By Grace Schutte
This past June, writers from across Wisconsin gathered at UW-Eau Claire’s Priory Hall for three days of writing, bookish camaraderie, and creative inspiration. Nobody knew it would be their last retreat at the property. But sadly, that has become the reality as the property will no longer be available for rental. In its place, the Guild is excited to begin hosting an array of new retreat models, starting with the 12-Hour Writers Retreat (with sign-ups opening November 1).
While we’ll miss the good times at The Priory, there’s much to celebrate, too. Just ask last year’s attendees.
“I always learn something new about myself and my own writing.” ”
“I’ve attended Priory twice,” Scout Roux said. “I always learn something new about craft, thanks to the wide variety of writers-in-residence who have attended over the years. I always meet a bunch of new people I instantly love, whose work I’ll anticipate and support for years to come. I always learn something new about myself and my own writing.”
The second year of the Priory Retreat featured four authors — or writers-in-residence as we dubbed them — one swanky, published professional for each of the four genres covered during the retreat: Nickolas Butler was on for fiction, Nicole Kronzer for young adult, Angela Trudell-Vazquez for poetry, and Barrett Swanson for nonfiction and memoir.
Daily, one of the writers-in-residence would fill an hour by reading excerpts from their works, discussing craft, and fielding questions from attentive retreat-goers. On top of that, attendees could meet one-on-one with the writers-in-residence for a close and personal look at their work, sometimes looking at fresh content written during the retreat itself.
“The writers-in-residence opportunity to interact was awesome,” Nancy Kolb said. “Nicole Kronzer reviewed my writing and I really enjoyed her comments. I learned lots from her.”
Priory Hall is tucked in the woods, away from the hustle and bustle of Eau Claire and writers had a wealth of serene nooks where they could write undisturbed for as long as their pen ink and computer batteries would allow. Looking back on those four days of dedicated writing time nearly five months later, writers long for that committed writing time once again.
2022 Crew
As it stands, most Priory Retreat folk are passionate writers by night and pass their days at office jobs, shepherding their children and grandkids from school to soccer practice and by attending university. Despite the hodgepodge group, all were united by their shared passion for the written word.
““Writing can feel very lonely at times, having a place to meet like this was very helpful for me. Especially so since the pandemic began.” ”
“Writing can feel very lonely at times,” Melissa Bergum said, “having a place to meet like this was very helpful for me. Especially so since the pandemic began.”
In light of the isolated nature of writing, it was important to host open mics at the end of the day for those who wished to share their works — either pieces from before or what they’d been scribbling away at out on the veranda.
Roux’s favorite memory from the retreat came from one of the open mics. It was June 24, when the Supreme Court declared the overturning of Roe v. Wade. They described a certain shadow hovering over the Priory after the news broke.
However, a kind of light pierced through during that night’s open mic when one of us shared a poem she had written earlier that day, a product of the news.
“It was heartfelt and sad and true,” Roux said. “The poet (and several of us in the audience) cried when she read it. When she went, still trembling, to sit back down, she was immediately surrounded by outstretched hands and kind words and ‘thank you’s. That’s my favorite memory.”
Roux said the moment encapsulated the function of art: How we, as creatives, use art to make sense of the world, to communicate the incommunicable, and to feel less alone.
Even when not in the face of serious national news, writing, and the community, the Priory Retreat fosters more than bringing people together for three brief days.
““I learned there are so many creative people like me out there who love to write. I also learned to Keep on Keeping On!” ”
“I learned there are so many creative people like me out there who love to write,” Kolb said. “I also learned to Keep on Keeping On!”
While lasting friendships were made at the retreat, for some, the Priory Retreat became a great place to network, with phone numbers and emails being exchanged alongside offers to read future drafts.
“It was at the retreat that a fellow writer put the Hamline MFA program on my radar,” Hastings said. “I was not considering a Graduate Program in writing as anything I was interested in at all but I looked further into the program and applied this Fall and have been accepted to attend starting in January.”
But, regardless of whether writers left with a pipin’ hot manuscript ready for submission, or ideas for where to take the next chapter — the goal of the Priory Retreat was to grow as writers and grant those in the Wisconsin area the chance to do so alongside friends.
“I think the main way Priory has helped me grow as a writer is to give me the permission — the confidence — to prioritize writing in my life when I leave the retreat,” Roux said. “It has taught me, too, time and again, the importance of engaging with the work of those in my community — especially the unpublished, the part-timers, the old-timers, the just-getting-starteds. It taught me that anyone can be a writer so long as they keep writing (and maybe me, too!) I will always, always be grateful for that.”
As am I. Helping out around the Priory Retreat was one of my first official projects as an intern for the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. It was a wonderful way to kick off my time at an organization that prioritizes this kind of community — one that is so earnest and committed to its residents.
CVWG intern and Priory assistant Gracie Schutte
I met many friends, heard many wonderful stories, and grew as a writer, too—despite that my main duty there was to ensure everyone’s room keys were working, and that the daily schedule was updated, and to answer any questions along the way.
This retreat was a first for me. Never had I immersed myself in a community such as this for so long — I can feel its magic working away inside me still, even five months later.
“[The Priory Retreat] taught (and continues to teach) me that community is an essential part of being the writer I want to be,” Roux said.
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