Salt Lines Poetry Retreat
Friday, August 22 to Sunday, August 24, 2025Â
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In a time of increasing division, poet and Poetry Forge founder Holly Wren Spaulding has discovered that poetry brings people together in ways not easily found elsewhere.
Join Holly in her writing studio and flower garden for an immersive three-day experience on the coast of Maine, born of her belief that gathering with other poets isn't just enjoyable—it's essential.
Together, we'll remember why we write and why we need each other. We'll rediscover how it feels to listen without hurrying, write what feels true, and speak with the courage of our convictions. Rich, vulnerable, and necessary conversations about what really matters become possible, along with a rare and special sense of belonging.
We'll enjoy birdsong, laughter, summer light, outdoor fires, and generous meals around a long table. We'll walk the shoreline where fresh water meets salt water, and insist on this quality of life, even now. Especially now.
Imagination as resistance. Community as tonic. Poetry as necessity.
Together, we will:
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- Write together, inspired by the liminal space where salt water meets fresh
- Share our work in a supportive circle of Poetry Forge friends
- Engage in life-sustaining conversations about living as poets in these times
- Find inspiration in the coastal landscape, fresh air, dark night skies, and plant poetics
- Practice deep listening and speaking without hurrying
- Curate our best lines—and look forward to seeing them transformed into letterpress later in the fall, with the help of one of Holly's trusted collaborators
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Proposed Schedule
The vision for this gathering is spacious, generous, and calm. We will savor and go slow. We will enjoy doing what we love to do. We will be together: talking, laughing, writing, and considering what it means to be poets at this time in human history. Time will bend and the days will be ours.
Friday, August 22
Arrive between 2 and 4 pm. Explore the poetry library and flower garden and allow Holly to help you create a bouquet for your nightstand. Workshop begins at 4 pm with a special dinner to follow. Retire by 8 pm.
Saturday, August 23
Arrive between 9 and 10 am. Write on your own in the studio or find a sweet spot near the dahlias. Gather at 10 for workshop, followed by lunch, and an optional outing to the beach. Happy hour begins at 6 with a chef-prepared dinner to follow. Linger for a backyard campfire and fireflies or return to your lodging as you like. Retire by 10 pm.
Sunday, August 24
Arrive between 9 and 10 am. Write on your own in the studio, under the apple tree, or on the warm stone wall. Gather at 10 for workshop, followed by lunch, and presentations of work in progress. Depart around 2 pm.
This outline is meant to give you a sense of the flow of the days, including opportunities for you to do your own thing, while also preserving some of the magic and mystery of this special gathering. Additional practical details, including lodging suggestions, location, and how to get here may be found in this document.
You Belong Here
Space is very limited. Register soon to ensure your place in this gathering with Poetry Forge poets.
"It served ME well! Please DO consider doing this again. It was really a wonderful gathering, and I loved the built-in spaciousness as well as the together time."
—Lori L., Poetry Forge Mini-Residency 2024
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“It is a gift to be with people in community, while at the same time, being alone. . . . I felt very held and grounded and connected to something bigger than all of us.”
—Ashley M., Blue Shore Writers Retreat, 2024
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"It’s hard to express how much I loved being at this residency. Thank you for being the person to dream it up and put it on."
—Charlotte W., Poetry Forge Mini-Residency, 2024
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