Thanks to a grant from the City of Boston, I was able to attend the Salty Quill Writing Retreat for Women for a week last fall. It takes place on a private island three miles off the coast of Maine.
At the end of this post, you will find info on attending and how to apply for a Salty Quill scholarship.
Up to twelve attendees, the organizer, Pam Loring, the island caretaker, Joe—along with his patient dog Ballou—and a chef who makes all the difference to the week, are the only people on the island.
Coming from the sirens, traffic, news helicopters filming the latest neighborhood accident or crime, the noise and bustle of Boston, and family life, this secluded space was a most welcome shock to my system.
It is the gift of time and space.
By design, there are no workshops. Other than meals together and evening readings around the fireplace, the time is yours to use as you need. Time to walk, sleep, look, think, read, and of course, write.
Nonfiction writers, poets, or novelists: some writers come in the middle of a long project, some to meet a submission deadline, others to plot beginnings.
For me, it was a chance to think, offline.
Yes, I took a laptop and phone. But I also took a trusty Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter, notebooks, fountain pens, a sketchbook, and binoculars and spent as much time unplugged as possible.
Arriving
We gathered on the J dock of Port Clyde, Maine, a 4-1/2 hour ride north of Boston. Cars are left in the field that is the parking lot of the Monhegan Boat Line for the week. But we were not waiting for that ferry. Joe and Ballou met us with the island’s small boat and ferried us and our writing gear over together.
Pam and the chef and a boatload of food were there ahead of us.
From Port Clyde on the right to McGee I. on the left is about three miles. Port Clyde is also home to the Monhegan Island Ferry Line.
Small squares are thumbnail images. Click to see full size!
The House
Off the grid, unheated, and with delicious well water, this 1910 home is a place for rest, focus, and a step back into the past.
Then there is food
The cookhouse is separate from the main house. Photos include breakfast outside, the breakfast spread inside; the table set for dinner together; and Erin, the chef, who was simply amazing.
Dawn on McGee Is.
Just as I relish dawn in my studio, dawn on McGee was the focal point of my day.
A feast for the eyes and the spirit. Also time to journal, sketch, and photograph. To listen and look, and observe the changing face of the water and the shift of the tide. The striped shadows of the porch chairs stretch slowly across the wooden boards.
On Sunday morning, the sound of church bells drifted over from the mainland on the breeze, reminding me I was not so far from community and land.
And then there were sunsets.
Writing Spaces
Indoors and out, there are all sorts of writing spaces: two chairs by the cook house, a desk in the corner of the living room, with the popular sunroom beyond, the porch swing, the beach, and the library upstairs.
Where I thought I’d write, at the desk in the corner of my room:
Where I actually wrote: the beach (as above), the porch on fine days, and in my room, on a basket chair with Lettera 22 perched on a side table.
Besides pages of sketches and handwritten notes, the week culminated in a frenzy of sticky notes and concentrated thought, compiled into a dense four-page document. I photographed each page, outside in the good light but under cover during a downpour, and texted them to my husband back home.
Just in case I lost the pages somehow on the way back …
Because, yes, you have to go back to the mainland. You get to take from this island a renewed spirit, ideas, sights and memories, conversations, encouragement, and feedback. And the idea of a daily practice that can shift around the shape of the day and stretch and adapt to life at home. In the ideal setting, in the less than ideal at home, writing can happen.
Other Gifts
Another pleasure was the joy of giving the Lettera 22 as a gift to an attendee. It inspired me to give away a sketching kit to readers of this blog a few months later.
I’ll be giving away a typewriter to a Paper Blogging subscriber in 2023.
You can hop on the list if you’re interested.
If You Want to Go
There will be three sessions for the 2023 season. I’m thankful to be returning for the spring session in May.
Find out application details from the organiser Pam Loring at the link below. Last I heard, there were two rooms available for one of the September 2023 retreat weeks.
Apply for a Scholarship
Scholarships are available each season, one for each retreat week. Check the link below for deadlines and the application form.
Each scholarship includes accommodations, all meals, and boat transportation from Port Clyde, ME to McGee’s Island and back again. All the scholarship recipient needs to do is get herself to Port Clyde, ME.
The scholarship award is based primarily on your writing sample. Special attention is given to writers with financial need.
You Might Also Like
What led to saying ‘yes’ to the Salty Quill? It’s a tale of asking good questions amid pressed in difficulty and ill health.
Two audio stories, with text and photos, if you prefer:
Pictures of the May 2023 retreat are included in this post. I didn’t think I could enjoy The Salty Quill more, but the spring was even better.