a creativity retreat center
reading retreat
"A book is a dream
that you hold in your hands."
- Neil Gaiman
JOIN ANGELA REDDEN, book seller and reading advocate, for a quiet getaway exclusively for reading in beautiful rural rolling hills of mid-south Tennessee.
September 1 - 4, 2023
An all-inclusive weekend for avid readers,
bookish influencers, and booksellers just 1.5 hours south of Reading Rocks Bookstore in Dickson, TN
Enjoy a nature immersion with many private reading spots and the
opportunity to connect with other readers during group meals.
Max participation - 8
Angela is on a mission to bring readers, writers, and thinkers together.
DETAILS
Camp Wonder Wander encourages
'wonderlost' + wanderlust.
Venture to this special light pollution free zone in the region, where you can escape your normal routine and have permission to immerse in your passion for books supported by a fellow bibliophile. Spend the long September weekend in this retreat with a dose of nature and plenty of spots to find a comfortable place to read. With the waning full moon from August 31, the evenings will be conducive to your restful experience.
Meals are included as a holistic nourishment of the mind and body in this retreat. While breakfasts and lunch will be available continental style including organic, fresh farm eggs from our happy free-ranging flock so that you can go at your own flow, your retreat host will prepare the group meals each evening where you can join the other participants to talk shop.
ARRIVE FRIDAY LATE AFTERNOON ON SEPTEMBER 1 for a hearty evening meal and socializing with other retreat attendees.
After the continental breakfast on SATURDAY, you'll meet the donkeys and experience the nature immersion with about an hour of a guided Forest Therapy session with your host, certified as a guide by ANFT.
Take the rest of the day to dive into the pages on your list. You can find numerous cozy places around the lodge for reading including hammocks (weather permitting) or take a chair and head to the river on a short walk.
Saturday evening reconvene for group dinner where you can share your progress and insights with others. A special guest author will join us. Angela will be deep in her ARC list to bring exciting materials to the Reading Rock Shelves soon. You can also request a personalized list catered just for you by our bookseller expert.
SUNDAY is on your own as you gain rhythm and connect to the land. Take a break to visit the donkeys, drink your tea, or meander on a trail. Reconvene for the final group dinner and another session of sharing.
Depart on Monday afternoon (only continental breakfast available). Please inquire if you would like to extend your stay.
star-gazing in one of the best spots in the state of Tennessee
What is Forest Therapy?
Feel the benefits of spending time in nature and amid trees in a slow guided nature immersion that is based off the Japanese tradition 'shinrin-yoku' or 'Forest Bathing'. This special feature of the Camp retreat will help you disconnect from your busy life and get settled into the connection with your reading for the next few days. This is a gentle experience and not requiring physical exertion.
retreat fee & lodging
This inclusive 3 night retreat includes all access to the camp land, nooks, and crannies to support your reading passion; organic and fresh meals with consideration for any special dietary needs; yummy teas and coffee as well as a soda stream with fresh ingredients if you prefer bubbly beverages; dinner with a local author; and comfortable lodging all creatively designed with housekeeping before and after your stay. Transportation, travel insurance, personal items, and materials not included.
Retreat fee: $600 plus your lodging choice below:
Book your favorite room knowing that most often the group will meet in the Lemon Lodge, but all lodging options are fully furnished houses with all of the typical rooms/features.
LEMON LODGE:
Private Single room / Full bed / shared bath = $ 250
Double room / King & Twin / ensuite = $ 150/person or $300 as single
Loft (twin beds, requires walking up stairs) 4 maximum - choose your bed upon arrival = $ 120/person
RASPBERRY RESIDENCY HOUSE:
a short walk to the Lemon Lodge where we'll have group gatherings
Private Single Room / twin bed / shared bath (2 available) = $ 200
Can't make it this year,
but interested in coordinating your own
reading or book retreat?
Check out our customizable options
and start the conversation below.
BOOK LOVERS RETREAT
OPTIONS:
* TALK ABOUT BOOKS WITH A LIST OF MORE THAN 25 BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS
* EXPERIENCE MAPPING
* COLLAGE
* VISUAL NARRATIVE
* JAPANESE BOOKBINDING
* BOOK HISTORY & BOOK RELATED GRAPHIC DESIGN
Why Val ?
Val's philosophy of being a wonder wanderer and getting lost is the epitome of what happens in our relationship with books. In her youth, Val was an avid reader and as adulthood bears more responsibilities reading sometimes has more purposes than pure entertainment while her choices of material evolved. As a graphic designer, Val is obsessed with book covers and good design in general so wandering into bookstores to look at all the delights is always fun and inspiring. She's admittedly a bibliophile.
At the University where she was teaching prior to starting Camp Wonder Wander creativity retreat center and workshops, the general education program was asking faculty to submit course proposals for seniors in any major to take a seminar that covered the 5 subjects – history, literature and philosophy, aesthetics, science, and human behavior - in some capacity with an overarching theme. '
After much contemplation and brainstorming, Val had an a-ha moment - BOOKS!
You see as she became immersed in design education and teaching graphic design history, books not only became something to read, but artifacts of culture, evidence of historical changes in design, and more. Her passion for books grew enormously and she developed a list which has expanded beyond the initial 24 books about books for her students to read and she read them too. Her proposal was met with rave reviews by all of her colleagues and teaching it brought much joy in seeing students who admittedly never read a book (and graduating from college), or those who didn't think they were creative able to present their reading in an innovative way, or those learning about literacy discovering Malala's story and also book censorship for the first time.
Val is passionate about everything BOOKS: book culture, book design, reading, visiting libraries and bookstores, discovering historic archives, teaching about the history of the book and history of writing, and making her own visual narrative books.
She wants to share her knowledge and passion for this material with you! Contact now to coordinate a book retreat weekend for your group - friends, followers, customers, book club participants.