Weekend Writing Retreats ✍️🏚️
the manifesto
Tl;dr, I am organizing a weekend-long IRL writing retreat for young writers: an intimate gathering dedicated to reading, thinking deeply, great conversation, vibing, and (most of all) going from idea to essay in 48 hours.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/HisqgRAnsB7CVzb18
For most of my life, I struggled with intellectual isolation.
But when I began to write online and engage in various Internet communities, I began to realize I wasn’t alone.
For the first time in my life, I realized there were other people just like me. People with a love for ideas, a deep curiosity about the world, and a near-compulsion to share their thoughts through the written word. People I could connect with almost instantaneously over our shared intellectual curiosity. Kindred spirits.
I was elated.
But, I soon realized, these were people who I would never get to meet in person. People I would never get to spend any time with in real life.
They were banished behind bars of Internet bandwidth.
It pained me.
Then in early 2023, I saw this tweet from Luke Burgis I never forgot:
Ever since, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of somehow meeting these amazing people who are intellectually close together but geographically far away.
So… I decided to do something about it.
I’m assembling a group of ~15 curious young writers to an Airbnb for a “cabin in the woods” weekend writing retreat.
To bring together bright, curious, ambitious people in the same place. Create intellectual fireworks, just like The School of Athens.
In our busy lives, we’re often distracted by work/school/our general lives to spend large blocks of uninterrupted time discussing and immersing ourselves in ideas and writing till our fingers tire and our minds settle and our hearts find content.
The goal is to dedicate a weekend to exploring and excavating your curiosities, learning from like-minded individuals, and finding connection. Most of all, getting some peace and quiet to nurture an idea that lights up your soul and write the essay that only you can write. But, also do other fun stuff like idea salons, feedback gyms, nature walks, games & other activities.
This is meaningful because I believe connecting with others who share your love for ideas cures intellectual isolation. There is nothing better than deep, rich, stimulating conversation that sets your mind ablaze with curiosity and your heart inflamed with passion.
And I don't think Zoom calls or Twitter DM's can replace the connection found through real-life in-person interaction.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/HisqgRAnsB7CVzb18
I believe that writing is the most valuable habit someone can develop.
I believe that writing on the Internet is the single biggest opportunity today.
And I believe that writing has the power to create change more than any other medium of communication.
Writing essays that make people think, make people feel, and create the seeds of ideas that can incept change is rooted in conversation.
Conversation is the missing puzzle piece for online writers. The best ideas emerge from conversations with others. It’s the most effective way to test the interestingness of your ideas, organize your mind, and create rapid feedback loops to iterate, improve, and refine your thinking.
As isolated as it can feel, writing is not a solo sport. Great writers need support.
As Paul Graham writes in Cities and Ambition:
It's in fields like the arts or writing or technology that the larger environment matters… It's in these more chaotic fields that it helps most to be in a great city: you need the encouragement of feeling that people around you care about the kind of work you do, and since you have to find peers for yourself, you need the much larger intake mechanism of a great city.
I often think about the story of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
Tolkien was working on a weird fringe project when he met C.S. Lewis at Oxford.
Tolkien was scared to publish his writing. He didn't believe he had anything worth sharing. Tolkien was a private man but gave Lewis a draft of his work for feedback.
Lewis loved it. He fiercely encouraged Tolkien and inspired him to continue writing.
That weird fringe project was The Lord of the Rings.
“But for the encouragement of C.S. Lewis, I do not think that I should ever have completed or offered for publication The Lord of the Rings”
Writing online can be social.
You can meet people who encourage you to push yourself and give you the confidence to explore your interests, curiosities and break barriers you never would alone.
Outside of intellectual exploration, one of the most special parts will be the close friendships that form during the retreat. From being in a safe and vulnerable space, we’re able to dive beyond surface-level conversations and walk away with a better understanding of others and ourselves.
At the retreat, there will be different types of activities specifically centered around the core themes of:
1- Seeking understanding and actualization
Time dedicated to activities and idea salons designed to ponder and question things from first principles.
2- Deep exploration and learning
Time dedicated to reading and diving into important topics that feed your writing with inspired, beautiful, and fascinating ideas.
3- Feedback
Time dedicated to “writing from conversation” where writers share and test out their ideas in intimate group settings and get real-time feedback on their best ideas to double down on. Each writer will have an intellectual sparring partner. Writers will also exchange written feedback on their essay drafts before publishing.
4- Sharing
Time dedicated to sharing updates on their current essay as well as sharing lessons on craft, process, obstacles, and best practices.
5- Playing
Time dedicated to group-bonding activities designed to give participants a break from learning and have some fun! Ukulele jam sessions, nature walks, campfires, games of cards, cooking meals together, yoga, and more. We won’t be strangers by the end.
Most critically, all of these activities will be optional. We want to create a space where we can maximize serendipity and learn from/discuss with each other. However none of it should feel like a chore or requirement. If you just want to keep reading or keep writing, you’ll be able to!
At this retreat, each writer will be collectively encouraged to write the essays only they can write, to carve the path only they can carve, to live the life only they can live.
I believe writing online is the single biggest opportunity on the Internet.
This retreat is designed to unleash each writer’s potential and catalyze a turning point in their life to create the change they want to create in this world and be the person they want to be.
If you have any questions, or would like to sponsor bringing a group of curious writers with an itch to learn, share powerful ideas, and profoundly shape the world, please reach out!
Apply here: https://forms.gle/HisqgRAnsB7CVzb18
Also, if you know someone who may be interested, share this post!
That's a great idea! Unfortunately not in Canada in February - but definitely an interesting concept ! :)
Excited to see this come to life man!