Veteran’s Day Weekend Retreat

We are delighted to invite you to register for the Winter 2024 retreat held at the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond, California (80 miles from the Bay Area). The retreat will take place from Saturday, November 9 – Monday, November 11, with an option to arrive on Friday, November 8 for an additional cost. All retreat meals will be provided by the wonderful chef Tod Nysether.

The theme is “Creativity as Refuge.”

We are excited to share that Maxine Hong Kingston has agreed to lead the writing workshop on Friday, together with Earll Kingston and Wendy Johnson.

NOTE: This retreat is now full. You can still register to be added to the waitlist. We will invite registrants from the waitlist if others are unable to attend.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/agLxDbgBTMajWefu8

Please fill out the information requested in this Google Form. The retreat organizers, Dylan and Melanie, will review all completed registration forms and confirm your waitlist/registration status. When we do, we will send details on payment and lodging. 

We currently estimate costs of $150 per night for dorm room beds and $100 per night for camping/futons. (Camping in your own tent, or sleeping on floor pads, will only be available if we have a sufficient number of people registered — we need to fill the beds first.)

We aspire to create a retreat body that represents the diversity of the many people and communities practicing in the Plum Village lineage, including race/ethnicity, age, and gender. Please be patient with us as we do our best to accommodate your needs and to create the conditions for a supportive and inclusive space.

Our draft health plan is outlined in the registration form, but here it is for ready reference:

1. We will request everyone to rapid test negative on their day of arrival. 
2. We will leave windows open and run HEPA air filters wherever possible.
3. We will structure activities to make it comfortable to mask at any time and to eat outdoors.
4. We will ask anyone with symptoms to (K)N95 mask, even if rapid testing negative.
5. We will provide a supply of high-quality (K)N95 masks and extra rapid tests.
6. If you test positive at the retreat, we will ask you to leave early or self-isolate, depending on conditions.