Are you ready to elevate your writing, connect with a vibrant creative community, and soak in the magic of Manhattan? Sign up for this one-of-a-kind in-person weekend retreat in the literary and cultural epicenter of the world, led by published and prize-winning authors Heather Clark, Allison Gilbert, and Abigail Santamaria as your instructors and guides and hosted at the NYG&B office in New York City Whether you’re focused on nurturing your craft, excavating family history, or pursuing publication, this three-day experience will equip you with sharper tools, lasting connections, and the confidence to move forward with your writing.
You’ll also enjoy an exclusive tour of the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) flagship 42nd Street building, an insider peek into the culture-shaping books-in-progress currently being researched and written there, and intimate conversation and cocktails with special guest, Heather Clark, author of the forthcoming novel, The Scrapbook, and Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Workshop Overview
Friday, April 4th: Welcome
- 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.| Kicking off a transformative weekend.
- Meet your instructors and fellow writers. With guidance from Abby and Allison, participants will focus their individual goals in anticipation of Saturday’s immersion in craft.
Saturday, April 5th: Deep Dive into Craft
- 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.| Morning Session: Hone Your Craft
- Light breakfast served.
- Explore the foundations of great storytelling. Stuck? Don’t know where to begin? Lost in the big picture or the minutia of your story? This session will discuss approaches to creating your project’s blueprint, with a focus on research, outlining, beginnings, and narrative arc.
- 12:00 - 1:00 p.m | Lunch
- 1:15 - 3:15 p.m. | Afternoon Session: Shaping Your Story
- Dive into exercises and discussions designed to help you refine your voice and unique writing style. You'll leave with practical tools and strategies to get your work done!
- 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.| NYPL Tour and conversation about the writing process with author Heather Clark
- 5:15 – 6:15 p.m.| Cocktail Party
Sunday, April 6th: The Writer’s Roadmap
- 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.| Wrap up the weekend with a focused session on building sustainable writing practice and navigating the path to publication.
- Light breakfast served.
- Learn how to set realistic goals and overcome creative blocks.
Why Attend?
- Insider Knowledge: Gain insights and knowledge from published authors who understand the joys and challenges of the writing life.
- Location: Held in the accessible heart of midtown Manhattan, this immersive workshop is an ideal excuse to visit New York City and take advantage of its countless cultural offerings.
- Connect & Grow: Forge meaningful connections with fellow writers and leave with a network of creative allies.
- Immerse Yourself: Step out of your daily routine and into an inviting experience that will re-energize your writing.
Make the Most of Your Weekend in NYC
In your free time, take advantage of the retreat’s midtown location to explore iconic landmarks, from Times Square to the Museum of Modern Art and the New York Public Library, while soaking in the city’s unmatched energy. This retreat is your perfect excuse to commit to your writing and experience the magic of New York.
Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in your creative future. Spaces are limited to ensure a personalized experience for each participant.
Register now and take the first step toward making your book writing dreams a reality!
Registration
Registration includes the program, meals, and writing supplies at the NYG&B (transportation and accommodations are not included).
- Registration: $499
Hotel accommodations are not included, but we suggest these locations that are within walking distance of our retreat location.
Within 2-3 blocks:
Speaker Bios
Allison Gilbert is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and co-author of American icon Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s final book, The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life (Penguin Random House/Rodale). The book has received widespread media attention, appearing in the New York Times and People magazine and featured on NPR, CNN, Good Morning America, among many other outlets. Adam Grant recognized The Joy of Connections as one of "12 Books to Fire Up Your Brain” and it was named among the year’s best by Audible and the Wall Street Journal.
Allison is also co-author of Listen, World!, the first biography of Hearst syndicated newspaper columnist Elsie Robinson (Hachette Book Group/Seal Press), winner of the Northern California Book Award. Allison’s essay for CNN about the reporting obstacles she overcame uncovering Robinson’s life story, “A woman who composed the first draft of history finds herself written out of the history books,” won the 2024 New York Press Club’s Journalism Award for Best Opinion Writing.
Allison’s other critically-acclaimed books include Passed and Present, Always Too Soon, Parentless Parents, and Covering Catastrophe. Allison is founder of Pub Day, a literary consultancy, which helps authors navigate the business of book publishing. Follow her everywhere at @itsallisongilbert .
Abigail Santamaria is a 2024-2025 Fellow at the New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. She is the author of Joy: Poet, Seeker, and the Woman Who Captivated C.S. Lewis (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015), and is currently at work on I Am Meg: The Life of Madeleine L’Engle, forthcoming from Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Past awards include a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar grant (2022), a Sustainable Arts Foundation award (2021), and a Leon Levy Center for Biography fellowship (2019). In 2022, Abby was a finalist for a CINTAS Foundation Award in Creative Writing, for writers of Cuban heritage. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, and Literary Hub, among other publications. Abby earned a MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. Follow her on Instagram: @abigailsantamariawriter.
Heather Clark is a biographer, literary critic, and novelist. She the author, most recently, of Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, one of the New York Times Ten Best Books of 2021, as well as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and a “Book of the Year” in The Guardian, The Times, The Boston Globe, Literary Hub, and elsewhere. Her recent awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, NYPL Cullman Center Fellowship, the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism, the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize, NEH Public Scholars Fellowship, and a Leon Levy Biography Fellowship. Clark’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Review, Poetry, Time, Air Mail, Literary Hub, PN Review, Times Literary Supplement, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, The Scrapbook, is coming in June 2025 from Pantheon. She holds a doctorate in English literature from Oxford University, and lives outside New York City.