Writing out of the Presence is a writing retreat that will allow you to look back over your spiritual journey, immerse yourself in the discernment process, and explore the struggles, questions, and experiences associated with how and where you have been led. 

The retreat will encourage that part of you that is always listening to the whispers of God to open more fully, listen more deeply, then guide you into an essay, memoir, book, blog, vignette or other narrative form that will allow you to share your journey and let your life speak. Participants will sharpen their writing skills, share their work, and learn how the writing process is itself both a vehicle of spiritual growth and an act of faith. 

Each participant will be able to trace the subtle movement of Spirit throughout their lives, derive insight from it, and perhaps begin to discern where they may next be led. They will also develop an understanding of how the writing process can be a vehicle of growth through writing out of the Presence, and how, through publication, it can help others grow, as well.

Retreat facilitator Ellen Michaud has written for the Washington Post, New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal, Readers Digest, and Prevention Magazine where she was the editor-at-large for six years. She has been both book review editor of Friends Journal and Writer-in-Residence at Earlham School of Religion. She is the author of Blessed: Living a Grateful Life (Readers Digest), which was named by USA BookNews as the #1 Spiritual/Inspirational Book of the Year, and is an alumna of the School of the Spirit's program on contemplative living and prayer. She is a member of South Starksboro Meeting in Vermont.