The Motherlode Retreat: Mastering the Art of Writing About Our Mothers
April 26-30, 2026
Mastering the Art of Writing About Mothers. Join us this spring to explore how to write about your relationship with your mother.
What is the Motherlode? Is it the gift of love, creativity, compassion and strength we receive from our mothers that we carry through our lives? Or is the Motherlode more of a Motherload; a weight or sadness passed down to us through the motherline from our mothers who could not, for whatever reason, properly mother us?
At Writing the Motherlode, a mother-focused writing retreat, we’ll explore these questions and more as we gather in community to unpack our understanding of the Motherlode/Motherload so that we can better write about our complex relationships with mothers. No matter where you are in your writing journey, and whether you are writing non-fiction, fiction, poetry, plays, screenplays, or songs, please join us for this five-day writing retreat where via safe facilitated sessions we’ll learn to strengthen the writing skills we need to bring our Motherlode material to the page.
We'll also explore the Mother Wound: What is it, how does it manifest, and how do we write about it in memoir or fiction? What are the treasures we received and burdens we carry from our mothers? How do unhelpful and unbalanced narratives from our mothers haunt us, and how do we move past them in our writing? How can we bring our mothers to life on the page when we remain emotionally connected to and activated by them?
Together, we will master the art of writing about our mothers.
Transformative. In the hands of two skilled authors, we learned about our mothers, ourselves, and the craft of writing. I left feeling like I had returned to my roots, but with more perspective.
This was the writing retreat of a lifetime: deep dive into craft and specialized instruction on deepening mother-daughter relationships in memoir writing. Diana did a great job bringing us through the material. The location was lovely, food delicious, hiking trail just what I needed after a day of writing. I highly recommend.
About the location: The Motherlode Retreat is held at the Barn at Boyds Mills Retreat Center in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. Surrounded by a 1,300-acre forest, Boyds Mills offers cabins nestled among the trees, a lodge and a beautifully restored modern barn at the center of it all. Sustainably cared for by family members of the founders of Highlights for Children magazine, the property reflects a commitment to conservation. All rooms in the lodge include private bathrooms. Please reach out to Boyds Mill with questions or to inquire about room shares, transportation or food accommodations.
Barn at Boyds Mills, 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA
Discounts available for shared rooms.
$1900 includes all food (Including snacks and wine), lodging, instruction, one-on-one time with instructor.
$150 Early Bird Discount if you book and pay in full by Jan 15, 2026.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK
