reTREAT Yourself!

Join us March 14th - 15th, 2026 at the Pallottine Center in Florissant, MO! Whatever writing project you’re tackling (or dreaming of beginning), you'll have the luxury of time while being surrounded by fellow writers to nudge and inspire you.

During GWP Writing Retreats, we gather together for a weekend of writing. Writers arrive on Saturday morningas early as 10 AM and leave on Sunday afternoon by 3 PM. Writers can join sessions to share or choose as much quiet writing time as they want. We eat our meals as a group, and there is an invitational social hour on Saturday evening.

The retreat center offers private rooms (paid for by you), a spacious meeting hall for group time (paid for by GWP), lovely grounds for exploring, and Saturday lunch & dinner, plus Sunday breakfast & lunch (paid for by GWP). All you have to bring is yourself and your inspiration. By the time you leave mid-afternoon on Sunday, you’ll be refreshed and rejuvenated.

Single Room: $75 per person

Join us for a writing outdoors experieince at the Pallottine Center in Florissant, MO! The marathon will take place from 10 AM to noon. At noon, participants may join our writing retreat group for a complimentary lunch.

ENJOY! ...writing for the sake of writing, writing for the moment, writing for the immediate audience, writing as the experience of a place, and the time to just write for yourself. It's about the writing act, not the writing product.

Give yourself soome time to EXPLORE, WRITE, INTERACT w/ NATURE, AND DISCUSS YOUR OWN WRITING.

Join GWP as we explore nature paired with the text, Afoot and Lighthearted by Bonnie Smith Whitehouse.

The book is designed to be an inspiring companion for those who'd like to use walking as a tool for heightening and training awareness, reviving energy, and cultivating a deeper sense of gratitude. Let's use walking and community as a pathway to revive creativity and refresh the imagination!

We will 'launch' the group on Saturday, March 14th at our spring Writing Marathon & Retreat at Pallotine Retreat Center and continue to meet six more times on the first Wednesday of the month at Tower Grove Park to discuss the six parts of the text. Come for all six meetings or just the one you can squeeze into your schedule. All are welcome.

Wednesday, April 1st from 4 - 6:30 PM: Part One, A Sense of Place

Wednesday, May 6th from 4 - 6:30 PM: Part Two, Well-Being

Wednesday, June 3rd from 9 - 10:30 AM: Part Three, Attention

Wednesday, July 1st from 9 - 10:30 AM: Part Four, Exploration

Wednesday, August 5th from 9 - 10:30 AM: Part Five, Devotion

Wednesday, September 2nd from 4 - 6:30 PM: Part Six, Transcendence

Contact Us: gwp@umsl.edu
1 University Blvd, 302 Marillac Hall, St. Louis, MO, 63121

Learn More: http://www.umsl.edu/services/gwp/
Facebook & Instagram: @GatewayWriting