THE WITCHES & WARRIORS RETREAT
Image description: A group of about twenty people of color pose in three rows, wearing KN95 masks of different colors. They are holding up their hands to make two 'W's.
The Witches & Warriors Retreat is a program for BIPOC poets and movement workers to learn, write, and dream together.
Bringing together the radical creativity of poets with the audacity and expertise of activists, this biennial retreat gathers poets and activists/organizers from across the Northeast and Mid Atlantic US. Activities include workshops, discussions, writing sessions with faculty, rest and play time, and a public reading/celebration. Fellows are asked to take what they learn at the retreat back to their communities through an public event or project, seeding new ideas for creative movement-building throughout our region.
ABOUT THE RETREAT
WHEN & WHERE:
The Witches & Warriors Retreat takes place every two years. The next retreat will be held in July or August of 2026. Location is subject to change, but the 2024 retreat was held at Prindle Pond Conference Center in Charlton, MA.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY:
BIPOC poets, organizers, activists, and movement workers based in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic US who are interested in the intersection of poetry and social justice organizing and movement building. Fellows must be age 16 or older and may be at any level of experience.
ACTIVITIES:
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Daily workshops taught by faculty and staff
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Discussions on the past, present, and future of the interplay between arts and organizing
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Presentations of participant work, including a reading open to the community
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Collaborative writing sessions
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Free time and fun activities, including swimming, hiking, yoga, games, and karaoke.
COST:
There is no fee to attend the Witches & Warriors Retreat! Participants may also receive partial support to cover travel expenses.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applications for the next Retreat will open in February-March 2026, via Submittable. The application generally includes a work sample and several short answer questions about your experience, history of community involvement, and goals for participating in the retreat.
Image description: In a clearing among a grove of trees, a group of 20 or so people sit in a circle in metal folding chairs and camping chairs, listening attentively to one who is speaking. Behind them is an easel with large paper and a building with a ramp.
HISTORY & VISION
The Witches & Warriors Retreat came out of five years of building solidarity between writers and organizers through the annual Brew & Forge Book Fair. In the course of that work, we saw how organizers everywhere are in dire need of restorative spaces to help them dream outside of the day-to-day grind of campaign work. Meanwhile, poets understand how our work can be transformative for communities, and yet often find ourselves siloed in academic spaces and/or struggling to create within an under-resourced field. While poets have been part of every social justice movement of the past century, it is hard to find spaces specifically designed for poets and activists to talk to each other, dream together, and create the powerful works of poetry that will animate the movements to come. We believe writers, especially poets, can help make the fights for racial, economic, and gender justice more imaginative and more nourishing for the people in them. We envision the Witches & Warriors Retreat as a catalyst, a meeting point, and a spark for future collaborations.
The inaugural Witches & Warriors Retreat took place in the summer of 2022. Past faculty have included Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Cynthia Dewi Oka, Aurielle Marie, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.
PHOTO GALLERY
Click individual photos for image descriptions.
PAST WITCHES & WARRIORS RETREAT FELLOWS
2024
Aishvarya Arora, Tarik Bartel, Rosa Castellano, danialie fertile, Sherrie Anne Hart, Amina Jordan-Mendez, E Morales-Williams, Kenyatta Muzzanni Robles, Bri/Bri Bri/Briana Ruiz, Sanam Sheriff, tae min suh, Jae H. Tran, Cheyenne Wyzzard-Jones
2022
Sojourner Ahébée, Jamie Grace Alexander, Noa Coffrey-Moore, MacKenzie River Foy, Aarati Kasturirangan, Mon Mohapatra, Precious Chika Musa, Blue Nguyen, Bushra Rehman, Aftan Sethia, tae min suh, Omkari Williams.
SUPPORT THE RETREAT
The 2024 retreat is made possible with support from the Markham-Nathan Fund, Resist, the Poetry Foundation, and many individual donors.
You can help us build a stronger and more creative movement by supporting BIPOC organizers, activists, and socially-engaged poets. Please consider donating below!
Brew & Forge is a fiscally sponsored project of the Peace Development Fund, a 501(c)3 public foundation. If you'd like your contribution to go specifically toward funding the retreat, please write "for Witches & Warriors" under "additional notes."