Residential Courses and Retreats

A special occasion

It is thirty years since Moniack Mhor opened its doors, welcoming our first poetry course in 1993 with Liz Lochhead, Roger McGough and guest, the late Aonghas MacNeacail. Once a working croft of cattle barn and cottage, the buildings fell into disrepair in the 60s, until it was discovered by Kit and Sophia Fraser in 1991.

After a 24-hour fundraising poethon, lots of letters to trusts and foundations, nearly two years of restoration and many invites to novelists, poets, playwrights and many more, the centre began its new life as a creative hub for writers.  It’s with huge admiration for the literary community that they invested their time and energy in the early years to make the centre what it is today, that we venture forth into our 30th year.

From 17th May 2023 to 16th May 2024, we’ll be celebrating this milestone year in as many ways as we can, so look out for more stories, memories, special courses and events on our website, blog, and social media networks.

Residential Courses & Retreats

  • 2413 Spring Retreat - Week 2 of 3
    Mon 25th Mar - Sat 30th Mar
    Limited Places Available

    As the days draw out, come to Moniack Mhor for a week of undisturbed writing time. Join us for this week only or stay longer for more dedicated writing time during our spring retreat series.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2414 Spring Retreat - Week 3 of 3
    Mon 1st Apr - Sat 6th Apr
    Fully Booked

    We are dedicating this time of year to the calm of retreats. Join us for the last in our three-week series of spring retreats to give your writing that extra push. 


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2416 Mid-April Retreat
    Mon 15th Apr - Sat 20th Apr

    Whether you want to energise old work, make space for new work, or simply edit in quiet, you can immerse yourself and your writing in the energy of spring as the landscape around you begins to blossom.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2417 Poetry: Fling Open the Doors with Caroline Bird and Malika Booker, Guest Reader Keith Jarrett
    Mon 22nd Apr - Sat 27th Apr
    Fully Booked

    This course is all about radical self-permission, flinging open the doors of ourselves, allowing our blank pages to yield words we didn’t even know we held inside our heads. Prepare to write an almost criminal amount of new poems. 


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2418 Fiction: Short Story Flow and Form with Tom Conaghan and Camilla Grudova, Guest Reader Jessie Greengrass
    Mon 29th Apr - Sat 4th May
    Limited Places Available

    In this inspirational week, we will look at elements of flavour, sense and surrealism in short fiction, and encourage flow in your writing to reconnect with creativity beyond any internalised expectations of form.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2419 Tutored Retreat: Writing and Walking with Linda Cracknell and Kapka Kassabova, Guest Reader Horatio Clare
    Mon 6th May - Sat 11th May

    Place is an integral part of many writers’ prose practice, whether writing fiction or non-fiction. This retreat will give you time and space in the expansive, nurturing environment of Moniack Mhor alongside walking, writing, and reading.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2421 May Retreat
    Mon 20th May - Sat 25th May
    Fully Booked

    Clear air and the scent of pine drifting from the forest await you on our May writing retreat. This time is yours to focus on your writing away from the bustle of everyday life.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2423 Early June Retreat
    Mon 3rd Jun - Sat 8th Jun
    Fully Booked

    Summer starts to make itself known in the Scottish Highlands in June, as the days stretch towards the solstice. Make the most of extra daylight and stretch your metaphorical writer legs during our June retreat.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2425 Fiction: Starting to write Myth into Fiction with Joanne Harris and Louie Stowell, Guest Reader Kevin Crossley Holland
    Mon 17th Jun - Sat 22nd Jun
    Fully Booked

    As humans, we are embedded in a web of shared stories, handed down through the generations. Join Joanne Harris and Louie Stowell to explore how themes and characters from myths and folklore can help you unlock your own story.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2426 Playwriting: Mechanics of Playwriting with Simon Stephens and Cordelia Lynn, Guest Reader TBC
    Mon 24th Jun - Sat 29th Jun

    An active interrogation of the mechanics of playwriting, this course will creatively examine the use of dramatic action, character, location, narrative and structure in the making of a play.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2427 Tutored Retreat: Crime Writing with Helen Fitzgerald and Doug Johnstone, Guest Reader Karen Sullivan
    Mon 1st Jul - Sat 6th Jul

    Are you working on a crime novel and want to make it sing? This intensive tutored retreat is an opportunity for writers of crime fiction to focus closely on their works-in-progress, finessing and polishing all aspects of their writing.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2429 July Retreat
    Mon 15th Jul - Sat 20th Jul
    Fully Booked

    July is when Moniack’s garden is full and heavy with raspberries! Take this time to nourish the fruit of your own writing – with some home-made scones topped with Kit’s raspberry jam to keep you going.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2431 Writing Parenthood with Lucy Caldwell and Kerri ní Dochartaigh
    Mon 29th Jul - Sat 3rd Aug
    Fully Booked

    In this course, which can include childcare, we will explore what it means to write contemporary motherhood in fiction and non-fiction, in all of its blood, guts, despair, sublimity, and soul. There are options for attendance on this course.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2432 Life-Writing: Memoir and Memory with Ali Millar and Kat Lister, Guest Reader Dr Akira O'Connor
    Mon 5th Aug - Sat 10th Aug
    Limited Places Available

    Navigate the Fallible Past: Kat Lister and Ali Millar will explore memoir and memory, and where the two intersect, tackling the big question – can a writer trust such a capricious source?


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2434 Poetry: Nature and Poetry with Alycia Pirmohamed and Genevieve Carver, Guest Reader Tim Tim Cheng
    Mon 19th Aug - Sat 24th Aug

    How do we engage with the non-human world? How do our own personal histories intersect with our experiences in nature? In this course we will explore how environment, place and wildlife can inform our poetry.


    Read more and book your place.
  • 2435 Late August Retreat
    Mon 26th Aug - Sat 31st Aug
    Fully Booked

    The fields around Moniack Mhor are rich and golden with the fullness of summer now, ready for harvest. Join us this August to gather your own words and reap the writing magic.


    Read more and book your place.

 

View our Online Courses here

 

Radical Care Retreats with Childcare

Following the success of our 2022 Radical Care Retreats with Childcare, Moniack Mhor are currently developing plans for future delivery of a similar retreat with childcare support.  If this is something you would like to know more about, please email us to register your interest on radicalcare@moniackmhor.org.uk

 

 

 

 

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