Green Thought Generative Retreat

with Garth Greenwell

Group 1: June 13-19
Group 2: June 20- 26

Total cost: $4,550

Apply

Overview

In this generative retreat, open to writers in all genres, we will come together for five days of concentrated, immersive creativity and exploration. Our theme will be beauty. What is this indefinable thing, aesthetic beauty—this idea or value that art gives us access to? Why is it so central to human life? How can we clarify our sense of it? What might happen if, over five days, we put that value at the very center of our concerns and our creative work?

Length:

6 days in Iowa City

Format

Daily generative classes and evening film screenings. Hotel, Lunches and dinners included.

Application Deadline:

Cost:

December 14th, 2026

$4,550 USD

General Information

Over twenty-five years of teaching creative writing, I've become convinced that the workshop is not the best way for artists to learn with and from one another. In these week-long sessions, I want to explore a different model of creative writing pedagogy, one that centers creativity and investigation and deemphasizes evaluation and critique.

Each day we will spend our mornings together reading and responding to short texts on beauty by artists, writers, and thinkers about art. We’ll read and discuss poems and spend time with paintings and photographs. And each day I’ll offer creative prompts aimed at generating new work. 

After class, we’ll continue our conversations over lunch, after which you’ll have the afternoons for writing and exploring Iowa City, with its central place in American literary history. We’ll come together as a group again for dinner, and then end the day with a film screening, to further explore ideas introduced in class. 

The aim of the week is to create an immersive environment of shared creative endeavor, and to generate as much new work as we can—sketches, drafts, ideas. There will be opportunities for sharing and responding to this work in class, but you will also have the option of keeping it private.

There will be no workshop or critique. Instead, our focus will be on creation–on making art without any pressure around evaluation or accomplishment. Each participant will also have an individual conference with me during the week.

Before arriving in Iowa City, we will all read a common novel and book of poems, which will provide an initial context for our conversations. 

The cost of the residency covers tuition, six nights in an individual room in Iowa City’s Graduate Hotel, and lunch and dinner during the week. (Note that breakfast and alcoholic beverages are not included.) You will be responsible for your own travel to and from Iowa City. All information can be found below and within the FAQ.

Class size is limited to 12 participants, and admission is by application. Applicants must be 21 or older. For information on the application process, see our application details below. 

I’d love for you to join us.

All my best,

Garth

Where we'll stay

The Graduate by Hilton Iowa City

  • Each participant will stay in their own Graduate King room with desk, air conditioning, and ensuite bathroom. The hotel also offers a fitness center and cafe.

  • Located in the heart of Iowa City, the hotel is within walking distance of the the iconic Prairie Lights Bookstore, the Iowa City Public Library, and our workspace at the Iowa Conservatory.

Typical Schedule

When we’ll work

Group Walk to the Conservatory

8:45am 

Generative Session

9:00am

Group Lunch

12:00pm

Writing Time & Conferences

1:00pm - 5:30pm

Group Dinner

5:30pm

Film Screening

7:00pm

Application Details

For your writing sample, please choose pages that represent recent writing you’re excited about.

  • Poets, please submit up to five pages of poems.

  • Prose writers should submit up to ten pages of fiction or nonfiction.

Don’t worry about presenting a complete story or narrative arc–we just want to get an idea of who you are as a writer, what you’re thinking about, etc. 

Application deadline: December 14th, 2026. (11:59pm ET)

Important Dates:

  • December 14: Application deadline (11:59pm ET)

  • January 3: Acceptance and wait list notifications go out

  • January 15: 50% deposit due

  • April 15: Remaining 50% due

Apply Now

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The price includes full tuition, six nights at The Graduate by Hilton, catered lunches during our generative sessions, and dinner each evening.

  • All students are responsible for any travel costs to/from Iowa City, breakfast, any additional hotel charges such as room service or parking, and all alcohol purchases.

  • By Air:
    The closest airport is the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids (CID). Taxi and rideshare services are available, as well as car rentals.

    By Bus:
    Greyhound bus services are available through major transportation hubs such as Chicago and Minneapolis.

    By Car:
    Iowa City is accessible along the I-80 and I-380. The hotel offers self-parking for $20.00 per day.

  • Lunch and dinner are included on all days between your dates of arrival and departure. Upon arrival, a welcome dinner will be provided that evening, but no meals will be provided on the date of departure.

    All participants are responsible for their own breakfasts and snacks.

  • It is an environment of immersive shared creative endeavor. Instead of offering a traditional workshop or critique, the aim is to generate as much new work as we can—sketches, drafts, ideas. There will be opportunities for sharing and responding to this work in class, but you will also have the option of keeping it private. A generative retreat holds its focus on creation–on making art without any pressure around evaluation or accomplishment.

  • We’ll read short texts together and do short timed writing exercises. There will be lots of conversation about shared questions and our creative process. We’ll look at art and play word and image games.

    One note: if at all possible, we’d like for class to be a screen-free space. Please bring a notebook and pen for our work together.

  • No requirement of an MFA or publications, etc. If you are 21 or older and serious about spending a week focused on creating new work, we encourage you to apply.

  • We encourage participants to come on their own. Scheduled activities (including meals and film screenings) will only be open to seminar participants.

  • We hope to send notifications by the first week of January.

  • Full refunds are available for cancellations made before April 15th. After this date, your 50% deposit becomes non-refundable.

  • Because this is our debut year of the retreat, we are unfortunately unable to offer scholarships. All participants will be required to pay the full tuition amount of $4,550 USD.

  • We strongly encourage participants to stay in the retreat accommodation at The Graduate. If you are accepted and live in Iowa City, reach out to us when you receive your notification.