CLEARWATER WRITERS

2025 FALL WOMEN’S RETREAT:

Balance Writing with Yoga

Nov. 14-20

(Used with permission)

Now in its twelfth year, Clearwater Writers is a series of writing retreat and workshop programs facilitated by poet and author Paula Coomer. Previously hosted by now-retired innkeepers Jim and Ruth May at Reflections Inn on the Clearwater River in North Central Idaho, the program is on the move! We are happy to announce that our 2025 Fall Women’s Retreat: Balancing Writing with Yoga, will be once again be hosted by the magnificent Monastery of St. Gertrude outside Cottonwood, Idaho, on the rolling hills of the Camas Prairie to the south, in their Spirit Center, a contemporary facility with private suites, several kitchens, and meeting rooms large enough to accommodate our daily yoga classes.

As much as 2024 felt as though we were wrapping up old business and cleaning the slate, 2025 brings with it the feeling of uncharted territory, which is to say—full of possibilities. How well we accept the grace of it and meet its challenges depends mostly on the condition of our interior selves. Have we let go of our burdens and reclaimed that energy, or do we still have work to do in that regard? Are we caught in a rut, stagnant? Or do we feel conditioned, ready to roll up our sleeves and stride straight ahead, ready for whatever comes next?

Regardless of where you are in your personal life and your writing life right now, the peace and stillness we encountered last fall on the Monastery grounds and in our interactions with the monastic community is just the right atmosphere for contemplating these deeper and most essential parts of our understanding.

Although not affiliated with any religion, Clearwater Writers has chosen the monastery location because of its beauty, the kind, gentle, and hospitable spirit of its community, the terrific facilities, and because we admire the Benedictine philosophies of peace, justice, personal solitude, hospitality, the dignity of work, stewardship, and the commitment to art and literature.

With this in mind, we encourage you to leave behind your daily life, other commitments, and even family obligations in favor of time to focus on yourself for yourself as well as your writing life and physical being–think of this as a gift to the you of the future, to a self renewed. Not everyone is suited to spending time apart from family and routines to focus on themselves, but if you are, we can promise you the magic and transformation that comes when you allow time for contemplation, for listening to your deepest truths, for moving the body, and for writing.

This year’s program sessions will revolve once again around generative writing and for this year, we will be exploring the subject of Interiority. We will meet for a total of 3 afternoons in class, which will be devoted to exploring creative potential by completing various exercises designed expressly to awaken the creative self and to tease out memory and imagination. The final 4th session will pull together the week’s work for further consideration and exploration.

In the mornings, we will have easy-flow yoga sessions taught by the very wonderful instructor Leslie Sena of Full Moon Yoga in Palouse, WA, who has graciously offered to lead us. Sitting in the writing chair for extended periods is difficult and even damaging to the body, and many of us are not accustomed to it. In recent, years we have decided that perhaps it is our responsibility to offer attendees the means to counter some of the negative stress that sitting too long creates.

ABOUT CLEARWATER WRITERS: Our host facility sits on the traditional lands of the Nimiipuu. We honor that history by fostering a sense of peace and serenity in our community of writers and by carrying the message of peace home with us. Our program was established to provide time and space away from the usual concerns to focus on furthering projects in an inspiring setting. We are dedicated to the notion that we as humans are creative beings and, as such, need significant breaks from technology and from our fast-paced lives in order to be our best selves, to do our best work, and to better serve our communities. St. Gertrude’s Spirit Center offers us all these things. And if you can stand to do it, it is heartily recommended that you leave computers and cell phones at home. Not a requirement, but a something to consider.

Facilitator and organizer, Paula Coomer, is a poet and literary writer and is the author of eight books of poetry and prose including Somebody Should Have Scolded the Girl, Jagged Edge of the Sky, Dove Creek, Nurses Who Love English, and Blue Moon Vegetarian, among others. Ms. Coomer’s writing has been nominated for the Pulitzer, the Pushcart, and she has been a finalist or semi-finalist for various awards. Her work has been recommended by Buzzfeed. With nearly 30 years of experience as a teacher of writing at the university and community levels, Ms. Coomer is also a writing coach, an editor, a speaker at conferences, and offers creative inspiration and support for all writers, regardless of achievement, genre of focus, or ability.

Features of the 2025 FALL WOMEN’S RETREAT: Balancing Writing with Yoga

  • 6 nights in a scenic, historical, rural setting, nestled on the Camas Prairie in Idaho’s Rocky Mountain foothills
  • Beautiful, serene, private accommodations
  • Freshly prepared meals from quality ingredients
  • Daily yoga classes
  • Generative writing sessions
  • Open mic/salon night 6
  • Individual consults with Ms. Coomer
  • Wifi/cell signal available but spotty in a few locations on the monastery grounds
  • Check-in is at 3 p.m. on the day of your arrival.
  • Checkout is at 11 a.m. on the day of departure.
  • Please be conscious of the continuing presence of COVID and other viral infections in our communties. Let us know if you’ve had recent exposure and kindly wear a mask if you begin to experience illness while at the retreat.

Meals and Transportation

  • Attendees are welcome to bring their own meal preparations, but delicious food is provided by the monastery. You may take meals with other members of the monastic community, or you may choose to carry out or prepare your own in the Spirit Center kitchen. If you choose to eat in the dining hall, please be aware that the monastic community observes silence at breakfast.
  • Eating/shopping establishments are available in the tiny town of Cottonwood, which is 3 miles from the monastery campus, but choices are somewhat limited.
  • Attendees should bring their own yoga gear
  • Alcohol only in moderation, please.
  • Plenty of cold storage and freezer space is also available.
  • Rooms do not include refrigerators, microwaves, or coffee makers. Fresh coffee, tea, and water are available every day in the Spirit Center lobby.
  • For air transportation and car rental, contact the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport

Application for Clearwater Writers 2025 Fall Women’s Fall Retreat and Further Details

  • Application deadline is Oct. 1, 2025
  • To inquire about the 2025 Fall Women’s Retreat: Balancing Writing with Yoga, write to Ms. Coomer at coom1286@hotmail.com. If you prefer, you may leave a message at 509-635-0444, and Ms. Coomer will get back to you.
  • Otherwise, please indicate your interest by sending a short writing sample (no more than 500 words), bio, and contact information for 2 personal references to coom1286@hotmail.com.
  • A phone/Zoom interview will also be required of first-time applicants.
  • If you have been with us for a previous retreat, a writing sample and personal references are not required, but please submit an updated bio.
  • Cost for the Fall Residency is as follows
    • Non-refundable deposit of $100
    • For early bird rate, submit balance due of $1400 by September 15.
    • After September 15, submit balance due of $1500 by Oct. 15.
    • This rate includes a private suite, meals, all instruction, access to spacious communal areas and an amply-stocked arts and crafts room, consults with Ms. Coomer, and feedback on up to 20 pages of double-spaced writing.
    • A $100 nonrefundable deposit is due at the time of registration. Please submit to PayPal at coom1286@hotmail.com (use the Friends and Family designation when paying through PayPal, please) or mail a check to P.O. Box 205, Garfield, WA, 99130. Checks should be addressed to Paula Coomer with “Writing Retreat” in the info line.
    • Our programs fill up extremely quickly as we only take 6 writers, so please contact us as early as possible.
    • No refunds/not transferable–we are not able to offer refunds for deposits.
    • Final payment is to be made by PayPal (coom1286@hotmail.com) or check to Ms. Coomer (P.O. Box 205, Garfield, WA 99130)
    • We are sorry we cannot accept cards at this time.
    • Cancellations after October 15 will be refunded at 50%.
  • Also, Ms. Coomer is offering a one-time manuscript read-through to retreat attendees (no editing) with a followup discussion over Zoom for those with book-length manuscripts. The fee for this is $400 for up to 70,000 words, which is nearly 50% off the normal rate. If you are interested in this option, please contact Ms. Coomer at coom1286@hotmail.com.
  • For maps and more about the Monastery of St. Gertrude, go to https://stgertrudes.org/.
  • To more information or to express interest in the 2025 Fall Women’s Retreat, contact Ms. Coomer directly at coom1286@hotmail.com.
(Used with permission)