Tapping the Stream: Summer Writing Retreat

With Shaena Lambert and Betsy Warland

July 4 - 10, 2026

Person reading a book
Book now and get 10% off accommodation prices. Offer valid until Apr 4, 2026.

Date and Time Details:
Program begins: July 4, 2026 6:30pm
Program ends: July 10, 2026 1:30pm
View a sample program schedule.

Package Pricing: Click Register Now to view availability of accommodations and all-inclusive pricing. Learn more about our accommodation types.

Scholarships: Hollyhock programs are enriched by welcoming a multitude of voices and experiences that reflect global plurality. The Hollyhock scholarship program is one of the key strategies we employ to expand program access to underrepresented and marginalized communities. Learn more and apply.

Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel more than 30 days before the start of the program, you'll be refunded the balance minus the 20% non-refundable deposit. No refunds or credits within 30 days of arrival. Please see Full Terms and Conditions for more information.

  • Private Cabin Oceanfront – CAD $5,120.00
  • Single w/ensuite Oceanfront – CAD $3,920.00
  • Single w/ensuite – CAD $3,680.00
  • Single w/shared bathroom – CAD $3,140.00
  • Couple w/ensuite Oceanfront – CAD $6,100.00
  • Couple w/ensuite – CAD $5,620.00
  • Couple w/shared bathroom – CAD $5,200.00
  • Twin w/ensuite oceanfront – CAD $3,080.00
  • Twin w/ensuite – CAD $2,840.00
  • Twin w/shared bathroom – CAD $2,570.00
  • Three-share w/shared bathroom – CAD $2,330.00
  • Women's Dorm – CAD $2,030.00
  • Men's Dorm – CAD $2,030.00
  • All-Gender Dorm – CAD $2,030.00
  • Tent Site Single – CAD $2,000.00
  • Tent Site Couple – CAD $3,700.00
  • Commuter – CAD $1,790.00
    • All Packages Include CAD $1,640.00 Tuition and meals
Register now
Register now

Tapping the Stream is a 6-day writing retreat – free from interruption – to explore the direction of a work in progress, as well as to foster creativity through community with other writers.

This unique retreat combines self-directed writing time, a one-on-one session with both Betsy and Shaena, several morning craft intensives (focusing on subjects such as character, point of view, proximity, etc), and two fireside evening conversations about writing and the writing life. The retreat will also include a salon, where writers can share their work in a staged reading.

Who This Program is For

Writers should be working on a project, or fully ready to dive in, in order to maximize their use of this deep dive retreat.

Required Sample Work

Please note that upon registration, participants will be asked to send a 10-page sample of their work; fiction, non-fiction, story, or memoir, as well as a brief (3 paragraph) description of the work as a whole. Shaena and Betsy will read these in advance.

Daily Schedule

A detailed schedule will be emailed to you about 30 days prior to your program. Click here to view a sample program schedule.

About the Presenters

Shaena Lambert

Shaena Lambert is an award-winning fiction writer, author of four books, most recently Petra (Random House Canada, 2020). Her other works are Oh, My Darling, Radiance and The Falling Woman. She has mentored writers and taught writing for over 15 years at some of Canada’s finest writing schools, including The Humber School for Writers and The Writers’ Studio at SFU. Her stories […]

Learn more about Shaena Lambert

Betsy Warland

Betsy Warland has published 14 books of poetry, creative nonfiction, and lyric prose including her best-selling 2010 book of essays on writing, Breathing the Page—Reading the Act of Writing. In 2023, a second edition of Breathing the Page will include nine new essays and be published by Cormorant Books, Toronto. In 2022, the premiere of a street […]

Learn more about Betsy Warland

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