Since our house fire in May, I’ve been thinking a lot about “unwanted journeys.” These aren’t the fun trips and adventures we avidly sign up for. And they are definitely not situations we would ever
Retreat
The Gift of Inspiration
I am feeling very indebted to two people I never had the chance to meet, but who recently gave me a wonderful gift: a one-week writing retreat at their beautiful cottage in peaceful Avonport, Nova
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Retreat
The Pull of Retreat
A few years ago, the place where I used to go for my solo writing retreats—the guesthouse of the Trappistine Monastery in Rogersville, New Brunswick—closed for good. I was devastated, but that’s a blog
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Retreat
In Praise of Simplicity
I am writing this from an old farmhouse (circa 1870’s) in Great Village, Nova Scotia. It is the former home of the wonderful and acclaimed poet Elizabeth Bishop. I am sitting on a well-worn chair