Writing retreats created by writers, for writers, with a thoughtful blend of touring, social time, and dedicated alone time to focus on your writing.

Go and Write! with Dr. Gerard Collins and Jane Simpson, professional, award-winning authors based in New Brunswick, Canada. Our participants include emerging and published writers of all genres—poets, dramatists, children’s authors, memoirists, and more—as well as their friends, family and spouses.

Every retreat, whether we’re at a historic estate in Atlantic Canada, a castle in Scotland or Ireland, a manor house in England, or a villa in Italy, delivers a unique, life-changing experience and creates new friendships. We hope you’ll join us on our next adventure.

The mix of travel and writing made this a truly special trip… Even if it is a cliché, this was the experience of a lifetime. ~ M.I.

Upcoming Go and Write! retreats and workshops

Visit our Current Retreats page for more information.

April update
There are still spaces remaining for many of our 2025 retreats—details are at the links below, and you can contact us to register!

New workshop for the public coming to Newfoundland, August 2025 to coincide with our Retreat to the New World

Gerard returns to Newfoundland in the summer of 2025 to host a writing retreat, and while he’s there, he’ll offer The Art of Storytelling workshop, open for public registration, at The Lantern in St. John’s on Saturday, August 16, 10:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.

Need a refresher on the art of storytelling? Get focused on your writing and join award-winning author and professor Dr. Gerard Collins for this condensed version of his storytelling masterclass, which he recently taught at the invitation of the Frye Festival and at other Maritime venues.

In this workshop, we’ll talk about story structure, how to show instead of tell, how to develop characters, enhance narrative tension, infuse your prose with subtext, and write dialogue that gets people talking.

Bring your questions and conundrums—we’re putting it all on the table.

Register now!

Cost: $85. There is limited seating for this workshop, so please reach out to Gerard to secure your registration before August 10.