OCTOBER 22-25, 2026 · CAMDEN, MAINE

Good and Mad by the Sea

A writing retreat with Rebecca Traister exploring women's anger, voice, power, and the stories we tell.

Limited Capacity • Workshops • Conversation • Writing Time • Yoga • Coastal Walks • Shared Meals

BOOK YOUR SPOT

What if anger is not something to overcome—but something to understand?

Join bestselling author and journalist Rebecca Traister for an immersive autumn writing retreat exploring the transformative, and often overlooked, power of women's anger.

Through workshops, conversation, writing exercises, and protected creative time, participants will examine how personal experience intersects with larger cultural and political forces—and how writers transform frustration, grief, outrage, hope, and joy into work that resonates beyond themselves.

Set in Camden, Maine at the height of fall, the retreat offers a rare opportunity to step away from daily obligations and spend several days immersed in writing, reflection, and community.

Retreat Experience

Each morning begins with breakfast and optional yoga overlooking the harbor. Workshops blend discussion, close reading, and generative writing designed to help participants deepen their understanding of voice, narrative, and emotional truth.

Afternoons provide protected writing time, opportunities to explore Camden, or meetings with Rebecca during office hours.

Evenings bring the group together around shared meals and conversation, creating the kind of creative community that often becomes as valuable as the formal instruction.

What’s Included: 

  • Writing workshops with Rebecca Traister

  • Craft talks and generative writing exercises

  • Open office hours and small-group conversations

  • Structured independent writing time

  • Morning yoga overlooking Camden Harbor

  • Three nights’ lodging, with certain package options

  • Daily meals and a final evening reading celebration

  • A walkable downtown Camden experience

Not Included: 

  • Transportation to and from Maine

Meet Rebecca Traister

Over the past two decades, Rebecca Traister has been among the most influential voices writing about women, politics, and power in America. She is the author of the bestselling books Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger, All the Single Ladies, Big Girls Don't Cry, and Angry Girls Will Get Us Through. A writer-at-large for New York Magazine, her work explores the intersection of gender, politics, power, and social change.

Check out her Substack here.

Accommodations

The Inn at Camden Place

Guests stay in the heart of downtown Camden, steps from bookstores, galleries, cafés, and the harbor. Comfortable accommodations and walkable surroundings create an ideal environment for reflection, writing, and connection.

Retreat Hosts

Good and Mad by the Sea is produced by the Midcoast Villager and the Villager Cafe, a community gathering space in the heart of downtown Camden. Together, they host conversations, cultural events, and creative programming that bring people together around storytelling, ideas, and civic life.

Participation in this retreat helps support independent local journalism and community-centered cultural programming in Midcoast Maine.

  • If you are comfortable with small planes, Cape Air has multiple flights a day from Boston to Knox County Airport in Rockland (RKD), which is 15 minutes from Camden.

    Other options are Portland (PWM), about 90 minutes by car from Camden, or Bangor (BGR), slightly closer.

    We are 3.5 hours from Boston (BOS) if you are looking to explore New England before or after the retreat. 

  • Participants are responsible for their own transportation. We are happy to help coordinate rides and carpools for anyone wishing to participate in advance. Further details will be available upon request.

  • Yes, of course! We have complementary parking at the hotel. 


  • We’re happy to do our best to accommodate common dietary needs and food allergies. Please share any restrictions with us when you register so our team can plan accordingly.

    If you have a severe allergy, we encourage you to reach out to us in advance so we can discuss options.

Travel Details & FAQ

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To be the first to hear about upcoming retreats, please contact retreat curator Lucia Graves lgraves@midcoastvillager.com