Information: 

January brings a new year, new ideas, and new writing goals. It also brings our popular Goals Retreat. "Goals for the Journey: Following Your Creative Path" is our 6th such retreat. 

Have you ever thought of your creative path as a journey? Some of it traverses flat, easily navigated roads and some of it subjects you to steep, rugged, dangerous trails. Sometimes, the path is wide enough to walk calmly with others, but often it is narrow and barely visible. Sometimes, you have to walk it alone. 

Yet, walk it we do, because we have this innate calling to write. We make plans, we write goals, we chase dreams, and we try to make some sort of sense of the journey we feel led to walk. Our definition of self includes the expression of the words inside us. We cannot hold those words back, but sometimes the difficulties we encounter along the way to becoming writers discourage and tire us. 

This all-inclusive weekend retreat teaches resiliency and hope as we scramble along the path of our creativity. During the journey, we may find that the universe itself has good plans for us. If we are present and listen well, if we are open to the opportunities waiting for us to say "yes," we may find the journey is much more joyful than we thought. 

Join us at Rockvale in this new year and let's see where your creative path leads. This retreat is for beginner and established writers both.

 
Details:
Place: Rockvale Writers' Colony, 6994 Giles Hill Road, College Grove, TN
Time and Date: 4:00 p.m. Friday, January 5 to 11:00 a.m. Sunday, January 7, 2024
Cost: $450.00 (tax included) $150.00 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. Balance of $300.00 is due by December 15, 2023.
Includes: 2 nights in a private bedroom/bathroom suite, access to RWC common areas, gardens, and hiking trails, 5 meals with wine at dinner, 4 workshops, and community with other writers.

Information: 

"The listening path leads us to connection. The listening path is communal. We meet and greet our environment, our fellows, and ourselves." - Julia Cameron

Listening may be a lost art. We rarely, if ever, set aside our busy agenda to practice and develop the skill of creative listening. And yet, this skill is paramount to our connection to ourselves, to our world, and to other people. When we listen deeply, we gain perspective and understanding and open a door to a deeper level of creativity. Julia Cameron says, "We listen for our emerging truth, and become increasingly true to ourselves."

This all-inclusive weekend retreat will explore Julia Cameron's book, The Listening Path - The Creative Art of Attention. During the four workshops, we will dive into the six sections of the book, examining the various paths of listening through discussion and writing prompts. We highly suggest you bring the book with you or have access to a digital copy. You don't have to read the book before the retreat, though being a little familiar with it might enhance the retreat experience. 

Join us at Rockvale in February and let's explore this Artist's Way program together. This retreat is for beginner, emerging, and established writers. Even non-writers will enjoy and benefit from this retreat. All are welcome. 

 
Details:
Place: Rockvale Writers' Colony, 6994 Giles Hill Road, College Grove, TN
Time and Date: 4:00 p.m. Friday, February 2 to 11:00 a.m. Sunday, February 4, 2024
Cost: $450.00 (tax included) A $150.00 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. The balance of $300.00 is due by January 15, 2024.
Includes: 2 nights in a private bedroom/bathroom suite, access to RWC common areas, gardens, and hiking trails, 5 meals with wine at dinner, 4 workshops, and community with other writers.

 

Information: 

We believe journaling is an essential practice - not just for writers but for all of us. When we journal, we are free to express all our private thoughts, both good and bad, that spin around in our brains. When we journal, we release energy to the page and process complicated emotions as we physically move our hand across the paper. Our journals can be a jumping-off place for other writing, for new ideas, new phrases, and new ways of thinking. Open minds make for richer creativity and imagination. 

In this all-inclusive weekend retreat, we will explore how to journal with the five senses. We will see, hear, taste, touch, and smell our environment and also bring sensory memories to the forefront as we recall instances in our lives that hold great meaning for us. We will let our senses lead us to the deep places that need mining and perhaps stumble upon jewels in the process. 

If you've had a journaling practice for decades or are just beginning to wonder what journaling is all about, this retreat is for you. There will be 4 workshops but also lots of free time to ponder, rest, or explore. Join us at Rockvale this spring and let's see where your creative path leads. 

This retreat is for beginner and established writers as well as not-yet-writers exploring writing and journaling for the first time.

 
Details:
Place: Rockvale Writers' Colony, 6994 Giles Hill Road, College Grove, TN
Time and Date: 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 11:00 a.m. Sunday, March 10, 2024
Cost: $425.00 (plus taxes) $150.00 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. Balance of $275.00 is due by February 15, 2023.
Includes: 2 nights in a private bedroom/bathroom suite, access to RWC common areas, gardens, and hiking trails, 5 meals with wine at dinner, 4 workshops, and community with other writers.

 

Please read the following requirements and guidelines carefully and in their entirety before applying. If you have questions, email Sandy at sandy.rockvale@gmail.com.

The Writing:

• "The First Ten Pages Fellowship" is open to writers of fiction. 
• Writers may submit the first ten pages of a novella or novel. The work will be evaluated for movement and action, tone, theme, introduction of characters, description of the setting, the voice of the narrator, the introduction of conflict, the inciting incident, and originality.  We want to be enticed to continue reading. 
• The work should not be previously published.
• The work will be read "blind." Do not put your name on your writing sample or in the title of the file. 

The Application:

• The Application Fee is $25. This is non-refundable.
• Applications will be read through Submittable. Emailed applications will not be accepted.  
• The application requires a paragraph detailing how the fellowship would aid the writer. 
• The uploaded 10 pages should be presented in one document, either pdf, dox, or docx. It should also be in 12-point font and be double-spaced. 
• Fellowship applications are accepted between August 15 and December 31, 2023
• The recipient of the fellowship will be announced by the end of January 2024

The Prize:

• The recipient of this fellowship will receive a 1-week writer's residency at Rockvale Writers' Colony in College Grove, TN. The residency must be completed by December 31, 2024. 
• A small stipend of $100 will be given to the fellowship recipient upon arrival at the colony to compensate for travel and food. Expenses beyond $100 are the responsibility of the writer.

The Details:

• All rules and policies of Rockvale Writers' Colony are in effect during this fellowship. The recipient will be expected to sign the writer's contract before arrival. The recipient should familiarize themselves with RWC (our setting, our mission, and the way residencies work) by carefully reading our website. We strongly advise reading everything under the "Residencies" tab, especially "Information" and "FAQ's".

First Time Applicants:

We accept applications year-round and only through Submittable. A non-refundable $30.00 application fee applies to all first-time applicants who are applying for a residency. We highly suggest you take the time to familiarize yourself with the purpose of RWC by reading our website, especially "What is a Writers' Colony" https://rockvalewriterscolony.org/about/what-is-a-writers-colony/

Rockvale Writers' Colony does not offer scholarships at this time; however, our weekly rates are highly subsidized. Food and travel are the responsibility of the writer. The following fees apply to all accepted applicants:

• Weekly Residency Fee - $425 for Farmhouse Rooms and Cabin, $475.00 for Granary.
• Cleaning Fee - $30
• Sales Tax of 9.75% and Occupancy Tax of 4%

PLEASE NOTE: Filling out the application completely and in detail is extremely important. Make sure you read the notes beside each question as these can guide you in providing answers. Do not rush through the application. Acceptance as a writer-in-residence at RWC is not guaranteed. Applications that contain insufficient answers or lack care and attention to detail will be declined. 

Also Note: Farmhouse rooms are assigned by the director the week before residency begins. Most of our writers will stay in the Farmhouse and we do not accept room requests for this building. Writers may request to stay in the Cabin and Granary (additional fees apply for Granary) and when possible, we'll do our best to fulfill these requests. 

If you've already applied and been accepted, this form is for you! Do not use this form if this is your first time applying to Rockvale Writers' Colony. 

In order to simplify the residency date request process, we're asking returning writers to communicate with us through Submittable. There is no fee to request a new residency for returning or previously accepted writers. 

2023 residency fees are:

$425 for Farmhouse Rooms and Cabin - plus fees and taxes

$475 for Granary and Carriage House Rooms- plus fees and taxes

We look forward to welcoming you back to the colony!