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  2. Highlights Foundation Campus

Highlights Foundation Campus

392 Boyds Mills Road
Milanville, PA 18443 United States Get Directions
570-253-1192

When we began offering Foundation workshops, we knew we had a unique situation: a campus tucked away in the picturesque northeastern Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains, with the solitude writers and artists need to produce their best work. See some photos and videos here, and you can also see what some of our attendees have to say about the Highlights Foundation workshop experience.

Today

Sold Out; Join the Waitlist

Working Retreat: Revision

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Join celebrated editors Emma Dryden, Eileen Robinson, and Harold Underdown for time to revise and connect during this Working Retreat for writers looking to reimagine, enliven, and rebuild their picture books, novels, or nonfiction. A Working Retreat is lightly structured with one lecture each day, informal conversations, optional consultations with faculty, […]

$1199
Picture Books on a Library Cart

Working Retreat: Picture Book Authors and Illustrators

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Picture book writers and illustrators: set aside time to focus on your picture book project! Here is a special retreat just for you. Join fiction and nonfiction author Darcy Pattison, author/illustrator Leslie Helakoski, and their guest M.O. Yukselto immerse yourself in all things picture books.  A Working Retreat is lightly structured […]

$1199

In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Rainbow Retreat: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Join this 3-night/4-day, in-community retreat thoughtfully designed to bring LGBTQIA2S+ creatives together. It is an informally structured retreat where the focus is on your own projects with room to celebrate and cultivate the joys of this community! About the Program Experience our in-community Rainbow Retreat that warmly welcomes queer and questioning authors and illustrators who […]

$850
In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Latinx Voices: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Join M. García Peña, NoNieqa Ramos, and Alex Villasante for their fifth annual, in-community retreat designed exclusively for Latinx writers and illustrators. About the Program This 3-night/4-day, in-community retreat is the space where you can ignite your creativity and forge connections with a diverse and supportive community of fellow storytellers in the Latine Diaspora. This […]

$850
The word READ spelled out in colorful letters

Working Retreat: Chapter Books and Early Readers

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Join Debbi Michiko Florence, Kashmira Sheth, and guests for time to create and connect during this "Working Retreat." A “Working Retreat” is lightly structured with one lecture each day, informal conversations, optional consultations with faculty, and plenty of time to create in the comfort and care of the Highlights Foundation retreat […]

$1199
Photo: book with a leaf on the page

Working Retreat: Novels in Verse

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Verse Novelists, Novelists, and Poets, join Rajani LaRocca and Chris Baron for time to create and connect during a retreat built just for you.  A Working Retreat is lightly structured with one lecture each day, informal conversations, optional consultations with faculty, and plenty of time to create in the comfort […]

$1199

Image of open book with butterflies rising from the pages

Working Retreat: Lyrical Picture Books and Poetry

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat This program is a celebration of words: lyrical, poetic, pun-tastic words! Join an exceptional group of picture book creatives, including Sudipta Bardhan-Quallan, Georgia Heard, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, and Leeza Hernandez to create and connect during this Working Retreat. With sessions on lyrical word choice, rhyme (or not), leaving room for […]

$1199
Speech Bubble shapes on a chalkboard background.

Working Retreat: Experienced Storytellers In-Company

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 5-Day/4-Night Working Retreat This retreat for experienced authors and illustrators has been thoughtfully crafted to share, grow, and cultivate creativity when you've been working in the industry for a long time. Come retreat in-company with your peers about your career, challenges, deadlines, upcoming projects, and new dreams. This Working Retreat is lightly structured […]

$1399

In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Native Creatives: An In-Community Retreat

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

“Time with fellow Native creatives helps sustain me along this author’s journey. I look forward to a weekend together to share our stories, write, create art, and talk practically about how we navigate the publishing industry.” —Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation) Join this 4-night/5-day writing retreat designed for Native and Indigenous Voices who (or who aspire to) write, illustrate, or […]

$1050
In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Neurodiverse Writers and Illustrators: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Join this 3-night/4-day in-community retreat thoughtfully hosted by Sona Charaipotra, Lyn Miller-Lachmann, and Katie Mazeika. About the Program Join us for an in-community retreat tailored for neurodivergent writers and illustrators, where you can fully embrace your perspectives and talents in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Connect with storytellers and make progress on your own work. […]

$850

In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Black Voices: An In-Community Retreat for Storytellers

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Join Valerie Bolling and fellow storytellers for this in-community retreat for Black writers and illustrators. About the Program This 3-night/4-day retreat thrives within a welcoming community, designed to spark your creativity and foster connections with fellow storytellers. This retreat provides a loosely structured environment, allowing you ample time and space to engage in writing, illustrating, […]

$850

Sold Out; Join the Waitlist

Working Retreat: Poetry and Poetry Anthologies

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Join celebrated poets Charles Waters, Irene Latham, and their guests for time to create and connect during this Working Retreat. We invite writers with a passion for solo poetry collections, poetry anthologies, stand alone poems, and more for an immersive experience where productivity meets inspiration! A Working Retreat is lightly structured […]

$1199
image of question mark surrounded by educational terms

Working Retreat: Writing for the Educational Market

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Are you currently writing for the educational market, or would you like to learn how to produce content for educational publishers? Here is a special retreat just for you. Join writers and editors Jan Fields, Paula Morrow, and their special guest, editor Katie Kawa, to discuss the opportunities welcoming writers into […]

$1199
Imagae of hand drawing a light bulb that says "New Ideas" on it

Working Retreat: Spark Inspiration with Meditation and Creative Play

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Join Kekla Magoon and Laurie Calkhoven for a retreat built to spark inspiration through meditation and creative play, and then give you time to harness that spark in your own projects.  A “Working Retreat” is lightly structured with one lecture each day, generative activities, optional consultations with faculty, and plenty […]

$1199

writers at a table

Working Retreat: Novelists and Graphic Novelists

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Novelists and Graphic Novelists, join Julie C. Dao and Wendy Xu for time to create and connect during a retreat built just for you.  A Working Retreat is lightly structured with one lecture each day, informal conversations, optional consultations with faculty, and plenty of time to create in the comfort […]

$1199
Photo of printer blocks spelling out NONFICTION

Working Retreat: Nonfiction and Informational Fiction

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Join Heidi Stemple, Andrea Page, and editor Eileen Robinson for time to create and connect with fellow nonfiction writers. This Working Retreat is lightly structured with one lecture each day, informal conversations, optional consultations with faculty, and plenty of time to create in the comfort and care of the Highlights […]

$1199
In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Jewish Symposium: An In-Community Gathering for Jewish Writers and Illustrators

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

This 4-Day/3-Night in-community symposium engages in the rich and important discussions of what it means to grow as Jewish writers, tending to our Jewish joy with care, intention, and faith. There will be ample time for your own work and community building throughout this program. This is an in-person symposium for Jewish storytellers and professionals […]

$1050
Sold Out; Join the Waitlist

Asian and Asian American Voices: An In-Community Retreat

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

This retreat is currently waitlisted. You can join the waitlist here. We are also holding scholarship spots; find more info about applying for a scholarship here.About the Program Join hosts Grace Lin and Debbi Michiko Florence, and fellow storytellers for this in-community retreat where much of the time is for your own creativity. How It’s […]

$850

Photo of markers and pens

Working (PLAYING) Retreat: Artistic Play and Exploration

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Join the creative duo of Denise Fleming and Ashley Wolff for time to create and connect. Denise and Ashley will be joined by special guests Merrill Rainey and Retreat Assistant Rofa Shuhratzoda.  This Working Retreat is lightly structured with one lecture each day, generative activities, optional consultations with faculty, and […]

$1199
In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Writing Through Trauma to Empower Readers: A Working In-Community Retreat for Storytellers

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Join this 3-night/4-day writing retreat designed for authors who are crafting books for kids and teens that center their lived experiences in areas of trauma, mental health, grief, and beyond. About the Program We believe there is hope in harnessing the transformative power of storytelling.  Explore therapeutic writing techniques that enable you to create narratives […]

$1199

PJ Library Logo with colorful background

PJ Library: Picture Book Summer Camp

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview PJ Library invites authors and author-illustrators interested in developing Jewish-themed picture books to apply for the 3rd annual Picture Book Summer Camp for five days of inspiration, mentorship, fun, and creativity! This opportunity is for emerging creatives whose work has not yet been published, or who have no more than one published picture book. […]

In-Community Retreat Featured of of the Barn

Muslim Storytellers In-Community Retreats: Call for Applications

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

CALL FOR INTEREST IN 2024 MUSLIM STORYTELLER RETREATS at THE HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION RETREAT CENTER May 22 - 25, 2024 or September 5 - 8, 2024   Experience an in-community retreat designed for Muslim storytellers. Applicants will receive full lodging and meals, along with a $300 travel stipend.   This immersive experience offers a supportive space […]

The Barn at Boyds Mills

Jewish Voices In-Community Retreat 2023

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night, In-Community Retreat This in-community retreat is designed to bring to Jewish creatives together. Days are for your personal projects and to connect with fellow Jewish writers and illustrators who care about creating authentic books for children and teens. This is an in-person retreat for Jewish creatives who currently (or wish to) write […]

$799
The Barn at Boyds Mills

Latinx Voices: An In-Community Retreat

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night, In-Community Retreat This in-community retreat is for writers and illustrators from the Latinx Diaspora. It is an informally structured retreat where the focus is on your own projects, plus a celebration of community, sharing ways to amplify and support Latinx voices. This is an in-person retreat for Latinx creatives who currently (or […]

$799
Pride Flag

Rainbow Retreat: An In-Community Experience for Creatives

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night, In-Community Retreat This in-community retreat is designed to bring to LGBTQIA+ creatives together. It is an informally structured retreat where the focus is on your own projects with room to celebrate and cultivate the joys of this community! Hosts Jas Hammonds and Rob Costello will lead informal evening activities. Special guest Antonio […]

$799

Craft & Heart of Writing Poetry for Children

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat If writing poetry for children is your passion, join celebrated poets Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich for this 5-day/4-night retreat to work on your own poetry through guided writing exercises, peer workshopping and sharing, lectures, and a private consultation. We also include ample private retreat time so that you can write, wander, and connect […]

$1399
The Barn at Boyds Mills

Making Magic: Writing and Refining Fantastical and Otherworldly Stories

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat Deepen the magic in your middle grade or young adult novel with novelists Anna-Marie McLemore and Nova Ren Suma.  In this generative writing workshop, you’ll enjoy in-depth craft lectures from experienced faculty authors, small group workshopping, 1:1 faculty consultations, and ample private time to retreat so that you can write, wander, and […]

$1299
The Barn on the Highlights Foundation Campus

Writing for Beginning Readers: First Chapter Books and Early Readers

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat Do you want to bring joy and confidence to kids who are picking up a book on their own for the very first time?  Whether fiction or nonfiction, learn how to bring your stories to life for these beginning readers. This is an in-person workshop at our Retreat Center with presentations, […]

$1299
Sold Out; Join the Waitlist

Middle Grade Writers: A Generative Retreat Experience

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat To write for children, we need to reconnect with the clever, imaginative, and curious core of our childhood selves. Join celebrated middle-grade authors Erin Entrada Kelly and Laurel Snyder for a four-day retreat focused on generative writing inspired by the sleepaway camps of our youths. Write, wander, and connect […]

$1199

PJ Library Logo with colorful background

PJ Library: Summer Camp for Writers and Illustrators of Jewish Picture Books

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview PJ Library invites writers and writer/illustrators of Jewish-themed picture books to apply for our 2023 Picture Book Summer Camp for five days of inspiration, mentorship, fun, and creativity on the beautiful campus of the Highlights Foundation. A majority of the spaces are reserved for emerging creatives (unpublished, or no more than one published picture […]

Picture Book Writers and Illustrators: A Working Retreat

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Working Retreat Picture book writers and illustrators: set aside time to focus on your picture book project! Here is a special retreat just for you. A “Working Retreat” is lightly structured with one lecture each day, one consultation, one guided manuscript workshopping of a picture book, and informal conversations held fireside. This […]

$999

Writing and Illustrating Science & Nature for Kids and Teens

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat Mentorship, hands-on activities, presentations, and ample time for retreating will help you on your path to energizing readers through science and nature-themed fiction or nonfiction. This is an in-person workshop at our Retreat Center with ample time to relax, retreat, and work on your own writing. Lodging and meals are included. There […]

$1399

Sold Out; Join the Waitlist

Summer Camp in Nonfiction: Explore, Engage, and Inspire

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat Get away for five days at our Summer Camp in Nonfiction for inspiration, guidance, mentorship, community, fun, creativity, and growth. At the Highlights Foundation, “summer camp” is different than s’mores by the fire and hiking in the woods. (Though we do that, too.) Our summer camp is a time […]

$1649
Sold Out; Join the Waitlist

Summer Camp in Fiction: Explore, Play, and Inspire

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat Get away for five days at our Summer Camp in Fiction for inspiration, guidance, mentorship, community, fun, creativity, and growth. At the Highlights Foundation, “summer camp” is different than s’mores by the fire and hiking in the woods. (Though we do that, too.) Our summer camp is a time […]

$1649

Blackboard with question mark

Writing for the Educational Market

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat If the words “educational market” make you think only of workbooks and textbooks, it’s time to think again!  Today’s educational publishers are eager to see lively nonfiction, fast-paced fiction, poetry, video scripts, and more. This is an in-person workshop at our Retreat Center with lectures, writing exercises, and small group discussions. […]

$1399
The Barn on the Highlights Foundation Campus

In-Company: A Retreat for Experienced Authors and Illustrators

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 5-Day/4-Night Workshop and Retreat Join us in company to share, grow, and cultivate creativity when you’ve been working in the industry for a long time. Talk with your peers about your career, challenges, deadlines, and upcoming projects. Offer your wishes for pushing boundaries of your work, and the industry! This is an in-person workshop at our […]

$1399
Photo of the Lodge on the Highlights Foundation Campus

An Intersectional Lens: Awareness + Action for Representation in Kids’ Books, Libraries & Classrooms

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Retreat Professional & Personal Development for Educators, Librarians, Storytellers, & Publishing Professionals. Build the skills you need to analyze children’s books for meaningful representation, reader engagement, visual literacy, and more. This is an in-person workshop at our Retreat Center with presentations, implementation plans, book talks, and time to meet informally with fellow literary advocates and […]

$1199

Crafting Novels in Verse: Workshop and Retreat

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat From start to finish, the skills needed to craft a verse novel are unique– part poetry, part narrative, all heart. Join verse novelists Rajani LaRocca and Chris Baron, with special guest Cordelia Jensen, to explore this emotionally packed form of storytelling. We also include ample private retreat time so that you can […]

$1299
A picture of the Highlights Foundation barn patio at sunset.

Asian and Asian American Voices: An In-Community Retreat

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night, In-Community Retreat This in-community retreat is for writers and illustrators from the Asian and Asian American Communities, with special hosts Grace Lin and Debbi Michiko Florence and their guests.  It is an informally structured retreat, where the focus is on your own projects.  We’ll also celebrate this diverse and talented community. An […]

$799

The Barn on the Highlights Foundation Campus

Creating Picture Books with Humor and Heart: A Working Retreat

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat Join editor and writer Sunita Apte (Reycraft Books/Benchmark) and award-winning, bestselling authors Emily Jenkins and Elise Broach for this writing retreat focused on creating funny and emotionally satisfying picture books. There will be three opportunities for feedback, and ample private retreat time so that you can write, wander, and […]

$1299

Poetry for Kids: A World of Publishing Possibilities

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview In-person 4-Day/3-Night Workshop and Retreat Poetry anthologies, stand alone poems, lyrical picture books, narrative picture books, and verse novels make up the colorful fabric of poetic offerings to children. Learn ways to weave words, sounds, and stories into engaging poems, and find new markets and opportunities in writing poetry for children. There will be […]

$1299
paintbrushes on a color background

Color, Light, Line, and Texture: Art Exploration and Play!

Highlights Foundation Campus 392 Boyds Mills Road, Milanville, PA

Overview Come play in paint, explore collage, and dive into the unexpected during this hands-on retreat weekend for everyone. Creativity will be front-and-center, and all are welcome: writers, artists, teachers, librarians, publishing professionals, and art lovers! NO previous art experience is required. This is an in-person workshop at our Retreat Center with hands-on explorations in […]

$1299

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The Highlights Foundation positively impacts children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.  Learn more about our impact.

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