Early Bird Pricing extended to Nov 1!
Manor Mill’s 2026 Writers Retreat will be held on November 12 – 15 at the Oldfields School in Glencoe, MD. On Saturday, November 14, the retreat will welcome Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling historical fiction author, for a keynote address.
A few of this year’s presenters include:
Patricia Meisol: All about the View: Mining Visual Images for Character and Metaphor
Friday, November 12 @ 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Patricia Meisol is a writer, biographer, and former reporter for the Baltimore Sun and St. Petersburg Times. Her 2023 biography of Helen Brooke Taussig, a children’s doctor who invented heart surgery, revolves around a controversial portrait of her by the American artist Jamie Wyeth.
Mary Chuey Bishop: A Primer on Applying to Literary Magazines
Friday, November 12 @ 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Caffeinate Your Metaphors: Three Unusual Ways to Twist Metaphors to Grab a Reader’s Attention
Friday, November 12 @ 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM
Mary Chuey Bishop dreams, worries, and writes from her home in Annapolis, MD. She is a founder and prose editor of The Long and the Short of It literary journal, and you can find her work in Geez Magazine, Convivium Journal, and Past Ten as well as upcoming in Half and One. She is also an experienced developmental editor and proofreader. She wishes she was a witch, but settles for talking with squirrels. Reach out to her at marycbishop.com.
Michelle Jabès Corpora: Ask Me Anything – Traditional Publishing
Friday, November 12 @ 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Michelle Jabès Corpora is the New York Times and National bestselling author of many books for young readers. The first book in her Throne of Khetara epic fantasy trilogy, His Face Is the Sun, was a 2026 YALSA Best Fiction for Teens Top Ten Title, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, an Indie Next Kids’ Pick, a Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2025, and a Waterstones Book of the Month and Best Book of 2025. Among her other works, Michelle ghostwrote five novels for in a world-famous mystery series. She has also been an editor and concept developer of children’s fiction for nineteen years. Michelle lives in Frederick, Maryland with her family.
Marian Crotty: What Happens Next: Building Narrative Suspense
Friday, November 12 @ 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Marian Crotty is the author of Near Strangers and What Counts as Love. Her writing was longlisted for the PEN/Bingham Prize and won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. Her short stories have appeared in venues such as The Sun, Ploughshares, the Kenyon Review, and Best American Short Stories. She has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers Conferences and a Fulbright Research grant. She is a Professor of Writing at Loyola University Maryland.
Barbara Morrison: Raise the Stakes
Saturday, November 13 @ 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM
Barbara Morrison, who writes under the name B. Morrison, is the author of an award-winning memoir, Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother. She is also the author of two poetry collections, Terrarium and Here at Least. Her work has appeared in anthologies and literary journals such as Passager, Little Patuxent Review, Toronto Journal, and elsewhere. In addition to reviewing books on her blog, she conducts writing classes and workshops, provides editing services, and runs Time to Write, which provides events, training and other services for writers.
Building on two successful one-day programs in 2024 and 2025, the retreat expands this year to encompass two full days of networking and learning opportunities, and an option for guests to stay overnight to extend the event to four days.
The full Thursday–Sunday residential experience includes meals and special evening activities. Single day and Friday-Saturday non-residential tickets are also available. Overnight guests will enjoy lodging, all meals, all day sessions, all evening programs, and additional special activities from Thursday through Sunday. Day pass guests will enjoy all day sessions & lunch and can add on evening sessions and grab dinner on their own.
Past years have attracted both new and experienced writers working in all genres and forms. Over the course of the weekend, you’ll explore a rich range of topics: craft and technique, querying and submissions, marketing, promotion, and much more.
For event location, itinerary, and reservations, click here! Manor Mill is offering early bird pricing until September 8 for day passes and residencies.
Manor Mill is a restored pre-revolutionary grist mill that houses a fine arts gallery, classes, a live music venue, ceramics studio and workshops, just over the hill from the Monkton Hotel in Baltimore County, MD.
Founded in 1867, Oldfields School is an independent all-girls day and boarding school serving grades 9 through 12. Its mission is to embrace each student’s authentic self, educate through collaboration, empower the individual voice, and inspire confidence and continual growth, leading to a life of purpose.
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