New Marlborough — Barbara Newman is all about setting intentions. As a writer, filmmaker and former brand whisperer, she recognizes what time and space give to her work, and she is poised to share the invaluable lessons learned along the way. “Life gets in the way when you are a freelance writer,” is how she sees it. “It’s called taffy. I get sweetly pulled by family, friends and life—and the WIP (work in progress) takes a backseat,” Newman explained, which is why, for years, Newman has made a practice of escaping the daily grind not only to find solace but also to fuel her writing, the genesis of a ritual that has blossomed into Berkshire Writing Retreats.
Newman and her family moved to the Berkshires in 1999 to simplify their lives; they left the highly competitive and materialistic world of Ridgewood, New Jersey, behind and have yet to look back. “You need to stay in your center and trust yourself,” said Newman of the creative process. “It’s all in us, you just have to access it.” Newman invites writers from near and far to immerse into their creative muses at the 1791 Hart House in New Marlborough, where individuals will be one of an intimate group of up to six writers. Participants will be pampered and encouraged, in an environment that nourishes the writer and the soulful exploration and expression of her work.

“I’ve gone on a number of retreats in my life [and] I always come back refreshed and renewed in whatever it is I am learning,” explained Newman, who is currently working on a piece of young adult fiction. “You just have to be aware of the awareness … that is what we are meant to do,” she emphasized: “Stand still for a moment.” Newman shared with me a trip she took to New Mexico—where she could feel the palpable energy of the land—an experience she used to connect with writing about place, which, in turn, shaped the texture of her work. “I started to feel connected to the land in a way I had not before,” she explained—important in fleshing out her protagonists, each of which harnessed special power from the earth. “It was wonderful [and] great to get away,” she recalled, noting “it really was the beginning of writing in a way that had ritual to it.”

The following year, during a residency at Sedona Summer Arts Colony, Newman immersed herself in the red rocks of Sedona for three weeks and had an equally powerful experience: “I’d never seen clouds like [I saw in Sedona] … so black, so menacing, so fast moving … they spoke to me,” she recalled. ”I got my villains during that trip,” Newman said, adding that each was rooted in the destructive capabilities of nature and shaped by the clouds and storms that ravaged the planet. As to her favorite part of that retreat? “I got to share [my] creative process with the community [of writers],” Newman explained, evoking the importance of community in a profession that is overwhelmingly solitary for most writers.
Now that their children are grown, Newman and her husband, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, are sharing their “nest” with others as a means of filling their home with the warmth and energy of like-minded creative people. “I love the energy of creative people,” said Newman. “It inspires me, it inspires conversation, new ways of thinking [and] of seeing things and it inspires my work as a writer,” she explained. “When we are around other writers, we tend to dig in a little more … writing can be pretty lonely … [these workshops become] an opportunity to share.”

Writers have historically been drawn to the magic of the Berkshires. In a nod to Virginia Woolf’s extended essay, Berkshire Writing Retreats offer up to six writers “a room of your own,” along with breakfast, a light lunch and plenty of space to tap into the creative process. Each of the guest rooms at the Hart House is named for a writer who was inspired by breathing in the beauty of the landscape, where time and space allowed words to flow: Edith Wharton, Mary Oliver, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson and Herman Melville. Newman has gathered interesting, talented and prolific writers to lead the inaugural season of specialized workshops. These people are masters of their craft and will share their knowledge and wisdom with you as you immerse in your writing experience. Jana Laiz will present “Character, Voice and Story” Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3; Amy Hale Auker will present “Ordinary Skin: Developing the Writer’s Life” Thursday, March 14, through Tuesday, March 19; and Amber Chand will present “The Seven Lanterns: Creating Your Brave New Story” Friday, June 21, through Sunday, June 23.