Deep Dive:

Kauai Writing Retreat

August 12 - 18, 2018

open for registration

Fee: $1500

Limited to 12 participants.

In life, as in writing, one must go to the depths of a feeling or experience in order to know it thoroughly and discover what matters to you. Diving deep and being willing to stand in the intensity can allow a new self, a new voice to emerge.

Ann Randolph & Karin Gutman create a sacred environment that awakens and emboldens the creative force within you, offering a safe space to explore your story and inhabit it fully. You will be completely supported in the process through writing and embodied expression. In this intimate, immersive setting, your creative flow will be unlocked as you move through and beyond the edges of your Self and your story.

Kauai Retreats invites you to experience the transformation that comes from being surrounded by others who believe your story matters. It is a supportive, fun, and dynamic space in which to create as we embrace the Hawaiian spirit of 'Ohana' and 'Aloha'.

About the Instructors:

ANN RANDOLPH is considered one of the most gifted and innovative writer/performers in the U.S. Her Ovation Award-winning solo show, Squeeze Box, was produced Off Broadway by Mel Brooks. Ann received “Best Solo Performer” by the LA Weekly and SF Weekly for her show, LOVELAND. Her personal essays have been featured on NPR, BBC, and PBS. She is a regular on the faculty at Esalen, Kripalu, 1440 Multiversity, Hollyhock, and theaters throughout the country with her current show Inappropriate In All the Right Ways and her Write Your Life workshops, where everyone is invited to discover the transformation possible when you bring your story to life from the page to the stage.

KARIN GUTMAN, MFA, is a story coach who has been guiding writers for over 15 years towards discovering and writing their personal, life-based stories. Her clients have sold books to HarperCollins, Hay House and St. Martin’s Press. During her long tenure as co-executive producer of Spark Off Rose, the popular spoken word series in Los Angeles, she cultivated fresh, new voices and often worked with deeply personal material. A former story analyst for Creative Artists Agency and 20th Century Fox, she is a published author and has written and developed projects for Nickelodeon, the Jim Henson Company and National Geographic Kids. She has taught at Cal State Fullerton, UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and UCLA Arts and Healing, and currently offers workshops and one-on-one coaching to writers under her Spirit of Story banner.

Questions you may be asking...

Who is this workshop for?

This retreat is for anyone who has ever wanted to expand their range, write a memoir, speak their truth, let go of an old story, do a TED Talk, create a solo performance, play big, find their own voice and unlock the story that needs to be told.

What is included?

30 hours of group class time with master teachers Ann Randolph + Karin Gutman, as well as focused one-on-one time.

Also: healthy daily lunches with ample satisfying options for every diet and sensitive to all allergies, and one group dinner at a favorite local spot.

What is not included?

Travel Expenses: includes flights to and from the island of Kauai and on-island transportation such as airport transfers and car rentals.

Housing: accommodations for the time you are here for the retreat, as well as any extra time you choose to stay and enjoy the island. Once you are registered, you will be provided with a list of options and price range.

Personal Meals: Breakfast, dinner, and snacks.   

Travel Insurance: Not required, but recommended.

Will I have time to explore Kauai?

Yes! There will be opportunities for guided nature exploration as a group or on your own, including hiking and swimming, spending time in nature, and writing and/or meditating surrounded by the beauty of Kauai's beaches and mountains.

Will I need to rent a car?

Car rental is highly encouraged so you can explore and enjoy your stay with maximum freedom to see the island on your own time, but it is not necessary or a requirement.

The retreat site is located in Princeville, which is conveniently located to the town, with shops, restaurants, etc.

I am interested, but feel nervous. How do I know if this is the right retreat for me?

Butterflies are normal! That says to me that you're ready to dive in, and that's risky. Creating a safe, supportive space is deeply important to both me and Ann—an environment where people can peel away the layers and dig deeply into their stories.

If you are considering the retreat, and want to make sure it is a right fit for you, I am happy to have a conversation. Contact me!

The workshop provided a safe environment where I could stumble and fall without getting hurt. My first attempts at writing felt much like a toddler learning to walk. I started with baby steps and before I knew it I was skipping. The workshop taught me that the nuggets in our writing come when we bare our souls. Never before in my life had I been in a room with people who were so transparent, authentic, and open. It taught me that being true to yourself and your story is more important than worrying about what other people will think.”

Cathy Byrd, author of The Boy Who Knew Too Much

The workshop provided a safe environment where I could stumble and fall without getting hurt...

... guides writers gently and intuitively... 

“Karin creates a fertile environment for writing. I came to the workshop knowing that I had a story to tell, but with a lot of resistance to the act of writing. Karin guides writers gently and intuitively. She uses writing prompts to help you pop open ideas you didn’t know were there. It was so exciting when my writing really started to flow! I would take Karin’s workshop over and over again.”

Ranjani Brow

“I am always drawn to the group of people you are able to put together. You have a very calm sense and huge understanding that sometimes a prompt can take you a completely different direction and that there never is anything ‘wrong’ in your response. You also have a impeccable sense when it comes to 'listening' what is being read. It could be that you find thing in between the lines or pinpointing exactly a feeling or emotion to an overall situation described in a piece. I love your feedback and am often amazed how ‘on target’ your observations and questions are when I share my work.”

Malona Badelt

... amazed how 'on target' your observations and questions are...

... Something in me is being ‘faced’ by the very act of writing...

“I'm really looking forward to another class... and another and another after that. Something in me is being ‘faced’ by the very act of writing whatever it is that comes out. Your class is definitely stirring my pot and I find that so rewarding. Thank you!”

Molly Jordan

“What you're offering is really magical and unique. I love your feedback and I love feedback in general that challenges me out of my comfort zone, uncomfortable as that may be. The group really opened me up to realizing what 'my' story is, or at least, what the story is I want to tell.  And it also helped me get confident and comfortable with my voice.

The more I write and open myself to creativity, the more creative I feel.”

Suzanne Ely

What you're offering is really magical and unique...

Thank you for empowering me to speak my truth.

“Thank you for empowering me to speak my truth. You have changed my life for the better. I am lucky to share the journey with you!”

Heather McGonigal