2021: A Virtual Retreat

In 2021, with the pandemic and travel bans still underway, we knew safety had to come first, but that we had to find a way to keep our precious writing community together. And so, from our homes around the globe, we gathered for the first ever virtual Iceland Writers Retreat and Iceland Readers Retreat. Some of our most dynamic former faculty joined to teach workshops to over 200 people from 26 countries. We offered thirty different workshops, across three days, which included a Q&A panel of Icelandic authors, book talks from renown authors, writing intensive workshops in both fiction and nonfiction, and more. Between classes, we offered brief informational talks, we opened up chat rooms for alumni or newcomers, and showed videos of past retreats and about Icelandic literature. Despite our distance, we found a way to unite, to write, to learn, and ultimately, to connect.