Write Like a Mother Retreat: Baltimore
Write and Retreat in Charm City 🦀
Scribente Maternum was formed out of a desire to find balance between our children as writing inspiration and their presence as a writing distraction. Our retreats are meant to give all writers who identify as mothers the experiences they so rarely make time for otherwise: mindfulness, community, and simply sitting in stillness. There is power in rest!
Our annual Write Like a Mother retreat is going back to the city where it all began: Baltimore! We will write together in community at The Village Learning Place in the heart of Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood.
LOCATION
- Part library, part community hub, the Village Learning Place is a dynamic community, dedicated to lifelong learning and meaningful connections.
- Our city-based writing retreats are a great opportunity to explore a new literary landscape. While most of our retreat will be held at The Village Learning Place, we will also visit nearby restaurants, spend time marrying our writing with the works at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and will even go back to our very first retreat location, The Clifton House.
- We are thrilled to offer a special rate for overnight accommodations through The Study hotel, just a 15-minute walk from the main retreat site. Single-, double- and multiple-occupancy rooms are available. Follow the link in your registration confirmation for a special rate, but know that rooms are based on availability. Book early to make sure you get a room!
Write your way through the Baltimore Museum of Art
Our opening gathering on Thursday evening brings us back to Clifton House, the site of our very first Write Like a Mother retreat
REGISTRATION INCLUDES
- A fully immersive writing retreat experience
- Time and space to write
- The unique and beautiful Scribente Maternum writer-mom community
- Craft and writing-focused sessions with local writers and teachers
- Mindfulness practices and intentional movement
- All meals and snacks
AND MORE! REGISTRATION ALSO INCLUDES
- Welcome reception at Clifton House on Thursday night
- Breakfasts (Friday and Saturday)
- Lunch (Friday and Saturday)
- Group dinners (Friday and Saturday)
- Group celebration and reading (Saturday evening)
- Curated tools and gifts, perfect for every writer-mom
ACCOMMODATIONS
A limited number of rooms are available at a discount at The Study, a boutique hotel located not far from Johns Hopkins University and about a 15-minute walk to the Village Learning Space. A booking link will be sent automatically upon registration. You must follow that link to receive these reduced rates:
- Shared Double (1-2+ people/room): $249/night (total $877/room)
- Single King (1-2 people/room): $229/night (total $807/room)
- Suites, Views, and Studies (with books!) are also available at reduced rates. Follow the same link to book.
Note that while retreat attendees are not required to stay at The Study, transportation will only be provided to/from the hotel.
Double room, perfect for sharing
King room at The Study
King Study rooms include a wide selection of books
TRANSPORTATION
- Transportation will be provided between Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport and The Study hotel.
- Transportation will also be provided throughout the weekend, as needed and as available, from The Study to retreat event locations.
TENTATIVE RETREAT SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 22
- After 2:00pm: Shuttles from BWI airport to The Study hotel
- 6:00-8:00pm: Welcome reception (included) at The Clifton House
Friday, October 23
- 8:30-9:00am: Breakfast (included)
- 9:00-9:30am: Welcome and introductions from Scribente Maternum
- 9:30-10:00am: Opening reiki and centering with Emily Souder
- 10:00-11:30: Time to meet small groups
- 11:00am-12:30pm: Generative writing workshop with Glory Edim
- 12:30-1:30pm: Lunch on-site (included)
- 1:30-2:30pm: Small groups, time to write
- 2:30-3:30pm: Therapeutic writing workshop with Emily Souder
- 3:30-5:30pm: Optional reiki sessions with Emily, plus time to write, explore the city, grab a nap, or just be still
- 5:30pm: Group photo and close of day
- 7:00: Group dinner out in Baltimore (included)
Saturday, October 24
- 8:30-9:00am: Breakfast (included)
- 9:00-10:00am: Morning reiki and mindfulness with Emily Souder
- 10:00-11:30am: Writing workshop with Christine Platt
- 12:00-1:00pm: Off-site lunch at The Study hotel (included)
- 1:00-2:00: Time to write at The Study with small groups
- 2:00-4:30pm: Experiential writing journey through the Baltimore Museum of Art or more time to write on your own
- 5:00-5:30pm: Large group closing in museum courtyard
- 7:00pm: Celebratory group dinner out in Baltimore (included) & readings
Sunday, October 25
- 10:00am: Shuttles depart for BWI airport
MEET OUR FACILITATORS
Christine Platt's expansive body of work centers an empowering throughline: understanding and achieving liberation as a lifestyle. From her bestselling book, The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living With Less, to her latest title, Less is Liberation: Finding Freedom from a Life of Overwhelm, Christine affirms what she knows to be true: liberation is not a destination—it’s a way of being that is accessible to all.
From award-winning literature to wellness workshops designed to reduce overwhelm and overconsumption, Christine is a well-established motivational speaker and personal transformation trailblazer. Her lifestyle and cultural commentary have been featured in ESSENCE, Real Simple, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar UK, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and other prominent periodicals. She also has shared her words of wisdom on numerous radio shows and podcasts.
Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies, Master of Arts in African and African-American Studies, and a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law. She is actively involved in several professional organizations including the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Association of Black Women Historians, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; she also serves as an Ambassador for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Glory Edim is the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, a podcast and digital literacy platform that celebrates the uniqueness of Black literature and sisterhood. She edited the Well-Read Black Girl anthology, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and named a best book of the year by Library Journal. Her latest book On Girlhood is a collection of groundbreaking short stories that explore the thin yet imperative line between Black girlhood and womanhood. The winner of the Innovator's Award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, Edim worked as a cultural practitioner for over ten years and serves on the board of Baldwin for the Arts. She resides in Washington D.C. with her son, Zikomo.
Emily Souder is a therapist who believes in purposeful transformative change. She sees how becoming a parent can open us to some of the biggest changes we’ve ever experienced. Within those changes, there is room for a ton of growth. Here, you’ll find warmth, non-judgment, and a place to develop trust that the universe has your back.
Emily is a licensed clinical social worker, holding a license from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and a Masters degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is certified in perinatal mental health and is the author of the successful Birth Story Brave book series. She is also an intuitive Reiki master practitioner, bringing energy healing into the therapy space.
SCENES FROM RETREATS
Learn from award-winning writers and teachers, certain to be your springboard to some serious writing. With snacks. Always with plenty of snacks.
Connection in small groups means accountability throughout your writing retreat, plus life-long friendships and writing partners.
Movement--whatever that means to you--is central to every Write Like a Mother retreat.
Mothers with stories to share. Mothers who no longer have to walk the roads of writing or mothering alone. Mothers who understand how vital it is for the two words to connect. This is Scibente Maternum.
INVESTMENT OPTIONS
- Deposit + two installments: Pay only your nonrefundable $97 deposit today to hold your spot. We will automatically bill the same card on August 1 and October 1. Bonus: all pricing tier discounts below still apply!
- Deposit + four installments: Pay only your nonrefundable $97 deposit today to hold your spot. We will automatically bill the same card on July 1, August 1, September 1 and October 1. Bonus: all pricing tier discounts below still apply!
- One payment + discount: Invest in full at a discounted rate.
INVESTMENT DETAILS: Limited quantities available!
- Super early-bird rate: $897 (until June 1, 2026, or while supplies last) if paid in full, or $97 plus two installments of $425 or four installments of $225.
- Early-bird rate: $997 (until August 1, 2026, or while supplies last) if paid in full, or $97 plus two installments of $475 or four installments of $250.
- Standard rate: $1097 (until October 1, 2026, or while supplies last) if paid in full, or $97 plus two installments of $525 or four installments of $275.
- All BIPOC writers are invited to waive the $97 deposit or apply $97 toward a full investment. Just use code BIPOC at checkout.
NOTES
- We know retreats are necessary for everyone, but are not always possible. We offer a "You Deserve to Be Here" fund, supported by generous sponsors and our own retreat participants. Apply for full or partial retreat funding here.
- Retreat registration includes a non-refundable deposit of $97; retreat registrations are transferrable up to ten days before the event.
- Lodging is booked separately. A link for reduced hotel rates will be sent automatically upon booking.
- Please reach out to hello@scribentematernum.com for more flexible extended payment options for accommodations, other financial needs, or with any questions.
Location
Village Learning Place, 2521 St Paul St, Baltimore, MD 21218