The Art of Memoir:
Crafting Compelling,
Vivid, True Life Stories

Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California

Not yet rescheduled

Come write your heart out with master teacher Laura Davis and a vibrant, supportive writing community on the beach overlooking the Pacific in Santa Cruz, California.

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Many of us hold a deep dream of writing the story of our lives. We want to tell our stories so we can understand ourselves more fully. We want to pass on our family stories. By giving our life experiences shape, texture, and beauty, we hope to create a lasting legacy that will inspire and inform.

The Art of Memoir will teach you how to take life stories and craft them into memoir. We will examine what transforms a personal story into something that has value and meaning for others, and in the process, we will address the following questions:

  • What makes a memoir a memoir?
  • What is it about my life experience that makes it worth telling?
  • How can I move beyond the "simply personal" into writing with universal significance?
  • How can I write about the past with fresh immediacy?
  • What should I include and what should I leave out?
  • What about the voices that tell me I can't tell these stories because I'd be betraying the people in them?

This is an intimate retreat with a maximum of 15 participants.

You will leave with a substantial body of work as well as essential skills and exercises that will keep you focused and directed in your writing for months to come.

Evocative prompts will lead you deeply into the world of memoir and story. Learn how to “find the story beneath the story,” why writers need to “slow down where it hurts,” and the secret of telling true stories rooted in the immediacy and physicality of the moment.

As we alternate periods of writing with listening to each other from a place of deep acceptance, you’ll benefit from the strength of a supportive writing circle, witness the healing power of language, and experience the transformation that occurs when we tell true stories and are deeply heard.

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Photo of concentrated mature woman in eyeglasses making notes in diary while sitting at table in living room

Is This Retreat For Me?

To benefit from this retreat, you can be already deeply engaged in writing a memoir, interested in exploring the possibility, or simply looking for a concentrated period of time to explore new entry points for writing about your life experience.

Open to anyone willing to connect with their creativity in the context of a safe, confidential community. Both emerging and seasoned writers are welcome to attend.

I'm ready to learn how to transform personal stories into memoir.

Testimonials from Past Participants

“I would recommend this retreat to all my friends who write or aspire to. It creates an opening in one’s creative life wide enough and deep enough that an entirely new journey can be discovered and take root.”

—Gaia Dempsey, Soquel, California

“I highly recommend this retreat without reservation.”

—Madeleine Houston, Sequim, Washington

“For anyone looking to learn to write better in a safe space, this is the place. Laura’s retreat offered a technical element, a creative component, and wisdom that you won’t experience anywhere else.”

—Carla Giordano, Montreal, Quebec

“I now feel that my memoir has a direction and a purpose it was missing.”

—Ron Robinson, Washington, DC

“Laura’s experience as a writer and teacher was transmitted with grace, compassion and the gentle determination to guide each person on their creative journey. I’d recommend this retreat to anyone who wants to develop new writing skills. The safe space Laura creates encourages the freedom to write from your heart.”

—Maryann Maslan, Richmond, California

“I loved the safe container that was created so I could write and share without censoring myself. That safe container extended to the setting (the sisters’ hospitality, sound of the ocean, good food), so that I could feel rested and refreshed enough to participate fully in the retreat.”

—Shoshana Helman, Berkeley, California

“Everyone who participated in the retreat felt uplifted, encouraged, and provided with new tools to improving our writing of memoir.”

—Kat Lancaster, Cambridge, Massachusetts

“The physical location and campus are perfection! The gardens, ocean view and walks on the beach were deeply relaxing.”

—Maryann Maslan, Richmond, California

“A magnificent place run by a delightful crew of hostesses who were devoted to our well-being. The food was fabulous, and I am a trained chef!”

—Kat Lancaster, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Location

Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California

Nature is a powerful teacher and a calming presence. Set against the natural beauty of the Santa Cruz, California coastline, Villa Maria del Mar provides offers a restful sanctuary.

Perched directly on the Pacific, Villa Maria Del Mar retreat center is owned and operated by the Sisters of the Holy Names. A place of serenity and renewal, the center was designed to foster introspection. Spacious grounds, comfortable accommodations, and quiet nooks offer the opportunity to unplug, recharge, and realign with what matters.

Housing: One of the reasons we chose Villa Maria Del Mar is the availability of single rooms, most with private bathrooms—we’ve found at our retreats that most participants really like their own space.

If you prefer shared accommodations or would like to bring a family member or a friend, doubles are also available. And if you’d like to stay in a double, but don’t have a roommate in mind, we’ll do our best to pair you with a compatible roommate. If a roommate cannot be found, you will be upgraded to a single room and charged accordingly.

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Yes, Laura, I want to meet you in Santa Cruz in November!

Frequently Asked Questions

Teacher

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Laura Davis

Laura Davis is the author of seven non-fiction books, including The Courage to Heal, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be and I Thought We'd Never Speak Again. Laura's groundbreaking books have sold more than 1.8 million copies around the world. Laura has also worked as a columnist, talk show host, radio reporter, radio producer, blogger, editor, and speaker.

She is a cancer survivor, the mother of three, the grandmother of three, and has buried both her parents. In other words, she is a well-seasoned human being.

Words have always been at the core of her work and her self-expression.

Laura has been mentoring and supporting writers for the past 20 years. It is truly the work of her heart:

"I love teaching. I love watching my students find their natural voice and their rhythm. I love it when they find their true stories and discover the courage to put them on the page. I feel like a midwife as my students birth their stories, and I feel honored to witness their bursts of creativity and pure life energy pouring out on the page. Our writing circles are safe places where skills are honed, tears and laughter are welcome, and each writer is seen, heard and deeply known."

Laura leads weekly online writing groups and in-person retreats in California, as well as retreats internationally. She has taken writers to Bali and Scotland, Tuscany, Greece, Vietnam, hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain and to Laos and Cambodia. She documents these trips to the delight of many readers in her intermittent travel blog, The Virtual Vacation.

Laura's memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story, winner of the BookLife Prize for best memoir/autobiography of 2021, tells the story of her dramatic and tumultuous relationship with her mother from the time of Laura's birth until her mother's death. You will receive a copy of The Burning Light of Two Stars as a bonus gift as part of your registration.

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Endorsements for Laura

“Laura was the beating heart of the small community we became. She gave each of us her undivided attention and encouragement, while also forging our ethos of integrity and respect as a group.”

—Kat Lancaster, Cambridge, Massachusetts

“Laura is inspiring, solid, sympathetic, and encouraging. Her instructions were clear, concise, useful and focused. I particularly appreciated the way she kept the class well-managed and on track.”

—Madeleine Houston, Sequim, Washington

“Laura’s grounded energy and deep knowledge of the craft of writing created the strongest possible container in which we could experiment, explore and encounter new tendrils of creativity within ourselves.”

—Gaia Dempsey, Soquel, California

“Laura was the ringleader, orchestra conductor, cheerleader. She is the most facile retreat leader I’ve ever met. She sets the tone with safe ground rules and an invitation to intimacy, creating the perfect container for going deeper in yourself.”

—Shoshana Helman, Berkeley, California

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“Laura’s exercises provided valuable tools for building a first draft that is worthy to become a second one. I now have a writing foundation, go-to exercises that will unlock any limitation or hesitation that comes over me when I attempt to write a new piece. I know what it means to build a story now.”

—Carla Giordano, Montreal, Quebec

“I love the container Laura created. She included every person where they were, fostering safety, honesty and courage. The tools and techniques she taught built on each other, developing a scaffolding for imagining creative momentum. The questions she gave as prompts served as catalysts for actual progress. I felt gloriously challenged to make a real shift and stay with it. Wow!”

—Madeleine Houston, Sequim, Washington

Yes, sign me up for a creative, deeply restorative memoir retreat.

Endorsements for Laura's Workshops

“Laura Davis’ writing workshop will draw ideas and stories from you that you didn’t even know were there. Her well thought-out method encourages making connections and putting new order into familiar experiences.”

—Marianne Huber, Dixon, IL

“For years I’ve wanted to write to experience my own voice. One of the obstacles has been feeling isolated. In Laura’s workshops, I feel connected and privileged as a writer in community. Laura’s workshop has been a gift to dissolve the other obstacles—that of feeling exposed.”

—Emmah Smyth, Santa Clara, CA

"Laura has an ability to speak to all levels of writers--beginners and old pros. Her sense of timing is excellent; she knows how to pace the sessions. Her calm reminders help to keep the judgment away from our writing. Laura’s workshop was much more than a writing class--it was an opportunity to express ourselves from the heart."

—Susan Seaburg, Santa Cruz, CA

“Laura Davis provides an open, welcoming environment to explore your writing and your self. The class is both beautifully curated and is supportive of both creativity and personal journey. Laura’s workshop created a framework in which I could connect to vivid memories and build my practice of writing.”

—Sarah Van Aven, Philadelphia, PA

“Writing can be scary because it often takes you right to all the places that still need to be healed. Laura’s workshop was very helpful because she created a safe place to explore, tools to get out of my own way, and exercises that helped me go to places I couldn’t go my own. Laura offers just the right perspective and guidance—and the safe container a writer needs to develop or continue a writing practice.”

—Delana Gardner, Big Sur, CA

“I’d absolutely recommend Laura’s workshop. It’s a gift to give yourself the opportunity to hear your own voice reflected back to you, things you didn’t even realize you knew.”

—Saralynn Masselink, Los Angeles, CA

“Laura’s strong collaborative leadership skills, combined with respectful communication abilities, makes her workshop a safe place to be.”

—Gail Webber, Mountain View, CA

“I would definitely recommend this workshop to anyone, even if they don’t consider themselves writers—or are new to the process. Laura Davis is a wonderful teacher and it was an honor to be with her.”

—Alissa Ferranto, San Rafael, CA

“Laura has such an open heart and gives particular care to each person in the workshop. The manner and comfort with which she teaches encourages me to write—and not be afraid of sharing.  Attending her workshops has provided me with a balance I didn’t know I needed until I began to attend.”

—Rosemary Christian

“My hope was that I could keep my pen moving and be courageous enough to tell the hard stories clearly and well. In Laura’s workshop, I got all of that and more. I treasure this experience. It was perfect for me.”

—Jessica Bersi, Lodi, CA

Inclusions & Travel

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What's included:

  • Room and board, three meals a day.
  • All writing instruction for a life-changing retreat.
  • The services of your capable, compassionate leader.
  • Incredible vistas of the Pacific coast.
  • An amazing community that will lead to deep connections and new friends.
  • A copy of Laura's memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars.

What's not included:

  • Transportation to and from the Villa Maria del Mar.
  • Personal, medical, and travel insurance to protect your investment in the retreat.
  • Tips for the kitchen and the cleaning staff.

TRAVEL TO THE RETREAT

Arrival and Departure: 
We will start at 5:00 P.M. on Monday, November 3rd for dinner. You can arrive to register as early as 3:00 PM. We will end after lunch on Friday, November 7th.

Flying in?
Villa Maria del Mar is approximately one hour from San Jose Airport (SJC) or one hour and 45 minutes from either San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or Oakland International Airport (OAK).

You will need to arrange your travel so you can be at the retreat for the entire time. If you are flying into San Jose Airport, that means your plane should arrive no later than 1:30 pm Monday afternoon and leave no earlier than 5:00 pm on Friday afternoon. For the Bay Area airports, your pane should arrive no later than 12:45 pm on the 3rd and 5:45 pm on the 7th.

Santa Cruz Beach

Yes, I want to learn to tell powerful, vivid true stories!

Registration

SOLD OUT!

The Art of Memoir: Crafting Compelling, Vivid, True Life Stories

Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, California

November 3 - 7, 2025

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Your Investment

Cost: $1,600 for a spot in a double-occupancy room; $2,450 for a standard single occupancy room.

Payment Schedule: The full cost is due upon registration.

Retreat Tuition Cancellations and Refunds Policy: A deposit amount of $800 for a double occupancy room spot or $1,225 for a single occupancy room spot is nonrefundable and will be forfeited in all cases. After September 15, 2025, there will be no refunds. Exceptions to this cancellation policy cannot be made for any reason, including personal emergencies. Travel protection insurance will provide your only option for recouping your full tuition investment.

Villa Maria del Mar Double Bedroom

Choose Your Rooms

1. DOUBLE ROOMS - Only 1 Spot Left!
Shared Double-Occupancy Room - $1,600 per bed
Room contains two twin beds. Pricing per person.

NOTE: If you sign up for a double occupancy room without having a roommate in mind, we will do our best to pair you with an appropriate roommate. If a roommate cannot be found for you, you will be upgraded to a single and need to pay the difference.

2. SINGLE ROOMS
Standard Single Room - $2,450
Private room and bathroom. Pricing per person.

Waitlist Sign Up

The Art of Memoir Waitlist

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