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2023 Poetry Colloquium
Facilitated by Jane Munro
Location: St. Peter’s College, Muenster, SK, Canada
Dates: May 18 – 27, 2023
This is a facilitated, in-person retreat for eight writers who have a publication record of at least one book, or the equivalent in periodicals, and are working towards manuscript completion. The colloquium offers a small group context; focus will be on individual manuscript consultations, and on seminar discussions dealing with technical, philosophical, or conceptual issues in contemporary writing. Instruction occurs within a deep-immersion setting, with an emphasis on individual writing and manuscript revision. Application is open to writers 19 years of age and older from Canada and abroad.
Application
Applicants will need to provide:
- Applicant information
- Emergency contact information
- $25 Application Fee (payable by e-Transfer, Visa / MasterCard, or cheque)
- Optional: A letter of intent towards a bursary or scholarship
- A brief letter outlining your writing project, including:
- Goals
- Where you are in your process
- How you would work on your project while at Sage Hill
- Any other pertinent information
- 12-page sample of your writing including:
- Five pages published
- Seven pages of the work in progress that you would like to develop at Sage Hill
- Your literary CV
Note:
- Writing samples up to the page requirement will be reviewed by the jury. Pages in excess will not be reviewed.
- Please combine all documents into one file to upload with the online application form.
- PDF and Microsoft Word documents are accepted.
- If you have trouble when attaching your application materials to the online form, please contact us.
Adjudication process:
All applications go through a competitive, independent peer jury process to maintain a high level of artistic merit in programs. Jury members weigh applications against a rubric of set criteria to assess the quality of writing and readiness for the experience.
Acceptance is determined by:
- Quality of work submitted
- Project description
- Experience and ability to carry out the proposed project
- Literary CV and publication history
- Which applicants would most benefit from attending Sage Hill at this point in their development
This adjudication process is usually completed about four weeks after the application deadline. You will be contacted with results after the jury has come forward with its decision.
In Person Schedule Elements
- Classes usually meet for 1 to 2 hours each day or every second day.
- Each writer will have 1-on-1 sessions scheduled with their instructor throughout the program.
- Each writer will also have plenty of personal writing time.
Tuition
Application Fee: $25
In Person Program Tuition: $1895 (includes accommodations, meals, and snacks)
What is covered?
- 9 nights of accommodation at St. Peter’s College in Muenster, SK
- Three meals per day, and snacks
- Writing retreat as part of a small group, led by program faculty
- 1-on-1 conferences and course time with your instructor
- Critical feedback on writing submissions
- Courses and discussions on the craft of writing
- Private meeting spaces for 1-on-1 instruction and workshops
- Printer and office equipment
- Wi-Fi access
- Writing desk and chair in your room
- Access to full college library on-site
- Comfortable lounge areas
- Coffee and tea station available all hours
- Access to kitchenette with fridge
- Free laundry facilities
- Games room
- Access to fitness centre with the latest professional quality equipment
- Book table to sell your works and buy the works of others
- Arranged trips to nearby towns and other programmed events
- Additional amenities as listed on the Accomodations section
When and how to make a payment:
After the jury has reviewed applications, you will be notified via email to let you know whether or not you have been accepted. You can make a payment once you have received your acceptance email.
Tuition payments can be made by:
- E-transfer to sage.hill@sasktel.net (preferred)
- Cheque mailed to: Sage Hill Writing, 324 – 1831 College Ave., Regina, SK, S4P 4V5
- Visa or Mastercard (no Amex) by calling 306-537-7243. Please note that credit card payments are subject to a 2.4% processing fee.
Cancellation Policy:
- There will be a $100 cancellation fee if you withdraw after payment is made.
- If you cancel 14 days or more prior to start date: 50% of funds returned.
- If you cancel 7 days prior to retreat start date: 25% of funds returned.
- Cancellations within one week of program start dates are non-refundable. However, if it is possible to fill the spot in time, some refund may be available.
- Please note that credit card processing fees are non-refundable.
Refunds for COVID-related cancellations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Sage Hill reserves the right to cancel upcoming or in-process programs due to COVID-related health and safety issues or mandates. If a program must be cancelled, payment will be refunded accordingly.
Accommodations
St. Peter’s College is an off-campus, affiliated college of the University of Saskatchewan. The venue is located on 500 acres of mixed forest and farmlands in East Central Saskatchewan, on Highway 5 in the quiet village of Muenster, SK.
Muenster is 120km east of Saskatoon and 230km north of Regina, and only 9 km from the City of Humboldt. Humboldt offers a fair number of restaurants and shops, from liquor stores to pharmacies. Should you want a brief reprieve from writing, Sage Hill staff can drive those without vehicles into Humboldt for supplies.
For directions to St. Peter’s, visit their website. You can find a campus map here.
The facility has the following amenities:
- Writing desk and chair in your room
- Space for 1-on-1 instruction and workshops
- Comfortable lounge areas
- Access to kitchenette with fridge
- Coffee and tea station available at all hours
- Laundry facilities
- Games Room
- Book table provides the opportunity to sell your works and to buy the works of others
- Library on site
- Wi-Fi access
- Treed grounds, walking trails, gardens
- Access to fitness centre with the latest professional quality equipment
- Outdoor soccer pitch
Jane Munro
Jane Munro’s newest poetry collection is False Creek (Harbour Publishing, 2022). Her recent books include Open Every Window: A Memoir (Douglas & McIntyre, 2021) and Glass Float (Brick Books, 2020). A Sally Port (Espresso Chapbooks) – short prose pieces about her childhood – came out in 2018.
Munro’s sixth poetry collection, Blue Sonoma (Brick Books, 2014), won the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize. Her previous poetry books include Active Pass (Pedlar Press), Point No Point (McClelland & Stewart), and Grief Notes & Animal Dreams(Brick Books).
She is a member of the collaborative poetry group Yoko’s Dogs (Jan Conn, Mary di Michele, Susan Gillis, Jane Munro) who have published Whisk (Pedlar Press 2013), Rhinoceros (Gaspereau 2016), and Caution Tape(Collusion Books, 2021).
Munro has read to audiences across Canada, in Ireland, the USA, Italy, India and Egypt, given many informal writing workshops, and taught Creative Writing at several BC universities. Her formal education includes a doctorate in Adult Education, M.F.A in Creative Writing, and M.A. in English. As a long-time Iyengar yoga practitioner, she has studied with teachers in India and Italy. In the summers, she often comes to writing retreats, thanks to the SWG, at St. Peter’s Abbey. She grew up and raised her family in Vancouver. In 2012, after twenty years on the “wild coast” of Vancouver Island, she returned to Vancouver.