A week of inspired generative writing on a mediterranean island
MALLORCA
with THE LAB co-authors MATTHEW CLARK DAVISON, ALICE LaPLANTE, and joined by JILL BIALOSKY – Executive Editor and Vice President W. W. Norton & Company and VICTORIA SKURNICK – Agent Levine Greenberg and Rostan Literary Agency.
Creative writing retreat based on new W. W. Norton title, The Lab: Experiments In Writing Across Genre
Seven intensive days of writing to ignite new creative work or expand and deepen existing material.
Space limited to 16 participants
June 14 – June 21, 2025
Led by
The Lab co-authors Matthew Clark Davison and Alice LaPlante.
Joined by
Industry luminaries Jill Bialosky and Victoria Skurnick with presentations, Q&As, and informal talks
Why you should join us
You want to write.
The Lab is perfect for all lovers of language and story, from beginners to published authors
You want structured inspiration to take risks.
The Lab spans literary fiction, memoir, poetry, and genre-defying prose. If you’re interested in speculative, teen, or children’s work, the strategies we’ll teach can be translated to fit any genre
You want rigor balanced with camaraderie and joyful discoveries.
The Lab is for people who take their writing but not themselves seriously. We aim to foster laughter and community through hard work
What
you'll get
Two daily 3-hour group writing sessions to learn cross-genre creative techniques and spontaneously generate and (optionally) share new work
Feedback (if you choose to share your work) centered on what surprises and delights your fellow artists, rather than subjective opinions
Ample free time for individual work, reading, reflection, or relaxation
One-on-one meetings with renowned authors, editors, and literary agents
Daily sunrise yoga and meditation led by mindfulness professionals
Serene, secluded gardens on a heritage luxury estate with pool and ample private spaces
Healthy, chef-prepared gourmet meals featuring vegetarian and lean meat and fresh fish dishes with local produce
Optional excursions to explore the spectacular beauties of the island of Mallorca
What you’ll do
Mostly, you’ll write. You’ll leave Mallorca with an exciting portfolio of fresh material and an abundance of insight into how to revise, expand, and deepen it.
What you’ll learn
We’ll examine the writing of accomplished writers of all genres (poetry, prose, and hybrid) to explore how to incorporate their innovative techniques into our own work.
What you’ll experience
An inclusive and intimate gathering of creative artists, from published authors to persons who write privately, to creatively minded individuals with aspirations but (until now) no time or opportunity (or courage) to get started.
You’ll flourish in a productive “work space”—not a performance space—where inspiration, honest but constructive feedback, and fresh, surprising insights will be provided in a warm, non-judgmental environment.
Areas you’ll explore
- What moves you? Write like a MF
- Beliefs and everyday magic
- Aesthetic force: How beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder
- Love and other paradoxes
- The unexpected: Investigating opportunities for surprises
- Poetry: Techniques to explore and steal
- Fiction: Inventing reality
- Creative nonfiction: Your wildly personal interpretation of reality
- Hybrid writing: Fruitful collisions between genres
- Finding your own form and re-visioning initial drafts
Where you’ll be
At Finca Son Sion, on the Mediterrean island of Mallorca, Spain. Designed specifically for retreats in 2018 on heritage land neighboring the historical Monastery of Montision, Son Sion borders the quaint village of Porreres, deep in the peaceful countryside with spectacular private gardens, but only 30 minutes from cosmopolitan Palma, Mallorca’s main city.
register
now
Registration is not final until you pay a €750 deposit. This deposit is nonrefundable unless we subsequently are able to fill your spot. The balance is due no later than March 1, 2025.
FAQs
If you have any further questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly.
Unfortunately, we have to say no unless your partner is a writer. But if they are, then absolutely! Please note that you wish to share a room on your enrollment forms.
There are eight double rooms (two twin beds), each with its own bathroom. You can reserve one room as a single person if you want privacy, but it costs a premium.
Healthy, chef-prepared gourmet meals featuring vegetarian and lean meat and fresh fish dishes with local produce.
Let us know your particulars when you register, and we’ll let you know if we can accommodate them.
Even if you share a room, the grounds are serene and boast secluded gardens on a luxurious heritage estate with plenty of private nooks to unwind, read, or write without interruption.
Sorry, this is a no-pet retreat.
The daily temperatures in Majorca during June are warm. The retreat’s location is in the middle of the island, so the temperatures will tend to be higher. The average high temperatures range from 25°C (77°F) to 28°C (82°F), while the average low temperatures range from 16°C (61°F) to 19°C (66°F).
Unfortunately, the retreat does not accommodate wheelchair access. For other types of disabilities, please contact us to discuss.
Two daily 3-hour instructor-led group writing sessions to learn cross-genre creative techniques and spontaneously generate and (optionally) share new work.
The goal is to give you the opportunity to write for at least one hour of each of the three-hour sessions. Depending on the prompts used, the hour could be broken up into three 20-minute sessions (or two 30-minute ones). Each session will combine “warm-up” exercises, writing prompts, examples of writing we consider virtuosic, sharing of work produced (optional), and analyses of strategies employed.
The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genres (the book the retreat is based on) is due in April 2025, and we plan to provide each participant with a (free) copy. We will use parts of the book in which Alice and Matthew have included the works of a wide range of writers and artists, including Ellen Bass, Lydia Davis, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, T. Kira Madden, and Justin Torres (to name a few). We may also supplement these readings with other materials TBD. However, you need not read anything in advance of the retreat.
The retreat facility is non-smoking. For practical reasons, we ask that you do not engage with non-prescription or mood-altering drugs during the retreat. We want drama and wildness in the writing, not in community interactions.
Wine will be served with dinner.
Depending on enrollment and room accommodations, we reserve the right to invite a limited number of day students, such as locals who don’t need accommodation or those with special needs. All participants will be required to eat meals with the group, attend all sessions, and join in all community activities. The maximum number of participants will be 16.
The public areas of the retreat center will be cleaned daily. The individual bedrooms will be cleaned halfway through the week, on Wednesday. Otherwise, participants are responsible for keeping their own private living spaces tidy.
The deposit ($750, paid upon registration) to hold your spot is only refundable if we subsequently fill that spot with another participant. The same goes for the full retreat fee (due March 1, 2025).
You are responsible for getting from your location (via air or sea or some combination of air, sea, and land) to Palma, Mallorca. The airport (or port) is 30 minutes from the retreat center. You will be picked up and taken to the retreat center at a convenient time, which will be arranged once you confirm your travel arrangements.
An enthusiastic yes! Our differences can deepen our understanding of one another and the world around us as human beings, artists, students, and instructors. On this retreat, people of all ethnicities, genders, gender identities, religions, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, regions, and nationalities (and intersections) are strongly encouraged to join and enrich the experiences of all by sharing their vibrant array of perspectives.
Although Alice and Matthew would probably call their taste “literary,” that most definitely does not preclude writing from any genre: romance, horror, speculative, science fiction, mystery, children or young adult. We firmly believe that the techniques we will be exploring and experimenting with will help any writer, no matter what genre (or “container”) they choose to place it in.
The retreat officially begins with dinner at 7pm on Saturday, June 14. You are welcome to plan your flight or boat arrival for any time that day after noon. The retreat ends after breakfast on Saturday, June 21, with departures from the retreat center by 11am. If you have never been to Mallorca (or even if you have) and want to extend your stay by booking before or after the retreat, we can highly recommend it (Alice has lived on the island for 10 years and adores it). Just let us know so we can help with the logistics of getting to and from the retreat center.
Yes, the retreat center has very good internet connectivity.
Most definitely, yes.
Included in the retreat fee are two excursions (participation is optional): A trip by llaut (traditional Mallorquin boat) to swim in remote coves and beaches only accessible by sea that includes a picnic. And a visit to a traditional olive farm to learn how AUBOCASSA and l’AMO olive oils are made. A Mallorquin lunch will then be served outside under the shade of the estate’s olive trees.
An adapter that transforms your U.S. or U.K. (or other) plug into a “Type C” plug (also called the Europlug) has two round pins. The pins are 4 to 4.8 mm wide with centers that are spaced 19 mm apart. The plug also fits into Type E, F, J, K, or N sockets that you often find instead of the Type C socket. Bring at least one adapter for every electronic device you are traveling with (phone, tablet, PC, earphones, etc.)
There is a pharmacy in the village of Porreres, which is 10 minutes down the road. However, as a small-town pharmacy, it is not open 24 hours or on Sundays. You should make sure to bring sufficient amounts of all your prescriptions with you. Excellent emergency services are accessible on the island, and you can either be driven to one or call SUMU Ambulance to transport you. We also have access to a 24/7 visiting doctor service, but it is expensive.
We strongly recommend that you purchase private personal medical coverage and general travel insurance.
Passionate and exciting. Warm and inclusive. Dedicated and highly productive but joyful as well as just plain fun. The focus is on serious work, but we appreciate and celebrate well-developed senses of humor in participants.
Due to time limitations, Alice and Matthew will not be able to schedule one-on-one conferences with participants, but you can always reach out to them individually during the week to chat or arrange for post-retreat advice or coaching.
No, sorry, we do not.
Two classes and three meals will account for about eight hours of your day. The rest is completely up to you.
People who have taken classes with Matthew or Alice range in age from 20 to 80. We hope folks across multiple generations will enroll, as we find such groups enrich any community in a multitude of ways. In many of Matthew’s and Alice’s classes, long-lasting relationships have formed between (and with) aspiring and accomplished writers from different generations. This broad age span only enhances everyone’s experiences.
Every morning before breakfast, at 7:00am, a licensed yoga instructor will lead a group yoga session. Immediately afterward, a guided meditation is offered. Everyone is welcome, and participation is optional.
Comfortable lightweight summer clothes (it gets hot in June on Mallorca). Toiletries. Prescription medication (very important). Whatever you use to write (laptop, tablet, pad of paper, etc.). Power cords and adapters that meet European standards for all electronic devices. Don’t forget your bathing suit!
Email AskUs@TheLabCreativeWriting.com and we’ll get right back to you!