The workshop will be hands-on, with lectures, group, and individual work, writing exercises, and space created for personal reflection. Our goal is to help participants work through not only the how, but the when, and most importantly, the why and even why not of writing cross-culturally.

The OwnVoices Retreat provides writers from marginalized backgrounds with resources to help them develop their manuscripts, learn about the industry, and gain the necessary tools to navigate the publishing industry.

The workshop will be hands-on, with lectures, group, and individual work, writing exercises, breakouts, and space created for personal reflection as well as opportunities to dig into their manuscripts and work with mentors to get their work submission ready.

Our goal is to help participants work on their manuscripts, learn invaluable information about the publishing process, and guide them through the publishing process.