Healing the Decolonized Voice: Millay Colony, Upstate NY

Healing the Decolonized Voice:
a retreat for writers of color

Thursday, Aug 27 – Sunday, Aug 30, 2020
at The Millay Colony for the Arts
Austerlitz, NY

Many of us work hard to unpack and deprogram the behaviors and thought patterns taught to us and our ancestors by our colonizers. Breaking these patterns requires a lot of difficult invisible work on our part. It takes courage to shed our old beliefs and create new ones that support us in thriving, not merely surviving. But this kind of work can leave us depleted–even traumatized–as we uncover deep ancestral wounds, wounds that must be brought to light if we are to free ourselves from these inherited prisons and become the liberated beings we’re meant to be.

Imagine spending four days with other writers of color, receiving deep healing of these wounds through a gently-facilitated process of writing, meditation, and restorative movement. We’ll begin each morning by grounding ourselves and connecting with our bodies through breath practices and meditation. From there, we will move into expressive writing and sharing circles. Your afternoons will be free for integration, quiet time, and optional hikes. In the evening, we’ll close the day with sacred healing circles around a bonfire. You’re invited to come with an open mind and a soft heart.

Located on the estate of Edna St. Vincent Millay in upstate NY, you’ll find quiet and serenity on the grounds, including plenty of gardens and a poetry path, as well as a nearby mountain hiking trail. While Millay Colony appears to be remotely located, the property is only 20 minutes from the Berkshires with local attractions such as Kripalu and Tanglewood.

What’s included:

  • Four transformative days of deep healing and writing work
  • Single-occupancy accommodations
  • Private writing studio
  • Nightly nourishing vegetarian dinner prepared by a personal chef
  • Fully-stocked kitchen with amenities for self-service breakfast and lunch

What’s NOT included:

  • Travel to Millay Colony
  • Insurance: Personal, Medical and Travel Cancellation Insurance
  • Off-site excursions

Early Bird Pricing: Save $200 if you register with a $500 non-refundable deposit before 4/1!

Your Investment is $2000 (early bird $1800)

VIP packages: $2300 (only 3 available! Includes a 60-minute one-on-one coaching session in which we work together to discover your personal design on writing)

Please complete the registration form below and submit your $500 deposit through the PayPal link provided, which will be applied towards the retreat total.

Upon completion of your registration, a non-refundable $500 USD deposit will reserve your space and is applied to the total due.

  • A non-refundable deposit of $500 USD is required immediately upon your application’s approval to hold your place as spots are limited! We have a cap of 6 guests to ensure a deeply personal experience.
  • 50% of the balance is due May 1, 2020
  • The remaining balance is due in full July 15, 2020

*Payment plans are available but you must be paid in full by July 15, 2020. Please connect with us to make arrangements.

Any cancellation will result in a total loss of the $500 USD deposit. Any cancellation received in writing between Feb 15, 2020 and July 15, 2020 will result in a loss of 50% of the trip investment. Any cancellation made between July 15, 2020 and the trip departure (August 27, 2020) will result in a total loss of funds paid to date.

We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum (if we do so your deposit is refunded in full). Trip cancellation insurance is always recommended whenever making travel plans. You can use Travel Guard Insurance online and choose from several policy options.

Release of Liability

In return for being allowed to participate in Leslieann Hobayan LLC activities and all related activities, including any activities incidental to such participation (“Participant Activities”), the undersigned Participant (hereafter referred to using “I”, “me”, or “my”) releases and agrees not to sue Leslieann Hobayan LLC or its officers, employees, sub-contractors, sponsors, agents and affiliates (“Leslieann Hobayan LLC”) from all present and future claims that may be made as a result of me, my family, estate, heirs, or assigns for property damage, personal injury, or wrongful death arising as a result from my participation in Participant Activities wherever, whenever, or however the same may occur.

I understand and agree that Leslieann Hobayan LLC is not responsible for any injury or property damage arising out of participant activities, even if caused by their ordinary negligence or otherwise.

I understand that participation in the Participant Activities involves certain risks, including, but not limited to, serious injury and death. I am voluntarily participating in Participant Activities with knowledge of the danger involved and I agree to accept all risks of participation.

I also agree to indemnify and hold harmless Leslieann Hobayan LLC for all claims arising out of my participation in Participant Activities.

I understand that this document is intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted by the laws of the state in which the Participant Activities take place and agree that if any portion of this Agreement is invalid, the remainder will continue in full legal force and effect.

I also acknowledge that Leslieann Hobayan LLC have not arranged and do not carry insurance of any kind for my benefit or that of any Participant (if Participant is under age 18), my parents, guardians, trustees, heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns. I represent that, to my knowledge, I am in good health and suffer no physical impairment that would or should prevent my participation in Participant Activities. I also understand that this document is a contract which grants certain rights to and eliminates the liability of Leslieann Hobayan LLC.

About your Retreat Facilitator:

Leslieann Hobayan is a poet, essayist, healer, badass mama, a writing, yoga & meditation teacher and host of the podcast, Vinyasa In Verse. As an American-born daughter of immigrants, identity has always been at the forefront of her work. As a result, her work’s focus has been to help others facilitate their own healing in order to uncover and express their truest identities, their most authentic selves. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a 2018 Best of the Net, her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Rumpus, Aster(ix) Journal, The Grief Diaries, The Lantern Review, The Mom Egg Review,The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith and Spirit, and elsewhere. A former mentor for youth poets with Urban Word NYC, she now teaches creative writing at Rutgers University. She also teaches yoga and meditation, including trauma-informed yoga, at local studios and with private clients where she guides them through sessions that strive to connect mind, body, and spirit with a little spunk. With an open heart, kind words, and a little silliness, she works to create a safe space that nurtures and heals.She believes in magic –that it exists in all of us—and uses it in everything she does. She also loves to bake, enjoys sunrise walks on the beach, and sometimes goes by the spiritual name, Surya Gian Kaur.