The Young Writer's Workshop Retreat 2026

Hey everyone!

In my last newsletter, I mentioned that I would be leaving shortly for the Young Writer’s Workshop Retreat in North Carolina. I promised I would tell you all about it, so here’s me delivering on my promise!

While I have flown by myself before, this was my first time flying by myself to an airport I hadn’t been to before, with no one I knew waiting to pick me up. But, contrary to what you might think, I didn’t find it nerve-wracking at all. I actually really enjoyed going through the airport by myself!

After a couple of hours of flying, a layover, and a car ride, I finally made it to the retreat grounds. When I got there, the line to check in was already all the way down the side of the building. Luckily, my friend saved me a spot in line, so I didn’t have to wait nearly as long.

But when I finally got to the counter, the fire alarm went off, and we all had to evacuate the building into the heavy rain. (Rumor is, a little kid pulled the alarm.)

Anyway… after that first day, everything went a lot more smoothly.

The atmosphere at the retreat was amazing. There’s something special about being surrounded by fellow writers who are just as excited about nerdy book stuff as you are, not to mention that everyone is so nice.

I loved all of it, but here are some of my favorite things:

The sessions: This kind of seems obvious, as it was one of the main points of the retreat, but I learned so much. The instructors and guest speakers were not only amazing speakers, but they also had so much wisdom to share.

Seeing all my friends: I met so many amazing people at the retreat last year, so I was really excited to see them again this year. I also got to meet so many new students and instructors that I didn’t get a chance to meet before!

The book fair: This may have been my favorite event of the entire retreat. There were around fifty vendors, from instructor booths to aspiring authors with tables where they could practice pitching their books. I spent a way too much money… 😅 

The cosplay competition: On the final night of the retreat was the annual cosplay competition. The competition is a chance for everyone to dress up as a character from their book or another book. Everyone is so wildly creative, and the costumes of this year’s finalists were mind-blowing. Last year was good, but this year was even better!

To sum it all up, I had an amazing time, and I hope I can go again next year!

Thank you for reading! I hope you’ll hang around for the next newsletter!

Abby Henderson

P.S. What do you want to see from me next?