I go to KWW every year. It’s the only place where I can be JUST a writer. The demands of real life (family, day job, the publishing “biz”) fall away and I have room to write reams, talk for hours with people who “get” me, and reconnect with my true self. The friendships I have forged at KWW have carried far beyond, both feeding and teaching me on a daily basis. Also, the desserts are excellent!

What I love about KW is the chance to connect with writer friends I don’t see for much of the year, and the great, wide-ranging conversations about craft, the writing life, and all the idiosyncrasies of publishing. It’s a retreat in the best sense of the word, with both fellowship and solitude.

KW West is a nurturing and magical week for delving deeply into your work, in the best of company. With fabulous food, too!

Some favorite memories: The first KWW retreat where there was no ambient light at night so we could see the stars from the Mesa and realized I had found a retreat home. I also remember a group of women at West (Abiqui) gathering around a table to help another author work through difficult revision notes. It went on to earn awards. And learning to write poetry from Kathi Appelt and Nikki Grimes and discovering that yoga wasn’t scary when taught by Zu Vincent.