A co-creative writing journey into deeper Nature connection

Get up close and personal to the land at the beautiful and biodiverse 10-acre Willows Lakeside Retreat in Pulborough, West Sussex on the border of the South Downs National Park to develop your observational skills, embody deeper ecological awareness, refresh your descriptive powers and kick-start a creative dialogue with wildness, inside and out.

Facilitators: Dr Helen Moore with Nicola Peel (bios below)

Retreat overview

On this three-day wild writing retreat, we will work together to develop our ability to observe, hear and respond to many of the beings resident in the wetlands, hedges, meadows, woodland and veteran trees on site. Aiming to develop a practice of embodied co-creation with the more-than-human world, which you can continue beyond the programme, we start by learning to get more in touch with our own wild ‘creaturely’ self. This enables us to drop into an extra-ordinary mode of perception, where we’re freed to pick up on the signals, signs, wild language around us, and to record them without judgement as an act of co-creation.

Bringing low-tech writing tools, open minds and hearts, and the intention to open to what Life wants to show us, we may at times choose to cross a threshold to enter consciously into sacred time for nurturing and expressing Soul – our own and the ensouled world we inhabit. But before we even get to any writing, our exercises begin with gentle movement, letting mental chatter subside, softening our bodies so that we notice the breeze on our skin; scents in our nostrils; the taste of the air; sounds in our ears; colours, shapes before our eyes. And we observe what may be at the edges of our consciousness, allowing any uncomfortable emotions to surface, breathing with them, honouring, and releasing them as we feel ready.

We also honour our five ways of knowing – sensing, feeling, imagining, intuiting, thinking. Through these we can open to wild voices and natural sign languages, acknowledging the mirror that Nature holds up to our ‘humanimal’ nature, and remembering our interbeing with the Web of Life. Then our wild words can rain onto the page and subsequently evolve through the crafting process, where we consider form, imagery, language, music.

Throughout the retreat, our experience will be enhanced by a variety of ecocritical perspectives, such as how language can limit or amplify the perception of our embedded relationship in ecology. Group practices will also include a Social Dreaming matrix* and a Council of All Beings to inspire our writings. There will be plenty of free time too, plus opportunities to share our words around the campfire.

* Social Dreaming is the practice of coming together as a group to share dreams in an often rich and powerful morning session. Dreams may include messages from the land and more-than-human beings present around us, and they are received as collective resources. Whatever emerges in your dreaming is welcome.

More about Dr Helen Moore’s Wild Ways to Writing programmes

Testimonials from participants

'Wild Ways to Writing is an inspirational programme that has encouraged me to deepen my relationship with the natural world and to be braver and more embodied in my writing. Helen has been a joy to work with. Her guidance and feedback has been supportive, gentle and clear – I have felt both held and challenged within my writing process.' Jane Lewis

'Working with Helen has made me a much better writer and her assignments were always thought-provoking, prompting me to view the natural world around me in a different way.' Toniann Astuto

Your investment

Early bird price (pay in full before 1st March 2025) £220

£240 payable after this date. If you would like to reserve your place with a deposit of £80, then pay in two further instalments please let us know. Final payments due by 31st May 2023

*Price includes refreshments and a vegan lunch each day. You are welcome to bring additional food to share with the group. Breakfast and evening meals not included.

Low income: There are 2 half-priced low-income places so please be fair, if you can afford to pay the full price, to ensure these places are open to people in greatest need. Please get in touch to go on the low-income list. We allocate these places nearer the date as we know that people’s circumstances change.

We do not offer refunds but will attempt to accommodate you on another course if you are unable to attend for reason of illness or other unforeseen circumstance, subject to an admin fee of £65.

For tickets see https://www.tickettailor.com/events/nicolapeel/1517143?

What to expect from the three-day Wild Ways to Writing retreat:

· This retreat is tailored for all levels of creative writing skill and experience. Please bring writing materials, including a pocket notebook for use outdoors, and everything you might need to be comfortable writing outdoors, such as waterproof clothing, walking boots, sun protection, a water bottle, daypack and your own sit mat/portable chair.

· The programme includes guided writing and Nature connection exercises outdoors, reading from other writers, plus free time to develop new writing, whether poetry or prose

· You will also have the opportunity to share your work and receive constructive feedback

What you may gain from attending:

· Some nourishing time away from everyday responsibilities to develop/refresh your writing skills

· The opportunity to build confidence your ability to explore and observe the natural world, to embody a deep ecological sensibility and to find the language and imagery to express it

· Take away a creative writing practice that will continue to open you to dialogue and encounters with the other-than-human

Optional extra on Monday 1st September- Visit to the Knepp Rewilding Project guided by Nicola

Knepp is a 15 minute drive from The Willows and is a trailblazing 3,500 acre rewilding project that has changed the way we think about Nature and how we can heal our planet.

Bios

Dr Helen Moore is a pioneering British ecopoet, socially engaged artist, and wild writer based in Dorset. She has published three ecopoetry collections, curates ECOPOETIKON, an online showcase of global ecopoetries, and teaches part-time at two British universities. Helen also offers an online mentoring programme, Wild Ways to Writing, and her chapter on 'Wild Writing, Co-creative Practices and Inspirations' was published in INSPIRE: Exciting Ways of Teaching Creative Writing, (Gold Publishing, 2020). Helen’s latest book, river / run, an ecopoetic trilogy (Cape Farewell Books, 2024), emerged from a project which brought scientists and artists together to explore pollution in Dorset’s Poole Bay watershed and impacts on wild Atlantic Salmon. http://www.helenmoorepoet.com

Nicola Peel is an environmentalist, solutionist and public speaker. She has been working in the Ecuadorean Amazon for over 20 years initiating a number of social and environmental projects. Nicola is an expert for the Design Council, Ambassador for One Planet and a trustee for Rainforest Saver where she has introduced a successful agroforestry project to teach farmers in the Amazon how to regenerate their soil to prevent deforestation. As a lover of trees and life Nicola is a true biophilic who loves to help others connect to the awe and wonder of the natural world. http://www.nicolapeel.com

Accommodation options:

Camping is available on site for £15 per person per night.

On a first come first serve basis, there are 5 available glamping sites. A shepherds hut (double) £85 per night, a cabin (double) £85 per night, kingfisher cabin (single) £65 per night and 2 simple single luna tents £45 per night. To book, contact Nicola: nicola@nicolapeel.com

The site is off grid with compost toilets and solar showers. There is an inside kitchen and the course will be held in a beautiful large gazebo. For more information see http://www.thewillowslakesideretreat.com

There are numerous local Airbnb's around Pulborough to choose from. The nearest local hotels are the Chequers, The Labouring Man and the Roundabout Hotel.

There is a farm shop on-site and convenience and supermarket stores in nearby Pulborough.

Travel to the site:

Train Pulborough Station is 2 miles away (Taxis do need to be pre ordered) Direct to London Victoria in 1 hour 15 minutes

Bus No1 runs from Worthing to Midhurst (good for connection to Brighton) and stops right outside

Bus 100 also runs from Burgess Hill and the stop is at the end of the road

By Car The Willows Lakeside Retreat, Dyke Farm, West Chiltington Rd, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 2EE

We would like for drivers to please contribute a carbon tax to https://rainforestsaver.org/

Car Sharing - if you are intending to drive to the site and could offer a lift to another participant, please let us know and we'll endeavour to put you touch, if someone else is coming your way. Equally, if you'd like to be notified of lift-sharing options, let us know that too.

Whilst this course is ideal from people attending from around the UK and northern Europe, we ask that you do not fly to come to us, due to the high carbon cost of doing so. As an alternative, you may like to consider enrolling on Helen’s online programme Wild Ways to Writing.

For tickets see https://www.tickettailor.com/events/nicolapeel/1517143?