The fourth annual Georgia Writers Museum Writers Retreat is coming in February. 

The annual Writers Retreat: Write on the Lake is slated for Feb. 21-23. This event will draw 20 renowned authors from all over the South to conduct workshops, panels and networking uniquely designed for aspiring and experienced writers. 

The event will be held at the museum. Instructors will being cutting-edge technique and practical suggestions on how to craft and market a book.

Keynote speakers will include Lo Patrick, best-selling author and Townsend Prize finalist and Chamber CEO Robbie King speaking on the role of AI for authors.

Register for the full weekend ($300) and take part in a choice of six workshops (with 12 to select from), catered lunches, and two keynotes speakers. 

Registration for one day ($145) includes workshops, lunch and keynote, or select sessions a la carte ($40) for each 75-minute workshop. 

For more information or to register visit us at https://www.georgiawritersmuseum.org/2025-writers-retreat/. 

Here is the schedule:

Friday, February 21 the Retreat will kick off with happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. at Georgia Writers Museum. Guests and speakers will have the chance to meet each other, while learning about the latest renovation updates and future exhibit plans for the museum. 

Unique for 2025 is a partnership with the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art’s temporary exhibit “Touch Grass.” This environmentally focused exhibition explores our relationship with the natural world and is the inspiration for our Wholistic Writing track.  

Saturday Wholistic Writing track includes:

• Introduction to Touch Grass with Alyson Vuley, Executive Director of Steffen Thomas Museum of Art 
• Poetry Workshop instructed by Josina Guess
• Choreographing Writing: Using Dance to Create Story with Carla Walters, PhD, MBA
• Healing Writer’s Block with Stepanie Siegel

Saturday sessions include:

• “Do’s and Don’t’s for Fiction Writers: How to Avoid Pitfalls of Beginning Writers” taught by Ron Cooper, PhD 
• “Compelling Stories: The Intersection of Fact and Fiction” with Kristine Anderson, PhD; T.M. Brown, Robert Gwaltney, Carolyn Curry, Piper Huguley
• “Better Writing in Every Genre: Research Resources & Techniques” with Jill Evans
• “Crossing the Line: The Role of Thresholds in Successful Stories” conducted by Susan Beckham Zurenda

Sunday sessions include:

• “How to Finish That Draft, So You Can Finish That Book” with Peter McDade

• “Keeping it Cozy: The Essentials of a Cozy Mystery” conducted by Kathy Manos Penn, Cathy Tully, DL Mitchell
• “Writing is the Easy Part: Tools for Success in Self-Publishing” taught by Kathy Manos Penn, Cathy Tully, DL Mitchell
• “Memoirists: The Smaller Your Audience, The More Books You’ll Sell” with Lisa Weldon.