Writers in the Round

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS
ON STAR ISLAND!

Photo: Connie Lentz

Join us! The Writers in the Round Retreat, founded in 2005, is a multi-day annual creative retreat for songwriters and poets (of any level of skill and experience) in a natural setting, on beautiful, sustainable and historic Star Island. 

Our remote island retreat takes place over 3 days in September and is a time for artistic growth in a safe environment. Participants are fostered by instructors who are experts in their art, be it songwriting, poetry, or spoken word, and who are whole-souled in their approach to life.

The small group experience consists of classes for instruction, workshops for creative expression, and evening programs, which support a healthy group dynamic. We encourage participants to take risks and push themselves to explore new aspects to the process of writing. Honesty, compassion, and humor are qualities valued by retreat organizers and participants. The development of a nurturing yet challenging creative environment is a central goal.

History

Star Island is one of the nine Isles of Shoals in the Atlantic Ocean, located 7 miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine and within the waters of N’dakinna, the traditional lands and waterways of the Abenaki, Pennacook and other related Wabanaki Peoples past and present. We acknowledge and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. 


The island prides themselves on their conservation and sustainability initiatives. Since 2011, they have taken a more proactive approach to conservation and respecting the environment with the Green Gosport Initiative — a program designed to educate island and mainland communities about sustainability, and to serve as a model for others. 

From solar array panels to recycling to composting, they do many things on the island to reduce our impact locally while thinking globally.

Founders

DEIDRE RANDALL

“Writers in the Round” was created by our dear friend, singer-songwiter/publicist,  Deidre Randall, in 2005. She led the retreat for several years until she passed it on  to Ellen and Craig in 2012. Deidre's publishing company, founded by her father,  Peter Randall, can be visited here and her beautiful music can be discovered here.
Long-time friends, Maine poet, Ellen Taylor, and New Hampshire songwriter, Craig Werth, co-chaired this conference from 2012 – 2019. COVID19 closed the island for the first time in over 100 years in 2020, but conferences resumed in 2021. Craig Werth has stepped into work at the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine's, and Ellen Taylor has continued the role of sole chair of this conference.

ELLEN TAYLOR & CRAIG WORTH