Coming Home to Your Heart: A Writing Retreat for Women

Join us for a women’s writing retreat led by Amy-Lyles Wilson hosted onsite at St. Mary’s Sewanee.

Sometimes we’re so busy helping others, or listening to what society has in mind for us, that we neglect our own journeys. Caring for family members, earning a living, chasing a dream, suffering a loss. Any of life’s challenges—and we’ve all got them, regardless of our station in life—can steer us away from the truest desires of our hearts. How do we get back home?

We do it by telling the stories we’re meant to tell. And we start from the heart.

In this four-day retreat, we’ll gather in community to write those stories we’ve been meaning to get to all our lives: the stories that matter to us. During our time together, we’ll engage in various creative and spiritual practices designed to bring forth the stories we’ve been neglecting.

We’ll engage with prompts, readings, and reflections designed to help us write our way home: to ourselves, to God, to the human condition. You needn’t consider yourself a “real writer” to join us. You just need to honor your voice, and follow your heart toward home. It’s not about critique; it’s about community. In responding to prompts, we focus on process, not product. We don’t worry about split infinitives or conflicting points of view. Our own words are heard and valued just as they are. Material offered within the retreat is treated as confidential, and no prior writing experience is needed. This isn’t therapy, but putting pen to paper enhances our healing and allows us to bear witness and encourage one another.

Our time together will include:

• Writing in Community and on Our Own
• Art Making
• Quiet Time for Rest and Reflection
• Gentle Yoga (optional)
• Group Spiritual Direction (optional)

Amy-Lyles Wilson (M.A., M.T.S.) believes it is the sharing of our stories that saves us. As a writer, story coach, and spiritual director, she offers seekers a variety of creative and spiritual practices designed to help people get to the heart of the matter. She has been published in a variety of magazines, read one of her essays on National Public Radio, co-authored or contributed to eight books, taught writing at the Earlham School of Religion, and facilitated workshops at such places as the Chautauqua Institution, St. Mary’s-Sewanee, and Escape to Create (Seaside, Florida). She is both a SoulCollage® and Amherst Writers & Artists Facilitator. In 2021, she earned a Certificate in Narrative Healthcare from Lenoir Rhyne University. She holds degrees in English, journalism, and theology. Visit her website at www.amylyleswilson.com.