The Fraimshift writing retreat
Twenty writers.
Two weeks.
Different worlds.
A residential writing retreat on human connection in the AI era, with daily writing, mentor feedback, and a cohort drawn from different walks of life.
Poetry, fiction, essays, blogs, and longer projects.
Bring your form.
Poetry. Fiction. Essays. Blogs. Long-form projects.
Who it’s for
Nurses next to poets.
Artists next to researchers.
Pagans next to programmers.
Fraimshift brings writers from different professions and communities together around a shared theme.
Participants work on poetry, fiction, essays, blogs, and longer projects. The cohort combines lived experience, subject expertise, and different approaches to writing.
The retreat pairs protected writing time with mentor conversations and structured peer critique. Each writer sets their own project and shares progress every day.
The group continues as a writing network after the retreat. The reading room collects published work from every cohort.
Get retreat updatesThe first theme
Human connection
in the AI era.
The cohort examines how AI changes care, intimacy, trust, and work. Technical knowledge and lived experience inform the writing.
Questions for the cohort
What do people who work one to one understand about care that the rest of us miss?
How does intimacy change when a machine can be your confidant?
What happens to trust, belonging, and work as AI becomes part of everyday life?
What happens in the two weeks
A small cohort, daily progress, and enough room to follow a substantial piece of work.
Day 1
Set the culture.
Meet the group, introduce your project, and establish the standards for critique and communal life.
Days 2–13
Write. Talk. Rewrite.
Twelve full days of independent writing, mentor sessions, peer critique, and excursions.
Day 14
Share what comes next.
Read from the work, review progress, and arrange follow-up with the group.
The daily rhythm
Writing is the core of the day. Mentorship, critique, and shared meals provide its structure.
- Morning
- Independent work on your own project.
- Afternoon
- Mentor sessions, small feedback groups, and workshops on writing and the cohort’s theme.
- Evening
- Shared meals, readings, and conversation.
Daily progress, in your own form
Work on one long piece or several short ones. Share a draft, research, a finished poem, or a record of the day’s work.
Specific feedback. No dogpiling.
A personal reaction, one particular strength, and one place to develop. Add something useful rather than repeating the last person’s critique.
Retreat details
The practicalities.
One residential cohort. Fourteen days. Writing, meals, and mentorship in the Denver area.
- Place & dates
- Late August 2027. Denver area, Colorado.
- Mentors
- Writers, editors, and subject specialists provide critique, editorial guidance, and help with research and ideas.
- Cost & access
- Fees reflect the costs of the venue, food, and mentorship. Sign up for pricing and application details.
- After the retreat
- Attendees stay connected through an ongoing peer and mentor network. The public reading room collects writing from every cohort.
Writing from the community
The reading room
A continuing collection of attendees’ published work, across forms and cohorts. Read the latest here, then follow each piece back to its author.
Writing from the first cohort appears here.
The collection includes published work from attendees during and after the retreat. The reading room stays open to every cohort.
Get retreat updatesTake part
Get retreat
updates.
Get application details, pricing, and retreat news by email. Tell us how you’d like to be involved, or choose updates only.
- Writers
- Work on your own writing and give feedback to peers.
- Mentors
- Lead workshops, review drafts, and discuss the cohort’s theme.
- Supporters
- Support the retreat and access for writers.
Sign up for updates
Get the next announcement by email.
A few more questions
Do I need to be an established writer?
The retreat is for writers across forms and levels of experience. Selection focuses on your perspective, your work, and your contribution to the cohort.
Is this only for people who work in AI?
The cohort brings together nurses, carers, educators, artists, researchers, and technologists. The theme draws on firsthand experience as well as technical and philosophical expertise.
What kinds of writing can I work on?
Poetry, fiction, essays, blogs, wikis, and longer projects. Work on one piece over the whole retreat or write several. Daily progress includes drafts, research, and work on larger projects.
When and where is the retreat?
Late August 2027 in the Denver area, Colorado. The residential program runs for fourteen days with twenty writers. Sign up for application and pricing details.
What happens after the two weeks?
Attendees continue as a peer and mentor network. The public reading room collects published writing from every cohort, with links to the authors’ own publications.