High Desert Center Writing Retreat

The High Desert Center Writing Retreat 2022 was a great experience. I had a really fun time and I will never forget my time there and the people I stayed with. The community was very friendly. The staff were very welcoming and accommodating and very helpful. I learned a lot of valuable writing and life skills. Gorgeous mountain view! The food was really good and healthy. The town is very cute. I have grown as person because of my time there, gained confidence, independence, and meaningful friendships!

The HDC writing retreat is a fantastic experience for people who are looking to broaden their horizons, spend some time living a rustic life up in the mountains, build a close community of supportive, open minded people and writers, and of course, write as much as you want. There's strong support for emotional wellbeing, creative goals, and personal development, making this a great place to hit writing goals, build confidence, and expand your comfort zone. People will be most comfortable here if they are open to new experiences and not distressed by sometimes spotty internet and lots of bugs. If you want to meet fellow writers from all over the country, get familiar with a small Colorado town and its community, and write as much as you can in a month, I can't recommend this retreat enough.

The writing retreat with HDC allowed me to disconnect from the distractions and stresses of my life, which help me to fall in love with writing again. The workshops were informative and fun, and helped me to think outside the box. The writing leader was very personally invested in each story and writer, giving me the attention I needed to excel in my writing. I learned a lot of things and overall improved my confidence as a writer. I also made amazing connections with all types of people, and got to explore the beautiful town of Paonia.

I came to the High Desert Center (HDC) for the 2022 Writing Retreat for a month-long get-away and a writing challenge as a part of my gap-summer before starting my graduate program in the fall for an MA in Creative Writing. Working alongside other writers around my age was an absolute blast, compared to other writing retreats that only cater to older adults, and I would highly recommend this retreat to any writer between the ages of 18 and 24 who wants to challenge themselves not only to write a 50k word book by the end of the month but those who also want to experience what it would be like to live a sustainable lifestyle, composting toilets and solar shower included.

during my writing retreat i was able to pursue a hobby of creative writing without feeling pressured for it to be perfect or complete. it was a great environment so spend time doing anything it. the things i did each day ranged from writing, playing board games, going on walks or runs, puzzling and more. the staff was very supportive and i always felt welcomed to join in with others during free time. being able to fill my free time however i wished was of large importance to me, and that desire was met. some nights i spent the time laying in the field looking at stars while others i wrote into the night.

HDC is an expert at cultivating community, evident in the facilitated group activities, bonding, and general atmosphere/agreements. In terms of writing, we got to hear from an array of experts and devote serious time to our work but free of pressure and with lots of creative liberty and constructive feedback. It was honestly more fulfilling than any of the creative writing workshops I took in college. I've never laughed so much, learned so much about myself and others/my personal journey, or random fun skills such as board games and partner dancing.