University of Dayton students from any major with a passion for writing are encouraged to apply for the English department’s annual You Can Write! Creative Writing Retreat.
Applications will be accepted through Nov. 17. Apply here.
Launched three years ago through the generosity of Liz (Mund) Ryan ‘81 and Jamie Ryan ’82, the three-day, two-night retreat will take place at the Bergamo Center in Beavercreek Feb. 5-7.
All retreat expenses — lodging, meals and snacks — will be covered for 12 students. The retreat will be led by novelists Meredith Doench and Katrina Kittle.
“There’s nothing like stowing away from life for a weekend and diving into your creative work. Working with students on their writing projects is always inspiring, and the retreat allows us the space to connect not only as professors and students, but as writers,” said Doench, who teaches creative writing at UD.
Students who participated in the retreat earlier this year found it valuable, encouraging — and fun.
“Being in a space where everyone was writing definitely motivated me and kept the creative energy alive during the weekend,” one student said.
The weekend will include instruction in the craft of fiction, writing sessions, prompts, one-on-one guidance and the opportunity to share work for those comfortable doing so.
The retreat takes its name from the words legendary columnist and author Erma Bombeck ’49 first heard from her UD English Professor Brother Tom Price, S.M.
Seeing Bombeck’s potential, Price encouraged her to write a humorous piece for UD’s literary magazine. She timidly slipped the piece under his office door.
“He saw me one day outside the cafeteria, and he said three words to me, that’s all, just three words that were to sustain me for the rest of my life. He looked at me and said, ‘You can write,’” recalled Bombeck, whose columns later graced the pages of 900 newspapers and books topped the bestseller list.
The Ryans, an alumni couple in Columbus, Ohio, helped establish the retreat to offer today's students that same sort of inspiration and encouragement. It’s intentionally designed for students of any major or experience level.
“We want to help cultivate confidence and spark a fire in students,” said Liz Ryan, an English major and retired teacher.
For more information, contact Meredith Doench at mdoench1@udayton.edu.