Ignite your imagination on this unique writing adventure that will inspire your writing and teach you skills to grow your craft! Join writers Lauren Carter and Ariel Gordon for their annual autumn trip to Carman, Manitoba where golden leaves and glowing prairie light will illuminate the nooks and crannies of your creativity!
This four-day Manitoba writing retreat combines unique accommodations in a 19th-century church full of books, antiques, and stained glass windows with guided writing sessions and group explorations (writing-related, of course!) of the charming town.
"The setting was serene, and the food was delicious. I felt welcomed and encouraged at every moment by participants and session leaders alike!" - Heidi
Built in 1898 in the Gothic revival style, this church-turned-B-and-B is full of art and antiques, not to mention stained glass windows originally shipped from Scotland in crates of molasses!
Upstairs are six writing-themed bedrooms (the Hemingway, Manderley, Zhivago, Limberlost, Gable, and Britannia with its nod to Agatha Christie) while the library and parlour invite with their cozy seating and shelves full of books.
Delicious meals (friendly to dietary restrictions) are served in the charming dining room by generous host Barbara.
Listed as one of the 23 Most Unique Places to Stay in Manitoba on Road Trip Manitoba, Bell Aura is custom-made for being creative! Find out more about Bell Aura at www.bellaura.ca
Lauren Carter (she/her) founded Wild Ground Writing Retreats to fulfil her twin passions of travel and helping writers. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and a certificate in teaching and training adult learners. Her last book, the short story collection Places Like These was recommended as a Spring 2023 read by the Globe and Mail while her last novel This Has Nothing To Do With You won the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction, while she also received the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer. Her sixth book, The Longest Night, will be published by Freehand Press in Fall 2025. Find out more about Lauren at www.laurencarter.ca
Ariel Gordon (she/her) is a Winnipeg/Treaty 1 territory-based writer, editor, and enthusiast. She is the ringleader of Writes of Spring, a National Poetry Month project with the Winnipeg International Writers Festival that appears in the Winnipeg Free Press and the poetry editor for The Goose. Her work has appeared recently in Best Canadian Essays 2025 and Prairie Fire’s 50 Over 50 special issue and is forthcoming in Best Canadian Poetry 2026 and Fiddlehead magazine. Her seventh book, Blood Letters, will be published Winnipeg's Great Plains Press in fall 2025. This epistolary sci-fi novel was written in collaboration with graphic novelist GMB Chomichuk. Find out more about Ariel at www.arielgordon.ca
Check-in and settle into your unique room before supper in the dining room and an evening spent getting to know one another and connecting with our words.
Highlights: creating/strengthening community. Revealing/sharing techniques and tools. In a beautiful town, hosted by the beautiful people at Bell Aura. Fun and fine people and a head full of inspiration and joy! - Denise
Wander a riverside trail, curl up in the parlour, and visit Carman’s cute art gallery in the town’s historic train station—all while writing, of course!
Today's sessions will include:
Dispatches from the World (Ariel): What does it mean to slow down and pay attention to the natural world? What lives there? What’s moving? We will be focusing on close observation of urban nature, writing poems about what we see/hear/smell/taste.
Ekphrasic Experimentation (Lauren): The term ekphrasis means to describe with vivid detail. During this workshop, we’ll visit the Golden Prairie Arts Council gallery, read some examples of ekphrastic poetry and prose, and try our hand at the form or just see what writing emerges in response to viewing their latest exhibition.
I was finding it challenging to make space for a writing practice. This retreat re-energized me and gave me focus to move forward. I'm coming away with a sense of renewed creativity, writing friends, and a concrete plan for my book (and the cinnamon buns were delicious!) - Brigette DePape
Visit the local thrift store for inspiration, go out for lunch on your own or with new friends, write some more and prep for our evening open mic and bonfire (weather permitting).
Today's sessions will include:
Thrifting Poems (Ariel): We’ll walk over to the Carman MCC Thrift Shop, where your goal is to find an object (or objects) to write to. We’ll chat about writing strategies on the way back to Bell Aura, where you’ll spend an hour exploring the lost and found, the now and then, of your finds.
Strategies for Editing Poetry (Ariel): How do you take your freewriting, your first drafts, to the next level? We’ll explore techniques to refine your poems: leaning on line and stanza breaks, amplifying the soundwork, and using the page like a canvas. We’ll also look at web tools that will help you loosen up while editing.
Embroider and Embellish (Lauren): You have some words on the page… now what? In this workshop, you will play with what you’ve made over the weekend, discover what has energy, and explore ways to intuitively enrich and deepen what you've discovered.
Spend the morning writing before a delicious brunch. We'll round out the weekend with some final writing and intention-setting before a delicious brunch. Closing ceremonies include final reflections and the chance to win hand-crafted gifts before check-out around 2:00 PM.
I’m coming away from Nook & Cranny with a greater sense of purpose and hope for my poetry collection. Ariel’s advice and strategies for exploring language in new ways was a game changer. I can’t wait to dive back into the writing. Thank you! - Leanne Fournier
3 night’s accommodation. Stay in a unique literary-themed room with a friend or on your own!
Delicious homemade meals. Enjoy seven delicious meals made by our host, Barb, whose earned accolades for her amazing cooking!
Writing workshops. Take part in fun and exploratory writing sessions — at the B&B and during "field trips"!
Local explorations. Visit local sights during writerly excursions and lunch on your own (or with new friends)
Welcome gift. A writerly gift to welcome you to the retreat!
Relaxed open mic. Share your work and hear others at our casual, supportive open mic!
Ongoing connection!. Stay in touch with your new friends! All Wild Ground retreat guests are invited to join the monthly ZOOMs to stay connected, do some writing, and find out first about upcoming adventures!
Travel. Travel to and around Carman (excursions will be on foot or you can drive your own vehicle).
Alcoholic beverages. Feel free to bring your beverages of choice or order them at the B&B
Meals outside of the B&B. To give you a chance to explore Carman, Saturday lunch is on your own or with friends!
Souvenirs and purchases
Wild Ground Writing Retreats offers transformative retreats in inspiring and unique locations. We provide supportive instruction, dedicated writing time, and vibrant community to nurture both your writing and your creative spirit.
Website: https://wildgroundwriting.com/
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1 2049780272