Elk Lake Retreat – Peninsula Writers

Elk Lake Retreat: “Writing Camp Heaven!”

Formerly know as the Glen Lake Retreat

Peninsula Writers has moved the newly renamed Elk Lake Retreat (formerly known as the PW Summer Retreat, AKA “Writing Camp Heaven”) from June to September. The next late summer retreat for 2025 will be at the Wandawood Resort just north of Elk Rapids MI.

Elk Lake Retreat 2025 brochure

2025 Elk Lake Retreat/Conference – from Cerise

September 6-13, 2025

Registration form and deposit is due by June 13. This year our speaker will be Chad V. Broughman, winner of the 2023 Amity Literary Prize and the 2024 American Writing Awards for his historical novel The Fall of Bellwether (and former Peninsula Writer).

We are trying something new this year—charging per bed rather than per cottage. People have been asking for years why we couldn’t charge everyone just one fee for the Glen Lake Retreat, but the cottages were so different in price that it wasn’t fair to set a uniform cost. The cottages at Wandawood are all close to the same price, so it’s more feasible to try this new way to calculate fees. Doing it this way, the more beds we fill, the cheaper the cost, so talk up the retreat! (Pilgrim House, the Conference Center, is a more expensive cottage, but since it is the gathering place for all events, we are dividing that cost among retreat attendees.)

SPACE IS LIMITED! We have limited bed availability on campus. However, you may still attend the conference if you make your own housing arrangements. In that case, you will owe the $50 for dues and $70 for the conference fee. Still fill out the registration form and indicate that you will be staying off campus. If you are applying for a scholarship, please fill out and submit the registration form, indicating that you are applying for a scholarship. Again, submit the $50 dues and $70 conference fee. (Scholarships are just for housing.)

The conference registration deposit is $470 ($520 new members)—$70 conference fee, $400 housing deposit, and $50 dues (new members, or members not up to date on their dues, which are due May 31 BTW—gentle hint). Please make out your check to Peninsula Writers (put Elk Lake conference on the memo line) and mail it and the registration form to: PW 2025 Elk Lake Conference, c/o SJBTS, P.O. Box 1, St. Johns, MI 48879.

Cerise

FYI: I did a price comparison between our new site and Villa Glen. Retreat participants, depending on which cottage they were in and how many people were staying in a cottage, could be paying anywhere from $834 to $1340 per person for their stay at Glen Lake. So, most people would probably be paying more than $1000 for the week at Villa Glen, not near what we will be spending at Wandawood.

History of the Peninsula Writers Writing Camp Heaven

Every June for decades, PW members have had the opportunity to attend a week-long writing conference/retreat at Villa Glen, on the shores of Glen Lake. For many members, this is the highlight of the PW experience: writers have opportunities to discuss their craft with others who share their passion, daily small group meetings offer help and support with specific pieces of writing, large group gatherings build camaraderie, and ample time for writing is always provided. Several small, optional craft talks by members are offered throughout the week. And there are many opportunities for informal discussion and activities.

Villa Glen circa 1993

In addition, each conference presents a professional writer as a keynote speaker (except for this year, 2021). Past presenters include: poet Mary Ann Samyn; Laura Kasischke; Jack Driscoll; Heather Sellers; Gerry LaFemina; among many others. All have stimulated thought and discussion—and writing. Also, each conference ends with a “read-around,” a gathering allowing a chance for everyone to hear a small sample of each writer’s work.

Writers looking for a break from their work will find plenty of opportunities, from swimming or kayaking in Glen Lake itself to campfires and s’mores on the beach. Leelanau County also has more than its share of natural beauty to explore: checking out the view of Glen Lake from Inspiration Point, hiking Pyramid Point for its stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands, taking Pierce Stocking Drive into the National Park, visiting the bluffs at Empire or the remains of the old farming community at Port Oneida – too many opportunities to list here. And for those who want to shop, there are plenty of art galleries, craft shops and independent book sellers.

But lovely as the Leelanau is, for most PW members it is the writing and the conference atmosphere that bring them back to future conferences. We hope you’ll consider joining us.