Stories and Songs Writing Retreat - Montana/Yellowstone 2025
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Calling all untamed writers!
Stories & Songs: A Writing Retreat in Montana / Yellowstone ~ September 22-26, 2025
An immersive and generative retreat for people who write—or want to write—stories and songs. You can do one, or both!
Do you write stories that sound like songs? Are you writing songs that tell stories?
Let's escape to write with the wolves in pristine Montana near Yellowstone National Park.
It's time to invest in that creative writing project and give yourself the the wild open space to write with the wild beauty of your heart.
We have TWO slots left for the full retreat!
And we're offering a Day Pass for Sept. 25 only, at $119.
Stories + Songs features Grammy-nominated songwriter and songwriting instructor Clay Mills, along with storytellers and writing teachers memoirist/novelist Carolyn Dawn Flynn, author of the newly released Boundless, and lyricist and novelist Karen Leslie Mills.
MEET US! We hold a free monthly zoom event during which we just write.
Join novelist/lyricist Karen Leslie Mills and memoirist/novelist Carolyn Dawn Flynn for 1.5 hours of pristine writing time. We'll get in about 45 minutes of writing, then read, then have an Ask Me Anything about writing and publication.
5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET last Monday of the month:
June 30
July 28
Aug. 25
Sept. 29
Oct. 27
Nov. 24
Dec. 29
Jan. 26, 2026
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yQwt-sftQFScOMI0xIqBhw
The Stories & Songs Vision
Carolyn Flynn and Karen Leslie’s long-cherished vision: To host a writing retreat offering generative workshops in the art of Storytelling and Songwriting, and where the setting is exceptional. Stories & Songs Writing Retreat materialized out of that vision with three tracks: Storyteller, Songwriter, and Hybrid, each aimed at producing new writing and new songs.
They wanted a writing retreat with workshops featuring individual feedback and cross-genre study that examines the shared elements between stories and songs: musicality, lyricism, rhyming action, compression, voice, recurring motifs, “flashbulb” images, co-writing, patterns, arc, and repetition. Together with Grammy-nominated hit songwriter Clay Mills (Songwriter Track), they mapped out a dive deep into creativity, craft, and process.
The last part of the puzzle fell into place when thinking about the actual time at the retreat. So, they designed the workshop schedule with dedicated writing blocks built in—all while living and eating in an inspiring place. Carolyn, Karen, and Clay believe the perfect setting brings stardust to the Stories & Songs Writing Retreat.
This year, we will retreat to Montana’s rolling hills at the convergence of two pools fed by natural geothermal hot springs!
Location. Location. Location. Retreat to Chico Hot Springs Resort in 2025!
REGISTER or FIND OUT MORE at https://storiesandsongsretreat.com/
OR join us for the free monthly writing zoom and get to know us!
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yQwt-sftQFScOMI0xIqBhw
Get Tickets
Stories & Songs: A Writing Retreat in Montana / Yellowstone ~ September 22-26, 2025
An immersive and generative retreat for people who write—or want to write—stories and songs. You can do one, or both!
Do you write stories that sound like songs? Are you writing songs that tell stories?
Let's escape to write with the wolves in pristine Montana near Yellowstone National Park.
It's time to invest in that creative writing project and give yourself the the wild open space to write with the wild beauty of your heart.
We have TWO slots left for the full retreat!
And we're offering a Day Pass for Sept. 25 only, at $119.
Stories + Songs features Grammy-nominated songwriter and songwriting instructor Clay Mills, along with storytellers and writing teachers memoirist/novelist Carolyn Dawn Flynn, author of the newly released Boundless, and lyricist and novelist Karen Leslie Mills.
MEET US! We hold a free monthly zoom event during which we just write.
Join novelist/lyricist Karen Leslie Mills and memoirist/novelist Carolyn Dawn Flynn for 1.5 hours of pristine writing time. We'll get in about 45 minutes of writing, then read, then have an Ask Me Anything about writing and publication.
5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET last Monday of the month:
June 30
July 28
Aug. 25
Sept. 29
Oct. 27
Nov. 24
Dec. 29
Jan. 26, 2026
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yQwt-sftQFScOMI0xIqBhw
The Stories & Songs Vision
Carolyn Flynn and Karen Leslie’s long-cherished vision: To host a writing retreat offering generative workshops in the art of Storytelling and Songwriting, and where the setting is exceptional. Stories & Songs Writing Retreat materialized out of that vision with three tracks: Storyteller, Songwriter, and Hybrid, each aimed at producing new writing and new songs.
They wanted a writing retreat with workshops featuring individual feedback and cross-genre study that examines the shared elements between stories and songs: musicality, lyricism, rhyming action, compression, voice, recurring motifs, “flashbulb” images, co-writing, patterns, arc, and repetition. Together with Grammy-nominated hit songwriter Clay Mills (Songwriter Track), they mapped out a dive deep into creativity, craft, and process.
The last part of the puzzle fell into place when thinking about the actual time at the retreat. So, they designed the workshop schedule with dedicated writing blocks built in—all while living and eating in an inspiring place. Carolyn, Karen, and Clay believe the perfect setting brings stardust to the Stories & Songs Writing Retreat.
This year, we will retreat to Montana’s rolling hills at the convergence of two pools fed by natural geothermal hot springs!
Location. Location. Location. Retreat to Chico Hot Springs Resort in 2025!
REGISTER or FIND OUT MORE at https://storiesandsongsretreat.com/
OR join us for the free monthly writing zoom and get to know us!
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/yQwt-sftQFScOMI0xIqBhw
| Ticket Information | Ticket Price |
|---|---|
| Early Bird Rate deposit only ($500) | USD 535 |
| Early Bird Rate full amount | USD 4,051 |
| Standard Rate (deposit only) | USD 535 |
| Standard Rate full amount | USD 4,265 |
Get Tickets
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