Writing Workshops & Retreats
on Zoom and in-person
Work with us directly in a small, supportive group of writers.
When you write in the Imaginative Storm, you’ll write in a way you’ve never written before. You’ll surprise yourself, even amaze yourself. And you’ll draw confidence and direction from the appreciative feedback of the other writers in the workshop.
By the end of even a single-session workshop, you’ll become acquainted with your voice, and you’ll be well on the way to transforming your inner critic into your valued ally. Plus, you’ll have sparky new material for your work-in-progress, or perhaps you’ll realize you’ve started something new!
Zoom Workshops
“Write What You Don’t Know” Immersion
with Imaginative Storm co-creator James Navé
Next course September 9 – November 11, 2025
11 sessions, Tuesdays, 3–5:30 pm PT / 6–8:30 pm ET
Limited to 10 participants
Every writer begins with a blank page and a spark of possibility. But where do we find the fuel to transform that spark into something extraordinary? Enter “Write What You Don’t Know,” a 10-week course that takes you on a journey into the heart of your imagination.
You’ll transform your writing, and you’ll revolutionize how you think about creativity, connection, and storytelling. You’ll finish the course with 40 pieces of writing, a tremendous sense of accomplishment, and a renewed connection to your creative spirit.
Retrain your inner critic to support you, not hinder you
Banish writer’s block for good
Find your authentic writing voice
Fill your writing with emotional power
Learn to write fearlessly. Surprise yourself!
Includes phone support from Navé between sessions and lifetime access to privately-shared recordings of all sessions.
“Navé is a superb facilitator, the other participants are smart and supportive, and I’m writing more freely than I have before. It’s working!”
— S.K., New York City
“Write What You Don’t Know” Single Sessions
with Imaginative Storm co-creator James Navé
Each session limited to 10 participants, 3–5:30 pm PT / 6–8:30 pm ET
“Unblock Your Voice” ~ Tuesday, May 6, 2025
“Write with Your Whole Body” ~ Tuesday, May 20, 2025
“Make a Location Hum with Meaning” ~ Tuesday, June 9, 2025
“Power Your Writing with Nature’s Electricity” ~ Tuesday, June 23, 2025
“The Hidden Language of Socialese” – Tuesday, July 8, 2025
“Get Under the Skin of Your Characters” – Tuesday, July 22, 2025
“The Secrets of Narrative Momentum” – Tuesday, August 5, 2025
“The Paradox at the Heart of Your Story” – Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Live Workshops and Retreats
“Write Without Limits”
4-day Writing Retreat
with Allegra Huston and James Navé in legendary Taos, New Mexico
April 20 – 24, 2025
ONE SPOT JUST OPENED UP!
Transform your writing, and your approach to writing, forever. In four enjoyably intense days with Allegra and Navé, you’ll discover how to surprise yourself on the page, how to tell your story with authenticity and originality, and how to suffuse your writing with personality and emotion. You’ll learn easy techniques designed to open the gateways into the highest peaks and deepest dells of your imaginative intelligence.
Say goodbye to writer’s block forever
Turn your inner critic into your most valuable and trusted ally
Get acquainted with your authentic writing voice
Fill your writing with passion, purpose, and power
We’ll be based at historic Hacienda del Sol, in the room that once hosted D. H. Lawrence and Georgia O’Keeffe. You’ll enjoy delicious breakfasts, visit the studios of working artists, and enjoy a farewell dinner around Allegra’s kitchen table.
In Asheville: We’ll be based at the Lake Eden Retreat Center, in gorgeous wooded grounds still blazing with fall colors. There’s a variety of accommodations, from self-catering cottages at the Center to hotels in nearby Black Mountain and Asheville. A perfect place to recharge and get inspired!
Imaginative Storn
2-Day Intensive
with Allegra Huston and James Navé in lovely La Veta, Colorado
June 21 – 22, 2025
LIMITED TO 12 PARTICIPANTS
Here’s your chance to transform your writing process from effort to ease and anxiety to excitement! In just two days, you’ll be writing what you don’t know and amazing yourself with what emerges onto the page.
Spark your imagination and strengthen your prose! you’ll discover how to surprise yourself on the page, how to tell your story with authenticity and originality, and how to suffuse your writing with personality and emotion. You’ll learn easy techniques designed to open the gateways into the highest peaks and deepest dells of your imaginative intelligence.
Say goodbye to writer’s block forever
Turn your inner critic into your most valuable and trusted ally
Get acquainted with your authentic writing voice
Fill your writing with passion, purpose, and power
We’ll be based at the beautiful Estelle Center for the Arts, at the foot of the spectacular Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado. Welcome reception on Friday, and delicious breakfasts included.
“Write What You Don’t Know” 3-Day Retreat
with Allegra Huston in lovely Paonia, Colorado
May 28 – 30, 2025
Limited to 10 participants
Discover the untapped riches of your imaginative intelligence!
We’ll meet for three enjoyable, exciting days in gorgeous Paonia, Colorado. Writing to 5-minute and 10-minute prompts, you’ll explore the riches of your imagination, and discover the story that’s yours alone to tell.
You’ll learn easy techniques to pack your writing with emotional power
You’ll discover your authentic writing voice
You’ll learn how to pacify your inner critic and develop your inner cheerleader
You’ll develop a new confidence in your writing
You’ll banish writer’s block for good
This plunge into the Imaginative Storm method will equip you with a powerful set of tools to take into the rest of your writing life—and transform your approach to writing forever.
5-Day Memoir Retreat
with Allegra Huston in historic Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Discover the story of your memoir, and how to tell it. Return home energized and inspired by five intensive days of exploration, insight, and revelation!
We’ll be based at the lovely Blue Nose Lodge in beautiful Lunenburg, a UN World Heritage Site. You’ll spend the mornings with the group discussing the elements of memoir and writing to Imaginative Storm prompts.
In the afternoons, Allegra will meet with each person individually, twice, for an hour (often more) each time, to give you whatever help you need: brainstorming, editorial notes, publishing advice, or just plain cheerleading. Otherwise, your afternoons are your own: for writing, exploring Nova Scotia, sea kayaking, recharging your batteries at a spa, and did we say writing?
What you write in this workshop will add depth and dimension to the story you already have—and it may even change your idea of your memoir completely! What you write in this thrilling week will amaze you—we promise.
October 7 – 12, 2025
Limited to 8 participants
Socialese
Socialese is our term for the unspoken language of human interaction. In connection with others, we experience joy and grief, comfort and competition. This is where we mold our identity.
In this session, you’ll consider some of the overt and not-so-overt ways in which we communicate and find our place in the world. You’ll learn techniques to spy into the subtext that underlies and animates all human communication.
What you’ll learn: