I went to the Zigbone Farm Retreat for their 2025 Winter-on-the-Farm Writers Retreat and it was fabulous! Dena and Marijke, co-owners of Zigbone have created a magical environment and Diana Friedman, did an amazing job of leading the writing program during the 6 days I was there.
The Farm Retreat is located in the midst of rolling farmland near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border and there are beautiful views from just about everywhere including the windows of the bedroom I stayed in.
The first thing you see when you walk up to the main lodge is the expansive front porch filled with an array of comfortable chairs for hanging out on. That sets the tone for all that follows. Inside the lodge, the common rooms, including the living room, dining room, and kitchen, are beautiful and decorated to exude warmth, comfort, and cosiness. The bedroom I stayed in was more of the same with an extremely comfortable bed, convenient nightstand, an adorable writing desk, a wardrobe, and a big easy chair where I got lots of writing done. I especially appreciated that my room had it's own split unit so I had total control over the internal temperature of the bedroom. The split unit worked perfectly and was far superior to my hotel air units; I was always comfortable in my room, never too cold or too hot.
My room shared bathroom facilities with the bedroom next door but it was never a problem because the shower facilities were in a separate room from the sink and commode. The shower water was plentiful and hot. Because it was winter, I spent most of my time inside, but I did stroll around the grounds once and they are beautiful.
The food served during the retreat was wonderful. Every meal was tasty and healthy. I particularly loved the homemade bread that was served daily, the fabulous soups that accompanied most lunches, and the granola, fresh cut up fruit, and yogurt available at every breakfast.
Now - turning to the writing part of the writing retreat - I can only say that Dena's and Marijke's decision to invite Diana Friedman to lead writing retreats at Zigbone was inspired. From the very first night of our retreat, Diana created a warm, welcoming, non-judgmental and non-competitive atmosphere that fostered community among the participants and was also extremely conducive to maximizing creativity and productivity. The optional craft discussions, generative writing prompts and exercises that Diana presented were enlightening, useful, and fun. In addition, during my one on one discussion with Diana about my current novel, she suggested strategies that helped me move forward with my manuscript when, previously, I had been feeling completely stuck. I left the retreat feeling reinvigorated and excited about my writing and about the friendships I made during the retreat I cannot recommend Zigbone Farm Retreat, the Winter-on-the-Farm writing retreat, and Diana Friedman...
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