Wintering: A Good Life Writer's Retreat

If you'd like to get out of your shell, meet genuine people, and experience the beauty of nature, then Seguinland is your place! I did the May 2023 term and came back in January 2024 for the Wintering program. Don't let the idea of winter deter you from this term, It was truly one of the best three weeks of my life. The outdoor activities were just as fun as the indoor ones. Our cohort bonded through some amazing trips. We got to dog sled, go ice fishing, and skiing. We built a fire in the snow, ate incredible meals prepared by staff and students, and even had a dance party on the last day. Before I came here I had never shared my writing with anyone, but the guidance and support I received was truly a gift. It gave me the confidence to call myself a writer, and the mindset to love and enjoy my cohort's writing as well. Everyone's experience at Seguinland is different, but I can confidently say that everyone leaves this place with a new outlook on life.

Seguinland Institute is an unmatched transcendent experience, and the Good Life Writer's Retreat proves furthermore. In addition to the many literary and writing skills I obtained, this program quickly became a family, supporting one another day after day. Being able to utilize the great room, the gathering space and other locations throughout the campus, provided me with the headroom and drive to produce some of the best writing I've done. Truly an exceptionally special and grounding dwelling.

Ahh, Seguinland, my favorite place in the world!! Wintering was the second program I did with them because one trip around Back River Bend just wasn't enough!
The Wintering retreat consists of three weeks of writing, rewriting, community building, laughing, and adventuring. From dog sledding to visiting the Maine Botanical Gardens, inspiration for our prose was around every corner. When we weren't buried in our work, us students were making friendship bracelets, sharing stories from our past, and singing Tom Petty in the cottages. A purposeful choice to keep technology away in group settings helps facilitate amazing memories.
If you are a writer, come to Wintering. If you want to become a writer, come to Wintering. If you want to explore a quiet, slower way of life tucked away on the coast of Maine, come to Wintering. If you want to make memories to last a lifetime, come to Wintering. I promise it'll be the best decision you'll make.

It has been 10 months since the Wintering 2023 program at Seguinland, and I find myself thinking often about how truly grateful I am for the experience & the ways I grew from it (especially by learning to tap into intuitive awe and wonder). Beyond finding a new sense of grounding in my identity as a writer and poet (thank you, Jenny and Hallie!), the open-hearted, curious, and welcoming community at Seguinland has already become a blueprint for communities I've found in the past 10 months & those I hope to find in the future.

I am endlessly thankful for the ways in which my time "Wintering" in Maine has seeped into my life beyond Seguinland.

Nestled on an island on the coast of Maine, covered in beautiful landscapes of tree, surrounded by marshes. Seguinland's programs introduce a new sense of academics while allowing opportunities to find new ways to be objective about life. As a returning alumni, I was more than excited to come back and participate in this new program. The Wintering program leans into winter while simultaneously allowing you to find your narrative through experiential learning. Throughout the program, I had the time to engage in sourcing my narrative and understanding its importance. In just a short amount of time, I began to grow a strong love for writing and have continued it even after months of the program's exit.

My newfound love of writing was inspired by leaning into the winter but also through the support of the staff. The love and support that comes from Seguinland's staff grows only stronger when I've returned. I have yet to find a community that is more loving and accepting than this one.

What's even better is the friendships I've made over the years and continue to make throughout the programs. From cooking, rooming, and learning with others the friendships I've built can last an entire lifetime.

To Philip, Jenny, Halle, and all the staff who helped create this community, thank you ♡.

Much love,

M

This program is absolutely amazing. It has a very, very, very strong community aspect to it, and students are encouraged every day to be their fullest and best selves. Expect adventure and trying things you’ve never tried before, whether it be going straight from a sauna to a frozen pond to dog sledding to cooking on a fire. This was my second time at Seguinland, but it was still the experience of a lifetime. The staff are extremely extremely supportive and they manage to make every single program new so returning students and new students experience brand new programming. The food is also good, and food that is made in the program is very, very healthy. expect to be immersed day after day in nature, and to embrace a lifestyle of minimal technology, as phones and computers are expected to be left in the cabins if students are not using them for educational purposes (which is a relatively rare occurrence). Expect to embrace mindfulness, and to learn how to embrace new perspectives, and journey in word, as well as outward. Philosophical and very otherwise deep discussions are an undeniable facet of this program and everyone, students and staff alike, are ready to talk about anything. The environment is extremely inclusive and every single day there’s more and more things to learn. The campus is in the woods and is extremely extremely beautiful. The main gathering space is a treehouse. For photographers, get ready to take some amazing, amazing photos in your free time. This program was an intensive writing program, and so students were diving deep into various forms of writing. For any writer, this program is so amazing. Whether your writing style is poetry, songwriting, fiction, or something else, the staff embrace all of it.

Living at Seguinland helped me connect with the earth, introduced me to some seriously good humans, strengthened my writing, and better equipped me with everyday skills.

We lived on the marsh and hurled our voices into its echo, greeted the days with yoga, slid down the snowy bridge at night, took walks beneath a starry sky, cared for our own house and home, spent each day writing and reading, left our doors entirely open for conversations when the going got tough, hiked, skied, sled, and simply were.