Welcome! I'm Laura Davis.
I write books that change people’s lives and help people tell stories that matter.
For more than 25 years, I've helped people find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft. I love creating supportive, intimate writing communities online, in person, and internationally.
Subscribe to my mailing list to hear my instructions on how to mine the deepest material in your writing.
Featured Retreat
November Is Our Last Month for Reservations! Sign Up While You Can.
Write, Travel, Transform: Cuba
Monday, April 13 - Sunday, April 26, 2026
Let Cuba's passionate devotion to art and community inspire your own creativity on this life-changing journey. You'll explore Havana's revolutionary heritage, engage with contemporary Cuban voices rarely heard by international visitors, and discover how Afro-Cuban traditions weave together resilience, struggle, and celebration.
Our 14-day adventure includes daily writing workshops, salsa lessons, jungle hikes, and intimate encounters with local historians, musicians, and artists. From walking in Hemingway's footsteps to learning sustainable farming practices at an organic farm, each experience will deepen your respect for Cuba’s indomitable spirit as well as your own. After two weeks in Cuba, warmed by the Caribbean sun and the intimate support of your fellow writers, you’ll return home deeply renewed, inspired by the transformative power of creative travel.
Classes and Retreats
Experience the incredible power of finding your voice and honing your craft in a supportive circle of your peers. My fall classes are registering now. Click the "classes" button below for more information.
I also run writing retreats online, around the US, and internationally, from daylong and weekend workshops to weeklong retreats on writing through grief and uncertainty, to international travel adventures that combine writing with ecotourism in beautiful places around the world. To learn more, click on the link below.
"Writing is a way of saying
that you and the world have a chance."
—Richard Hugo
LET'S WRITE THROUGH THE CHAOS TOGETHER.
Join Me on Substack
LAURA'S AWARD-WINNING MEMOIR:
The Burning Light of Two Stars
A Mother-Daughter Story
This riveting memoir by The Courage to Heal author Laura Davis examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking.
Writer's Journey Roadmap - Writing Prompts
The Writer's Journey Roadmap: Receive the gift of weekly inspiration. Powerful, provocative, motivating writing prompts in your inbox every Tuesday.
Upcoming Events with Laura Davis
Writing as a Pathway to Resilience and Joy
Saturday, November 15, 2025
10 AM - Noon Pacific
Online via Zoom
FREE
In this free 2-hour online workshop, Laura will focus on how writing can be a powerful tool for developing the internal resources necessary to meet the challenges of an uncertain world. She will guide us on a creative writing journey where we’ll learn new ways to remain grounded, present and joyful, even in the face of adversity.
You don’t need to consider yourself a writer to attend. Everyone is welcome!
If you are unable to attend live, you will receive a recording within a few days.
How to Write About What You Can't Remember
Thursday, February 12, 2026
9 AM - 10:30 AM CT
San Miguel Writers' Conference & Literary Festival, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Many of us believe that writing memoir requires accurately remembering our past and then transcribing those memories. Yet there’s so much we don’t remember. This workshop, suitable for all levels, will teach you how to transform scraps of memory into a rich written legacy. You’ll walk away with strategies for writing about events that happened years ago with fresh immediacy—enhancing vague or unclear recollections and effectively writing about parts of your history that are impossible to know for sure.
Memoir: How to Create Unforgettably Vivid Moments Your Readers Will Never Forget
Saturday, February 14, 2026
2 PM - 5 PM CT
San Miguel Writers' Conference & Literary Festival, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
What makes scenes compelling are emotionally resonant moments filled with urgency. In this intensive, you’ll learn how to identify the pivotal moments that form your story’s backbone, front-load sensory detail to create vivid and unforgettable writing, and why you should “slow down where it hurts.” You’ll come away with a powerful draft of a crucial scene, a list of future scenes to develop, and new skills to write those scenes with powerful immediacy. Come prepared to write, learn, and share.
November Is Our Last Month for Reservations! Sign Up While You Can.
Write, Travel, Transform: Cuba
Monday, April 13 - Sunday, April 26, 2026
Let Cuba's passionate devotion to art and community inspire your own creativity on this life-changing journey. You'll explore Havana's revolutionary heritage, engage with contemporary Cuban voices rarely heard by international visitors, and discover how Afro-Cuban traditions weave together resilience, struggle, and celebration.
Our 14-day adventure includes daily writing workshops, salsa lessons, jungle hikes, and intimate encounters with local historians, musicians, and artists. From walking in Hemingway's footsteps to learning sustainable farming practices at an organic farm, each experience will deepen your respect for Cuba’s indomitable spirit as well as your own. After two weeks in Cuba, warmed by the Caribbean sun and the intimate support of your fellow writers, you’ll return home deeply renewed, inspired by the transformative power of creative travel.
Flourishing as We Age: A Writing Retreat for Women
Cultivating Resilience, Navigating Change, and Embracing Life
Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, CA
Monday, June 1 - Sunday, June 7, 2026
To flourish as we age, we shed our younger selves and open to new ways of living and interacting with the world. This seven-day writing workshop at a beautiful oceanfront retreat in Santa Cruz, California, will support you on this journey, while enriching your capacity to manage change, build resilience, and hold grief and gratitude simultaneously. You will be supported by four master teachers and a vibrant, courageous community of women who will join you in using story, ritual, and deep listening to discover the inner freedom and wisdom available to you now.
Write, Travel, Transform: A Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago, Spain
Sunday, September 6 - Tuesday, September 22, 2026
This famous pilgrimage trail, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has attracted people from all over the world for more than 1,000 years. Our 17-day trip will combine eight days hiking the last 100 km of the French Camino de Santiago with six days focused on creative expression. At the beginning, middle, and end of our trip, non-hiking days will be set aside for Laura to teach writing and our lead hiking guide, Brenda, to teach quick sketching and watercolor techniques, helping you experience and reflect on your journey. Beginners in both disciplines are welcome. After 17 days in Spain, immersed in beauty and an intimate traveling community, you'll return home with a personal journal documenting your journey.