City Sanctuary

A weekend of writing in the heart of Toronto

Are you longing to sink in and write?

In the busy clamor of everyday life, it’s hard to find the space to write. Shopping lists may come easily. Emails, post-it notes, no problem. But to soften into it, find the stories inside our stories, and the authenticity, authority and tenderness to tell them — that takes a different kind of container.

This retreat is an invitation to step out of the sway of the day-to-day into something different. Together we’ll make a sanctuary for our writing selves in the middle of the city, to shake off our fears and resistances, and write the things we are longing to write.

Winter isn’t just a season, it’s an invitation to listen, to attune newly to what’s inside of us and what needs to be given voice. We would love to meet you there.

Here’s how it works:

This is a hybrid online and in-person retreat. It will start with an evening session on Zoom to help us find our voices, build trust, and get to know each other before we connect in person. Then we’ll have two days of in-person connecting and writing together at a beautiful space in the east end of Toronto. We’ll start in with lots of fun, creativity-waking writing exercises and then move into the questions — what do I want to write right now? What’s next on my path?

For participants who arrive with writing projects, we’ll be exploring how to move them forward. For participants who arrive with no idea what to write, we’ll be exploring the unknown and letting something new emerge.

As the weekend progresses, we’ll move into longer stretches of writing time, comfy chairs and collective focus, and will finish on Sunday for a big workshop, and a new set of questions — what’s next for us? What has this weekend given us that we don’t want to lose?

This will be for a small group of 10 participants and 2 facilitators with a nice mix of writing and sharing time.

- Are longing for some in-person writing time, maybe after a long break.
- Want to come on a retreat, but aren’t quite ready for the intensity or cost of a sleep-away weekend.
- Are excited by the idea of extended stretches of writing time, heart connection, and creative self-reflection.
- Feel generous and motivated to witness others and be part of the life of their words.
- Are longing for a sanctuary away from the news, buzzing phones and worldly responsibilities.
- Are working on a writing project they’re not motivated by, like something for work. This experience is built on the love of words, and tapping into the heart of our writing processes.
- Believe that their writing can only thrive in a critical writing environment. We believe that writing flourishes with heavy doses of kindness and support.
- Don’t want to share their work with others. There will be lots of opportunities to share, and while it’s totally fine to pass from time to time, we’re looking for participants who are excited by sharing, even when it’s a little squirmy.

Where we’ll be:

The in-person portion of this retreat will be at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, located in Toronto at 450 Broadview Ave.

Read about accessibility features of the venue.
Read the Healthcare Harm Reduction Policy for this retreat.

Coffee, tea, and snacks will be a-plenty, and there is a kitchen where participants are welcome to heat up or store food.

This retreat doesn’t include sleeping arrangements, participants can sleep at home if they are local, or book a hotel or Airbnb.

Details:

We will run this retreat again in 2026, stay tuned for updates!

Join our early bird mailing list for early access to registration or sign up for our newsletter.

Cost:

The fee for this retreat is $635. If you prefer, you can pay in 4 monthly installments of $158.75. Tax will be added for Canadians in your local provincial rate. See our financial policies.

Four times a year, we give out bursaries for our programs to people with financial barriers. Check out our upcoming dates.

If you don’t have a credit card, let us know and we’ll gladly find a way to make it work.