THE BREAKTHROUGH: A WRITING RETREAT (WITH EDITORS)
Ever wish you could be more productive on a writing retreat? What if an expert editor could offer you guidance while you wrote?
Heidi Pitlor (The Best American Short Stories) and Michelle Wildgen (Tin House) have created a one-of-a-kind weekend of productive solo work, creative community, and expertise right there for the asking. Bring your ideas, novel pages, fiction or memoir in any form, and break through your barriers in just a few days with us on magical Cape Cod.
Before the retreat, you’ll have a goal-setting conference with Heidi or Michelle. We’ll be there for solo office hours and informal hangout time throughout the retreat. A few weeks afterward, you’ll follow up with us again, to strategize and make sure you’re moving forward with the work you did at the retreat.
THE BREAKTHROUGH is your chance to tap into decades of editorial expertise: Heidi was the long-term editor of the Best American Short Stories anthology, and Michelle was an editor with Tin House Magazine for almost 20 years, until its final issue. We’ve published novels, essays, stories, reviews, and edited everything from food essays and short stories to novels, memoirs, and story collections. We have worked with writers like Margaret Atwood, Katherine Heiny, Michael Ruhlman, Ann Hood, John Freeman, Jesmyn Ward, Min-Jin Lee, Lee Child, and many others. Now we’re here for you.
WHO: THE BREAKTHROUGH is limited to 12 writers.
WHEN: April 3-6, 2025. Check-in Thursday evening, April 3; check-out Sunday morning, April 6 (plus conferences before and after the weekend)
WHERE: A beautifully appointed multi-building property on the shore of Cape Cod in Eastham, Mass., about 2.5 hours from Boston and Logan Airport. Rooms range from private en suite bathrooms or solo cottages to a cozy room to share with your old workshop pals. There is plenty of room on the grounds to enjoy outside conferences and walks, stores and restaurants are nearby if you need a break, and capacious tables to dine together, hang out, or write.
FOOD AND DRINK: We’ll provide it all, from quick nourishing breakfasts to get you started to homemade, delicious communal dinners. We’ll have NA drinks and wine on hand, but the goal is craft, community, and productivity more than a party atmosphere.
FEES: All writers pay the same base fee of $1200.00 (includes personal coaching, all food and drink, incidentals, programming, pre- and post-retreat individual conferences), as well as a variable fee based on room preference (rooms with en suite or private bathrooms, add $900; rooms with shared bathrooms, add $650; shared rooms and shared bathrooms add $300). Transportation is not included.
Your spot can be secured with a deposit of $600.00.
Refund policies: If we need to cancel due to low enrollment or for any other reason, you will receive a full refund. If you cancel before February 15, you will receive a full refund. If you must cancel after February 15, you can put your fees toward future work with Heidi or Michelle or future retreats.
Questions? Contact us!
Ready for a breakthrough? Apply here!
If email forms don’t load for you, email us directly at TheBreakthrough@hpeditorial.com and we’ll send you an application.
Sponsored by Heidi Pitlor Editorial, Michelle Wildgen Editorial, and the Madison Writers’ Studio.