Into the Wilderness Writing Retreats
with Tania Runyan, Sarah M. Wells, and Addie Zierman
Every writer knows the wilderness—those dry spells, heartbreaks, unanswered prayers, and detours that leave us searching for words. But the wilderness is also where God meets us, shapes us, and gives us stories worth telling.
Into the Wilderness is an intimate, four-day retreat designed for writers who long to explore the hard and holy through their craft. Each morning, one of your guides—authors Sarah M. Wells, Tania Runyan, and Addie Zierman—will lead you in a blend of spiritual practice and creative workshop. Afternoons open into unstructured space for you to write, wander, or rest as you see fit. Evenings gather us back together to share words, break bread, and enjoy the rare gift of kindred company.
This is not a conference. It’s an exclusive retreat, intentionally capped at no more than 12 participants, where community and conversation are as essential as the solitude and silence.
Choose between three locations and three seasons:
- Coastal Carolina, Wilmington, NC — October 2026
- Someplace Warm TBD — February 2027
- Rivers and Lakes, Minnesota — June 2027
Come ready to write, reflect, and be renewed. Your wilderness valley may just become someone else’s door of hope.
Wilmington, NC 2026 Tentative Retreat Schedule
Thursday
- 4 PM Arrive / Check-In
- 5:30-7 PM Dinner
- 7-9 PM Spiritual Practice, Gathering Up the Wilderness
Friday
- 8-9 AM Breakfast, Spiritual Practice
- 9-11:30 AM Write Wildly with Sarah M. Wells (2.5 hours with break, teaching, and writing)
- 11:30 AM – 1 PM Lunch
- 1-4:30 PM Personal Writing Time
- 4:30-5:30 PM Embodying the Psalms Session
- 5:30-7 PM Dinner Break
- 7-8 PM Instructor Wilderness Reading and Reflection
Saturday
- 8-9 AM Breakfast, Spiritual Practice / Yoga
- 9-11:30 AM Session with Tania Runyan (2.5 hours with break, teaching, and writing)
- 11:30 AM – 1 PM Lunch
- 1-3:30 PM Session with Addie Zierman (2.5 hours with break, teaching, and writing)
- 3:30-5:30 PM Personal Writing Time
- 5:30-7 PM Dinner Break
- 7-8 PM Offering Our Words (Shared Reading)
Sunday
- 8-9 AM Breakfast, Spiritual Practice
- 9-10:30 AM Sending Forth
- 11 AM Check-Out
Your Retreat Instructors:
Tania Runyan, Sarah M. Wells, and Addie Zierman are award-winning authors, poets, and teachers whose work explores the intersection of faith, creativity, and the wilderness seasons of life. Collectively, they bring decades of experience in writing, publishing, and guiding others into deeper encounters with God through story.
Sarah is the author of multiple collections of poetry and nonfiction and is known for her lyrical, reflective prose that makes space for wonder in the everyday. Tania, a widely published poet and author of several guides to creative writing, has a gift for helping writers access both craft and spirit with clarity and playfulness. Addie, a celebrated memoirist and essayist, writes with raw honesty about faith, doubt, and the search for grace in the wilderness.
Together, they offer a rare blend of spiritual depth, creative expertise, and compassionate presence, creating a space where writers can be fully seen, fully heard, and inspired to bring their own wilderness stories to the page.
Wilmington, NC Coastal Retreat
October 2026
Official dates to be announced in November 2025
Retreat to the Carolina Beaches! Stay in a luxurious oceanside home. Registration includes room, board, and instructor fees.
Single Bed/Bunk Shared Room: $699
Private Room: $875
Sarah Marie Wells 