WRW’s 2009 “In the Company of Writers” retreat will be held April 17-19, 2009, at the Carradoc Hall Holiday Inn in Leesburg, Virginia. Retreat Application Form in rich text format (or try this one, in .doc form)
Carradoc Hall Holiday Inn includes a 1747 Mansion House adjacent to a modern Holiday Inn. The Hotel was fully renovated a couple years ago and is large enough to accommodate any member who wishes to attend, with space to spare for other guests (so, yes, we will be sharing the hotel with a few other guests). We believe that you’ll find this hotel more accommodating to our retreat feel – a place where we can go and spend time with our fellow writing friends. The building is set up in such a way that we’ll all be in one building and you won’t have to go outside unless you want to hang out on the covered balcony where we’ll have our opening reception or watch the sun set from the Cracker Barrel rockers on the porch. All the sleeping rooms are in the modern hotel, but we will have some of our events in the connected historic manor house. The old house is charming and adds some nice historic character to the site.
Registration opened Friday, January 16, 2009, and closed Saturday, February 21, 2009.
The registration fee will be $435. For that one fee, you get all of our fantastic programs and events, all meals from Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast, and your room on Friday and Saturday nights. Each room features two double beds and will accommodate two people.
The retreat committee is already hard at work to make this the fantastic retreat you’ve enjoyed through the years. We’ll have a great group of guest speakers, including Carla Neggers and Karen Marie Moning. Editors and agents are still responding to our invitation, but the list so far includes Helen Breitweiser (Cornerstone Literary, Inc.), Kate Duffy (Kensington Books), Jennifer Enderlin (St. Martin’s Press), Elaine English (Elaine P. English PLLC Literary), Tracy Farrell (Harlequin), Meg Ruley (Jane Rotrosen Agency), Irene Goodman (Irene Goodman Literary Agency), Deb Werksman (Sourcebooks, Inc.), and Angela James (Samhain Publishing, Ltd.). We also have both informative and fun activities you’ve come to expect from a WRW retreat, including the Friday night editor and agent panel, American Author, and the fabulous, not-to-be-missed Romance Jeopardy!
This year the WRW Board decided to enable our members to donate to a scholarship fund to assist those members who may have trouble paying full cost for the retreat. If you wish to donate to that fund, please go to our website and use the donation link. If you wish to apply for a scholarship, please email Lavinia Klein () for more information before sending in your retreat application.
Remember, there is no waiting list, so no need to rush your application in on the first day, but you MUST submit an application by February 21, 2009 to be part of this year’s retreat. Also, you will need to state a roommate preference. If you don’t have a clue about who to share with, leave it blank and the retreat committee’s room list goddess will match you up with someone.
We look forward to seeing you in Leesburg for our 2009 “In the Company of Writers” Retreat.
Kathryn B. Anderson
2009 Retreat Chair
