Friday afternoon and evening
Mihi whakatau
Friday 4:00pm – 4:30pm
Welcome and formal opening of the Retreat by Te Ati Awa local, Mohi Edwin.
Whakarongo ki te tai, whakarongo ki te wā / Listen to the tide, listen to the time
Friday 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Join Ati Awa local, Mohi Edwin who will then take us on a journey through the surrounding area and share some kōrero on the history, stories and significance of this special place to haukāinga, Te Ati Awa.
The walk will be approximately 6km along an established track which is largely flat and we will be stopping regularly along the way. For anyone not comfortable walking that distance, we will provide meeting points which can be driven to. Please wear appropriate shoes and bring a sunhat, sunscreen, drink bottle and any other items that you will need. You can let us know any access requirements when you register.
Welcome dinner
Friday 7pm
Share kai and celebrate the beginning of the weekend with fellow writers.
Free-writing
Friday 8:30pm
Get your creative juices flowing with this evening free-write facilitated by Helen Lehndorf. All welcome.
Saturday and Sunday
Gentle morning yoga
Saturday & Sunday 7:00am
All are welcome to join in morning yoga led by Helen Lehndorf. Please bring a mat or shawl if you have one.
Morning workshop
Saturday & Sunday 9am – 12:30pm
Each of our six teaching writers will be teaching a 7.5-hour workshop across Saturday and Sunday morning on a variety of topics, from fiction, poetry, and essay to world-building, series creation, and zine-making. Find out more about these workshops and our teaching writers.
Writing together
Saturday 1:30pm-4:20pm & Sunday 2pm – 2:50pm
Come and write together. We’ll set up a room with comfortable chairs and writing prompts. Develop the writing you started in the morning workshop, start something new, journal, or edit existing projects.
Afternoon sessions
Saturday 1:30pm – 4:20pm & Sunday 2pm – 2:50pm
Each afternoon we host discussions on topics pertinent to writing and our writing lives. These sessions are facilitated by our teaching writers and provide the opportunity for you to ask questions, discuss ideas, and engage in contemporary writing issues. Find out more information on these sessions.
Saturday evening
Notebooks for prisoners
Saturday 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Join Sasha Francis, Achille Segard and Renae Williams from 5ever Books to make notebooks for incarcerated people. The 5ever books community supports incarcerated people through their Notebooks for Prisoners campaign. They repurpose waste paper into blank notebooks with the help of friends. These notebooks are put together by volunteers, delivered free of charge, and then distributed ad hoc to those inside through a network of case managers, therapists, case officers, education Tutors, etc. The aim is to ensure that all inside prison have basic materials, such as blank paper. The main (and only) cost for this campaign is postage, as 10-15kg boxes are expensive! Please feel free to bring any waste paper you have at home.
Open mike
Saturday 8:00pm
Come and celebrate the words of the 2024 Kāpiti Writers’ Retreat! Everyone is welcome to share their work in any genre or language. 5 minutes/person. Sign up at the Retreat.
Throughout the weekend
Personalised coaching with Catherine Cooper, Saturday and Sunday, times to be arranged individually
Please note: there are limited spaces and the cost for session is included in the whole Retreat or Retreat-only fee.
Prose writers working on or considering a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or memoir can register for a 45-minute coaching session with author and writing coach Catherine Cooper.
In these sessions, Catherine can help you to discover or articulate the story you want to share, the themes you want to explore, and why they are important to you. She can offer practical strategies for structuring your plot, getting to know your voice, connecting with your characters, and making the writing process feel more manageable. Or you can use your time together to dive into deeper questions about why you write, why you make the choices you make as a writer, and how your creativity is connected to your intuition, values, and life experience. You can register your interest when you sign up for the Retreat.
Writers Practice drop-in
Writers Practice will host a drop-in to answer other writing questions you might have throughout the weekend.