Our new fall retreat, the Quail Retreat is focused on craft, generating new pages, and sharing your creations every afternoon by reading aloud with your workshop group. The Quail Retreat is also about connecting with you inner artist, and the time we spend at Buck Mountain will let you turn into the beautiful land and be inspiried by time to move your body. The Quail Retreat is perfect for the writer who needs time away from all their obligations and uninterrupted hours to delve into their writing. The yoga practice and day-long retreat at Buck Mountain is an essential part of the experience.

Our Poppy Retreats occur every Spring, with new retreats and dates announced in August. Poppy Retreats are publishing focused, featuring 1 Author-in-Residence, 2 Guest Literary Agents, and 1 Editor, to give you a well-rounded understanding of the publishing industry. We do written workshops of 20 pages submitted prior to the retreat, and workshops are facilited by each literary agent and the editor. Our goal, always, is to create community and bring together writers with similar publishing ambitions, and give them the tools to understand the next steps in their publishing journey.

You may submit published or unpublished work for the application. Our goal is to see your writing talents and be sure you are a good fit for the retreat. What you decide to workshop at the retreat is your choice: part of a novel or a short story, which you'll be asked to submit a month before your retreat date.

We're so glad you're interested! We are currently closed for submissions for our Poppy Retreats in Spring 2026, but we will reopen for our Quail Retreat in September in early 2026.

Make sure to sign up for our newsletter, plus follow us on Instagram to get more information about future retreats and our Virtual Courses (check our courses here!).

Yes. With the generosity of our alums, as well as Guest Agents and Authors-in-Residence who have donated their honorarium back to the retreat, we are able to offer financial aid.

When acceptance letters are sent, we will give you the option to apply for financial aid. As soon as we have all requests in hand, we’ll review our funds and see what we are able to gift. Aid is needs based, not merit based.

Unfortunately we can’t accept every writer who applies as we have limited space. Please be sure to show us your best work, and really tell us about yourself and your writing journey in your personal statement. While the submission needs to be strong, we get to know you as a person from your personal statement.

We want to be sure that the writers who apply are serious about their writing and their intent of attending Northern California Writers’ Retreat.

Our new fall retreat, the Quail Retreat is focused on craft, generating new pages, and sharing your creations every afternoon by reading aloud with your workshop group. The Quail Retreat is also about connecting with you inner artist, and the time we spend at Buck Mountain will let you turn into the beautiful land and be inspiried by time to move your body. The Quail Retreat is perfect for the writer who needs time away from all their obligations and uninterrupted hours to delve into their writing. The yoga practice and day-long retreat at Buck Mountain is an essential part of the experience.

Our Poppy Retreats occur every Spring, with new retreats and dates announced in August. Poppy Retreats are publishing focused, featuring 1 Author-in-Residence, 2 Guest Literary Agents, and 1 Editor, to give you a well-rounded understanding of the publishing industry. We do written workshops of 20 pages submitted prior to the retreat, and workshops are facilited by each literary agent and the editor. Our goal, always, is to create community and bring together writers with similar publishing ambitions, and give them the tools to understand the next steps in their publishing journey.

You may submit published or unpublished work for the application. Our goal is to see your writing talents and be sure you are a good fit for the retreat. What you decide to workshop at the retreat is your choice: part of a novel or a short story, which you'll be asked to submit a month before your retreat date.

We're so glad you're interested! We are currently closed for submissions for our Poppy Retreats in Spring 2026, but we will reopen for our Quail Retreat in September in early 2026.

Make sure to sign up for our newsletter, plus follow us on Instagram to get more information about future retreats and our Virtual Courses (check our courses here!).

Rooms are simple, and each has a bathroom ensuite (with shower, toilet, and sink). All linens and towels are provided by the retreat center. Most rooms have two beds, though we’ll only have one writer in each room in order to allow everyone privacy and quiet. Our goal is to provide a peaceful, tranquil experience that both fosters community and respects the space needed to create.

Yes. Our retreat price is all-inclusive and your experience is further enhanced by being amongst community throughout your time here (plus you don't have to go home and do dishes or cook!).

Rooms are simple, and each has a bathroom ensuite (with shower, toilet, and sink). All linens and towels are provided by the retreat center. Most rooms have two beds, though we’ll only have one writer in each room in order to allow everyone privacy and quiet. Our goal is to provide a peaceful, tranquil experience that both fosters community and respects the space needed to create.