A Week of Creativity, Exploration, and Renewal
On O‘ahu's North Shore. All writers and artists welcome.
The Retreat
In the Hawaiian language, Mokulē‘ia means “a place of abundance.” The mission of Camp Mokulē‘ia is to offer a sacred place for reflection, gathering, and play. The mission of the retreat is to welcome writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, and memoir and to foster an exchange in two directions—between islanders and visitors, published writers and budding writers, Native Hawaiian artistry and mainstream publishing. We are dedicated to providing rich resources for artists at the lowest possible cost.
The retreat allows for an intensive creative experience with ample time to relax and recharge.
Saturday workshops in November and April allow island writers to join us for one day only.
We believe a sacred spot like this will inspire us to explore other places—whether in the heart, in memory, or in the moment. With the Wai‘anae Mountains at our back and the open ocean at our front, we break bread with colleagues, gather in daily workshops, salute the sun in yoga, write in the shade of ironwood trees, and wander along the pristine beach.
We offer sessions in art, music, and crafts to inspire and enhance our literary endeavors. We are also committed to reflecting the culture and values of Hawai‘i and providing an experience different from the typical tourist visit.
The retreat is high-level and professional—but also low-key and tuned in to art and beauty. Workshops encourage creative exploration and include readings, exercises, and feedback. We don't group writers by experience, but rather see each artist as on a personal path of discovery and mastery. Open writing time allows for diving deeper as well as polishing.
As always, our instructors, are all professional writers with many publication credits. We offer personal guidance and top-flight editing as part of the workshops. We also try to respond to particular needs of each writer.
Writers from Hawaii‘s premier literary journal, Bamboo Ridge, will join us for a reading.
Additional activities
Extra programs offer a chance to learn about the essence of Hawai‘i from writers, chanters, musicians, and other cultural legends. These programs are open to family and companions as well as members of the local community.
This year's programs include music with Kaipo Asing and his trio, a leimaking workshop with Uncle Herman Tachera, a reading with Bamboo Press, and a special walk in Makua Valley, usually off-limits to visitors.
Kaipo Asing is a virtuoso performer who has played with many of Hawai‘i's greats. His trio plays what is often referred to as “the Territorial style.” In the strains of their renditions of beloved classics, you will hear traces of jazz, swing, and even country, as well as echoes of the icons of yesteryear: Alfred Apaka, Jerry Byrd, David “Feet” Rogers, and Gabby Pahinui. They will serenade us and accompany hula dancers in the crowd. The musicians have been regulars at many of Honolulu’s famous rooms, like The Halekulani’s Room without a Key and the Waikīkī Marriott’s Moana Terrace.
Other optional activities include yoga, hikes, swimming, turtle spotting, and endless beachcombing.
Faculty in 2025
Our writing instructors are writers with many publishing credits to their names as well as serious teaching chops. Full bios and descriptions of their workshops are below. The 2024 faculty includes:
Constance Hale (retreat director and instructor in the craft of writing)
Susan Ito (memoir)
Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes (fiction)
Tamara Leiokanoe Moan (book art)
Zoe FitzGerald Carter (songwriting)
Herman Keko Ka‘oiwinani Mossman Tachera (leimaking)
Kaipo Asing (music)
Malcolm Ryder (composition//decomposition)
Additional faculty to be announced in December.
Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Constance Hale, and Zoe FitzGerald Carter at Camp Mokulē‘ia
Registration and Costs
For the April retreat, all rooms are at the Camp, either in the Lodge or in a shared cabin with one person in each room. Rooms each year are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. It's also possible to rent a room on AirBnb nearby and come at the day rate.
Writers check in to their rooms Monday afternoon, checking out Sunday by noon. All meals are included in the rates for attendees staying at the Camp. Day rates are available for those who do not wish lodging or breakfast and dinner. (Individual meals for day raters and guests can be arranged.)
RATES FOR APRIL
The rate for workshops, lodging (private room), activities, and all meals: $2,000 /
The rate for workshops, lodging (shared room or cabin room), activities, all meals: $ 1,400 /
The rate for a nonwriting companion, activities, all meals: $ 1,000 /
The day rate, including all meals and activities, is $ 1,000
Island writers unable to attend all week are invited to join us for one day only, on Saturday April 27. A writing workshop in the morning, a workshop on composition and another on polishing your work in the afternoon. The Saturday-only rate, which includes all three workshops, lunch, and dinner: $150.
Limited scholarships are available; please email Connie (connie [at] sinandsyntax.com).
To register, follow this link. For our cancellation policy, please see below.
HAPPENING SOON; REGISTRATION OPEN:
The November retreat is a two-day “booster” the weekend after Thanksgiving. This fall’s mini-retreat will be November 30 from 10 am to 5 pm with lunch. The cost will be $120 for one day, which includes coffee and treats in the morning, and lunch. The day will feature lots of generative writing, and some arty breaks. There will be a bonus half day on Sunday December 1 (10 am to 2 pm) for those who have work they’d like to polish. It’s $160 for both days. Register here.
2024 Faculty bios and sessions
Constance Hale (director)
Connie writes children’s books, adult’s books, essays, profiles, and, every now and then, a poem. She is the author of Sin and Syntax, and she curates sinandsyntax.com, a place “for those who love wicked good prose.” Connie has been an editor at the Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Examiner, Wired, and Health, and she coaches writers tackling their first (or fifth) books. She was born and grew up in Waialua, which makes this retreat a happy overlay of the personal and the professional. Her children’s book ‘Iwalani’s Tree is set in Mokulē‘ia. Connie will teach two sessions.
Literary Portraits
How to paint character on the page, no matter what genre you are writing in.
Lyrics and Lyrics (with Zoe FitzGerald Carter)
All about sound, metaphor, and the magic of last lines.
Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes
Jasmin was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii. Jasmin left the islands and worked in politics as well as the nonprofit world, and her essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Sacramento Bee. Her debut novel, Hula, was a Booklist Best Book of 2023, an Amazon Editor’s Choice pick, and has received starred reviews and critical acclaim from Oprah Daily, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, the Los Angeles Times, and others. She is the recipient of residencies from Hedgebrook, VCCA, and Storyknife.
Emotional Truth in Fiction
Without emotion, a story is just a series of events. In this generative workshop we will focus on developing a narrative voice that is emotional and distinctive, leaning on mythology, archetypes, and ancient forms of storytelling to inspire new work. We will also explore the use of history and place as tools for character development. Finally, we will look at the relationship between writer and reader, and how that relationship informs your work. By sharing and getting feedback, we’ll practice switching from writer to editor to spot what’s not working, and why. Each day will include writing prompts that will push you in new directions and leave you inspired and excited to dive deeper into the writing.
Mark Schapiro
Mark is an award-winning environmental journalist. His most recent book, Seeds of Resistance: The Fight for Food Diversity on our Climate-Ravaged Planet, is a journey in search of the food-crop seeds capable of surviving climate change and the struggle with agri-chemical companies to control them. He writes the column Steal This (Climate) Story at Capital & Main. His work is also published in Harpers, Inside Climate News, Civil Eats, Bay Nature and Mother Jones. His podcast, The Elements, tells the stories of how climate change is impacting the four basic elements—Water, Air, Fire, Earth—and the sometimes surprising responses to those impacts. He is a lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Making the whole world kin
Shakespeare famously said, “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,” and in this workshop we will take the Mokule‘ia landscape as inspiration for stortytelling. Prompts will sharpen observation, description, and metaphor. We’ll focus on writing scenes and telling the stories in which nature is a central character, describing the environment around us to evoke what may be going on below the surface. (Nature, for this workshop, is broadly interpreted—the air above our heads, the ground beneath our feet, the waters that flow around us, the ecological systems that weave through and sustain them. And human nature.) We’ll read renowned “nature” writers to consider their storytelling strategies. What can they teach us about eloquence, insight, character, metaphor, and narrative structure? We’ll share and discuss, with a positive spirit, your work. Though our focus is nonfiction, we will welcome storytelling in all its forms: prose, poetry, spoken word—wherever words help us grip the imagination.
Susan Ito
Susan Ito is the author of the memoir, I Would Meet You Anywhere, published by the Ohio State University Press. She co-edited the literary anthology A Ghost At Heart’s Edge: Stories & Poems of Adoption. Her work has appeared in The Writer, Hyphen, Literary Mama, Catapult, Hyphen,The Bellevue Literary Review, Agni, Guernica, and elsewhere. She has been awarded residencies at the MacDowell Colony, The Mesa Refuge, Hedgebrook, and Blue Mountain Center. Her theatrical adaption of Untold, stories of reproductive stigma, was produced at Brava Theater. She teaches at the Mills College campus of Northeastern University.
Embracing Your Story
Every human has a story, or many stories, worth telling, but many of us don’t believe in our ability to tell them. This workshop unpacks the two parts of that sentence. First, we don’t have to be celebrities and we don’t have to have experienced wild drama or deep trauma for our stories to be compelling, worthy, and valuable. And second, all of us have within us the capacity to craft a story to make it compelling, memorable and meaningful. Our primary focus in this workshop will be memoir, but novelists, essayists, and poets are also welcome to come and dig deep. Daily exercises are designed to inspire new projects, or build on something you’ve already begun.
Tamara Leiokanoe Moan
Tamara earned a BFA in graphic design in 1985 from the University of Washington and received an MA in literature and creative writing from the University of Hawai‛i. Tamara’s journalism has been published in Hana Hou, Island Scene, Generations Hawaii, American Artist, The Artist’s Magazine, and Pastel Artist. Her poetry and creative non-fiction have appeared in Bamboo Ridge and Hawaii Pacific Review. She lives and works in Kailua and exhibits regularly in Hawai‛i; you can find her artwork at www.tamaramoan.com and www.fineartassociates.com.
Resist!
Explore the notion of resistance through the water-resisting properties of wax crayons. We'll work with a combination of drawing and painting techniques with writing (exploring the resist theme in words) to create a stand-up placard or mini-poster. Absolutely no skill required. We'll be using the materials you worked with in grade school but add on adult layers of verbal communication.
Zoe FItzGerald Carter
Zoe is an author, journalist and songwriter who has played in numerous Bay Area bands. She’s released two albums of original music (Waiting for the Earthquake and Waterlines) and has a third out this spring (Before the Machine). You can find her on Spotify or on her website. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and has written for numerous national magazines (The New York Times, Newsweek, Vogue). In 2010, she published an award-winning memoir, Imperfect Endings (Simon & Schuster).
Songlines: Turning Life into Lyrics
This workshop is for anyone interested in exploring songwriting in a fun, inclusive gathering over two afternoons. Whether you’re a listener, a living room performer, or a pro, this class is for you—there are NO prerequisites. We’ll listen to some music, discuss the songwriting form—what is a hook? what is the purpose of a chorus?—and write a song together, which we’ll perform as a group on the last day of camp. Do you have instruments that are easy to transport? Bring them for impromptu jams in the evening.
Saturday Bonus Beats 2024
Donald Carreira Ching
Donald Carreira Ching
Donald Carreira Ching
Born and raised in Kahaluʻu, Donald will lead the lead the fiction workshop. His poetry and fiction have appeared in publications such as StoryQuarterly, Every Day Fiction, and RHINO. His debut novel, Between Sky and Sea: A Family's Struggle, was published by Bamboo Ridge Press. In 2018, he received the Elliot Cades Award for Literatu
Born and raised in Kahaluʻu, Donald will lead the lead the fiction workshop. His poetry and fiction have appeared in publications such as StoryQuarterly, Every Day Fiction, and RHINO. His debut novel, Between Sky and Sea: A Family's Struggle, was published by Bamboo Ridge Press. In 2018, he received the Elliot Cades Award for Literature, and in 2021 and 2022, he was a finalist in the Rick DeMarinis Short Story Contest.
Malcolm Ryder
Donald Carreira Ching
Donald Carreira Ching
One of Princeton University’s first graduates in Photography, Malcolm has been a working artist, commercial photographer, art teacher, and arts writer, on the East and West coasts for decades. He runs an international artists collaborative creating visual arts exhibitions online and offline. Now based in Oakland, California, Malcolm’s so
One of Princeton University’s first graduates in Photography, Malcolm has been a working artist, commercial photographer, art teacher, and arts writer, on the East and West coasts for decades. He runs an international artists collaborative creating visual arts exhibitions online and offline. Now based in Oakland, California, Malcolm’s solo and collaborative work is found at www.malcolmryder.com & www.oaktown.pictures. He will teach "The Art of De-Composition."
Edna Cabcabin Moran
Donald Carreira Ching
Edna Cabcabin Moran
Edna is an author/illustrator and multi-disciplined artist. And she's a performing company hula dancer with Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu and arts educator specializing in STEAM and arts integration. Her latest book is HONU AND MOA (BeachHouse Publishing, 2018). A guest blogger and reviewer with several kid lit sites, her current work-in-progres
Edna is an author/illustrator and multi-disciplined artist. And she's a performing company hula dancer with Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu and arts educator specializing in STEAM and arts integration. Her latest book is HONU AND MOA (BeachHouse Publishing, 2018). A guest blogger and reviewer with several kid lit sites, her current work-in-progress is a middle-grade graphic novel memoir. She will be teaching Writing a Children's Book. https://bio.site/kidlitedna
———SATURDAY BONUS BEATS 2024———
We are offering an additional day of workshops on Saturday. All participants in the weeklong retreat may attend. Island writers may register for Saturday only, for $200. There will be three simultaneous writing workshops in the morning—poetry and memoir and fiction. At lunch, we'll talk the writing life with Donald Carreira Ching. After lunch, photographer Malcolm Ryder will teach a class on composition/structure using photography to open minds and methods. Writer/artist Edna Cabcabin Moran will teach children's literature. And we’ll wrap up with a fun and inspiring session with Zoe and Connie talking about "Lyrics and Lyricism".
Specifics:
10-12
Generative Writing workshops
(a chance to follow writing prompts, generating short writing and sharing it; )
12-1
Lunch with tips from our faculty
(and time to swim, walk on the beach, or just chill)
1:30 to 3 "Decomposition" workshop with Malcolm Ryder
(try out a new way to think about conceiving, composing, and restructuring your work)
3:30 to 5 "Lyrics and Lyricism" workshop with Zoe Carter and Connie Hale
(sound, metaphor, and the magic of last lines)
You can register here.
REsources
Celebrating our successes
The writing life is hard. It takes painstaking work and dealing with the pain of rejection. So it's important to take stock of successes and to celebrate them.
Angela Nishimoto published a a literary romance, Isabella's Daughter, with Pueo Press.
Alyssa Jarrett completed the novel she was workshopping at the 2022 retreat, and is submitting it to literary agents. Meanwhile, she's working on a new romance title, the third in her four-book standalone series. She has also published several posts on her blog, including the essay she read at the retreat, "A Brief Reflection on Why I Write Romance."
Ken Guidroz (see below) worked on Letters to My Son in Prison at the 2021 retreat. The memoir covers the hope and heartbreak of parenting, marriage, and faith as Guidroz sees all three of his sons struggle with substance abuse, and one of them serve time for vehicular manslaughter. It won the 2023 Book of the Year/Nonfiction from the American Writing Awards.
Arielle Taitano Lowe attended several early retreats, before heading to UH-Manoa to get a PhD. And to write her first book of poetry! Ocean Mother is the first full-length poetry book to be written and published by a Chamoru woman born and raised in Guåhan (Guam). It pubbed in Spring 2024 and is published by the University of Guam Press in partnership with NYU Press.
Sara Ackerman had three unpublished novels, and was working on a fourth, when she attended the retreat in 2013, 2014 & 2015. In 2017, her historical novel Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers was picked up by Mira/Harper Collins. Today she is a USA Today bestselling author with more books that we can track. The Codebreaker's Secret earned a starred review from Booklist, the American Library Association's review journal. Sara chalks up her success to attending writers retreats and conferences, as well as a whole lot of patience and perseverance.
How to get the most out of a retreat
It is so important for artists to get away from the world and create beautiful things. Alyssa Jarrett, a first-time participant in 2022, wrote a smart and incisive post about how to think through the value of a retreat like this one--and then get the most out of it: https://bit.ly/3vonzZc
A blurb
What a great opportunity to focus on the craft, be stimulated by fellow, impassioned writers, get input from quality teachers, eat together, and hole-up in my cozy room at night to put all my thoughts onto paper. Also, to get a taste of island culture and island food, enjoy a non-touristy part of the island (yes!), walk the volcanic, large-crystaled sands of the North Shore, snorkel the warm waters and see sea turtles, and experience the iconic North Shore vibe after the retreat. Connie is a one-of-a-kind host, making more people feel welcome than any other human could on the planet, and offering the keenest of writerly insight.
—Ken Guidroz, author of Letters to My Son in Prison (2023)
Talk style, talk story, talk shop
I invite you to visit www.sinandsyntax.com for posts on stylish writing, updates on the world of publishing, suggested readings, essays on the writing life, and suggestions on classes and conferences. Noodle around! “Secrets for Sinful Prose” gives you grammar tips. “News, Reviews, and Interviews” gives links to articles and podcasts. "Total Risk, Freedom, Discipline" gives you insight into my writing process. And "Cool Tools" offers resources.
More resources
Want to know my thoughts about launching a writing career? This blog post, "My thoughts on breaking in," points you to some resources: http://sinandsyntax.com/talking-shop/breaking-in/
The post "Resources to Get You Started" is chockfull of ideas about how to join—or form—a writing community.
Be in touch
Lots of information about Camp Mokulē‘ia is available on the Camp's website.
All cancellation requests must be made in writing - no exceptions. Because the retreat sells out each year, and because it is hard to fill slots at the last minute, we do stick to a strict cancellation policy:
--If you cancel before March 21, you will receive a full refund minus a $150 administration fee.
--If you cancel between March 21 and April 7, you will receive a refund of 50 percent.
--If you cancel after April 7, there is no refund, but Connie will work with full enrollees to provide two to three hours hours of private instruction or coaching.
--if you registered for Saturday only, the low price of the ticket is actually less than our administrative costs. But we will refund 50 percent of the fee for those who cancel before April 7.
For participants, we can provide an FAQ about the stunning location on O‘ahu's North Shore as well as some travel advice. However, we have our hands full, so we cannot be personal travel agents. Please avail yourselves of a good guidebook or the site of the O‘ahu Visitors Bureau.
Please write connie [at] sinandsyntax.com for information or to get on our mailing list.
As we say in Hawai‘i, a hui hou! (See you soon!)
