Taos Writing Retreat
Next retreat: April 18 – 23, 2027
Who the Taos Writing Retreat Is For
The Taos writers retreat fits writers at every stage.
If you are finishing a long-form project, the uninterrupted hours are exactly what you have been missing. If you are just beginning, the small group and steady method give you a place to start that does not feel like a leap into nothing. And if you simply need time with your own work in a place that treats creativity as serious business, Taos delivers, with its vast skies and intoxicating high desert scents.
There is no minimum experience and no single right reason to come. Some writers arrive with a finished draft to revise. Others arrive with nothing but the wish to begin. Both belong here. If this town has been quietly on your list for years, let this be the year you finally write here.
This is our flagship retreat, held in the legendary art town that Imaginative Storm co-founder Allegra Huston has called home for over 25 years. Taos has been the crossroads of cultures for a thousand years, and has pulled writers and painters toward it for more than a century, drawn by the same thing you will feel when you arrive, a sense that the work matters and belongs to something larger than yourself.
We’re based at a historic B&B on the edge of Taos Pueblo lands—the oldest inhabited building in the US and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We write every morning in the room where D. H. Lawrence wrote. We take a field trip to the house where Georgia O’Keeffe stayed when she first came to New Mexico.
In these five days, Taos will loosen the grip of your ordinary thinking. At this retreat, you are not a tourist. For a few days, you are a writer at work in one of the great creative landscapes of the country.
About the Taos Writers’ Retreat
What You Will Experience at the Taos Creative Writing Retreat
The retreat is built on the Imaginative Storm method: timed prompts, real craft instruction, and the kind of peer sharing that makes you braver. Days move between focused writing and salon discussion, with one-on-one editorial time built in so your project gets specific, personal attention.
The timed prompts pull you into a flow state where the writing arrives before the second-guessing can. Taos has a way of making that feel less like effort and more like discovery, as though the words were already in the room and you only had to catch them. The Taos creative writing retreat is less about pushing harder and more about getting out of your own way.
You will go home with new pages, a clearer sense of what your project wants to be, and a writing practice that now feels completely natural. More than that: you’ll also experience first-hand how working artists work, as our time together includes two visits to the studios of extraordinary artists, who will explain their process—as relevant to writing as to painting and sculpture. You will leave feeling part of this tribe: the tribe of creators..
Why It Works
You stop trying to “write well.” That frees your real voice to come through and retrains your inner critic.
You develop a consistent writing habit that boosts emotional wellness and mental clarity.
You train your brain to be curious, not critical. Which makes writing—and life—more interesting and more enjoyable.
You gain new insights, perspectives, and energy. They ripple into all your creative work.
You join a welcoming, supportive writing community, where you're encouraged, not judged.
Participants tell us they’re happier with what they write in these 10-minute sessions than what they manage in hours on their own. That’s because Imaginative Storm writing isn’t just about the prompt—it’s a practice.
You’re stretching and strengthening your imagination. You’re learning how to write what you don’t know—and that’s where the sparky, original writing comes from.
About the Imaginative Storm method
TThe Imaginative Storm method is centered on appreciation, not criticism. Our workshops and retreats are always a safe space in which to explore and experiment. We don’t encourage competition, and we don’t offer negative criticism in the group setting.
I will write along with the group to all the prompts. This fosters an atmosphere of equality and collaboration—and you’ll see that my raw material is on a par with your own.
How It Works
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Before you come to Nova Scotia, find a pen you enjoy writing with, and a notebook that doesn’t make you feel you’re supposed to write well in it. I prefer cheap spiral-bound notebooks, but you may prefer something that makes your writing feel special—as long as it doesn’t put pressure on you to write well!
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We offer you a prompt that invites you to approach a memory, a person, a place, or an idea, in a way you’ve never approached it before.
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A timer might seem like pressure, but actually it’s the opposite! The biggest pressure most people put on themselves is their desire to write well. Your rational mind probably doesn’t believe it’s possible to write well in just 10 minutes, so the timer makes it much easier to get the rational mind, with all its ambitions and anxieties, to step back and let your imagination take the lead.
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Item descriptionWhen the 10 minutes is up, we’ll each read what we wrote aloud. There’s huge benefit in reading your writing aloud, and you’ll quickly get over any nerves. Reading aloud is the secret to finding your voice and moving your writing into a place of intense originality and authenticity.
Daily Schedule for the Taos Writing Retreat
The days have room in them. The shape is steady without being strict, moving between writing sessions, conversation, salon discussion, and creative exploration. There is plenty of time to write, time to wander, time to let an afternoon do nothing but feed the next morning's pages, so you stay productive without burning out.
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Meet at 4 pm for a welcome reception. You'll enjoy drinks and generous hors d’oeuvres while we introduce you to the Imaginative Storm method. You’ll get acquainted with your fellow retreat participants, and sign up for your one-on-one session with Allegra.
We’ll ask you to share what brought you to our retreat, so that we can tailor the retreat to the desires and needs of the group.
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8 – 9:30 am: breakfast at Hacienda del Sol
9:30 am - 1 pm: group writing session
2 – 6 pm: individual sessions with Allegra
2:30 – 4 pm: optional salon conversation with Navé
6:30 pm: storytelling with official New Mexico Living Legend Cisco Guevara
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8 – 9:30 am: breakfast at Hacienda del Sol
9:30 am - 1 pm: group writing session
2 – 6 pm: individual sessions with Allegra
2:30 – 4 pm: optional salon conversation with Navé
4:30 – 5:30 pm: artist studio visit
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8 – 9:30 am: breakfast at Hacienda del Sol
9:30 am - 1 pm: group writing session
2 – 6 pm: individual sessions with Allegra
2:30 – 4 pm: optional salon conversation with Navé
Evening at leisure
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8 – 9:30 am: breakfast at Hacienda del Sol
9:30 am - 1 pm: group writing session
2 – 4 pm: individual sessions with Allegra
2:30 – 4 pm: optional salon conversation with Navé
4.:30 – 6:30 pm: artist studio visit
6:30 pm: farewell dinner at Allegra’s house with its 100-mile view of the New Mexico sunset
What Past Retreat Participants Say
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Marianne Furedi, Taos
“I loved how we all helped one another expand horizons, plumb depths, make discoveries and support one another in that process. Really enjoyed Navé’s “improv” time, such fun to observe as well as to try out.”
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Lyn Rothman, Los Angeles
“I am without adequate words to express how perfect these last five days have been. You created magic.”
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Virginia Heffernan, Toronto
“It was valuable for me to get out of my head and into my heart a little more. I appreciated the small group size and the valuable individual time with Allegra. Many thanks for your wisdom, energy and kindness.”
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Sheila Fenbert, Michigan
"Exhilarating! Allegra and Nave are phenomenal facilitators as well as engaging hosts. Whether a beginner or seasoned writer the process is effective, the place enchanting, and the people exceptional. Enjoyed every moment."
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Alice W. Meadows, Florida
"Right from the start, I knew this was no ordinary writer’s retreat. Allegra and Nave created a collaborative and safe environment in a short amount of time, by taking us all to our playful selves."
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CJ S., Minnesota
"The retreat space was amazing, and the artist visits were stunning. I highly recommend this wonderful experience to anyone wanting to add fuel to their writing, or to start writing like never before!"
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Marjorie Gell, Grand Rapids, MI
"I am forever changed. I acquired a fresh perspective, a new way of looking at life’s intricacies. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
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Rev. Diana V. Gustafson, Santa Fe
"Our group’s time together was intimate and exciting and I long for more. You two are the Bonnie and Clyde of writing retreats and I expect you’ll shoot up some behemoths of the creative world soon."
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Marilena R. Stephens, Asheville
“An awakening, and a game-changer for me. Long-held inhibitions freed themselves almost instantly. The fuel I needed to start this frickin car has been supplied!! The retreat was the perfect balance between structure and writing, and exploring the beauties of Taos."
