2026 Writing Retreat Dates

Spring | May 4-9
Summer | July 5-10
Fall | October 10-15

Residency Application
Application Fee/ Residency Payment

Where Nature, Science, and Creativity Meet

Each year, Lacawac welcomes a select group of professional and emerging artists for week-long residencies. During their stay, artists are encouraged to explore, reflect, and create, drawing inspiration from the Sanctuary’s remarkable natural beauty. Housing and studio space are provided to support a focused and meaningful creative experience.

Retreat Fees

The cost of the writing retreat is $300 for one week. Full payment is due at time of registration. Lacawac accepts personal checks made out to Lacawac Sanctuary or credit card payments (using button link found above).

Application Process and Acceptance

There are no hard deadlines for the submission of registration. However it is strongly recommended that registrations be submitted two weeks prior to the retreat start date.

FAQ’s

What is provided:

  • a comfortable, private rustic room in the Historic Watres Lodge or the Ice House
  • Sheets and towels
  • WiFi Access
  • ​Quiet time and various working station locations
  • Dedicated studio/workspace in the Carriage House
  • Access to 550 acres of Lacawac’s forests, more than 9 miles of hiking trails, and one of the southernmost, protected glacial lakes in the United States: Lake Lacawac.

​Participants provide their own transportation and meals while at Lacawac. The Lodge and Ice House are well equipped with cookware and dishes and all necessary kitchen amenities. Cell phone connection is generally available at Lacawac.

Information on restaurants, grocery stores and other conveniences will be provided when individuals are accepted for a residency. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. The staff of Lacawac Sanctuary will do everything in our power to make each writing retreat at Lacawac inspired, productive, and rejuvenating.

Equity

Lacawac affirms its commitment to acceptance, diversity and inclusion. We welcome all participants regardless of sexual orientation, color or creed. It is our deep commitment to promote the arts to through a greater equity, sustainability, and interconnectedness. Lacawac seeks to broaden accessibility to the residency experience. We strategically integrate artistic experimentation through collaborative scientific research and works that transcend the limits of traditional disciplines and create new approaches to address the major issues of our time. Our program helps establish a more equitable world by cultivating creativity, community and leadership.

For more information or questions contact:
Contact Craig Lukatch, President at 570-689-9494 or via email at [email protected]

What Do The Artists Think?

Lacawac’s arts residency is the type of hands-off arts residency program that I was looking for. There are no yoga classes (although the nearby lake offers a nice backdrop for a stretch) or junior college level instructional classes, just 550 acres of uninterrupted woods and wetlands. The lodge we slept in was the first mountain lodge built in the Poconos, a National Historic Landmark that has been restored with period furniture by the caring staff. Nearby is the southernmost glacial lake in the western hemisphere, a research lake that attracts scientists from all over the region.

Ed W.

I am so honored to be a return guest here, this is my second visit for an artist residency. I am a dance and movement artist, and I find this place to be so inspiring, and incredibly generative for my choreographic process. Each day I take a contemplative walk around the forest or the grounds, noticing things and experiencing the environment, and letting my mind wander. Sometimes I stop and enjoy stillness, and sometimes I move my body and dance in response to different aspects of the land, forest, water, and other creatures. I bring these experiences into the studio with me later in the day, and they inform my physical body and my creative practice. And then in turn, I bring my artistic practice back out into the woods the next day, as a small gift of gratitude. I like to think that my actions are in some small way giving back to this beautiful sanctuary, returning the gift of creativity and inspiration that I am given each time I come here. In the evenings I enjoy the conviviality of the shared kitchen—it feels stimulating to run into other artists and researchers in the shared common areas of the lodge. The living quarters are spacious, and so beautifully appointed, so that there is always plenty of room to go off on my own to read, draw and write about my day.

I absolutely love it here and I hope to come back over and over again!

Megan B.

​Context: I was coming from Philly to get inspired, spend a week in nature, and unplug. I stayed at the Lacawac Sanctuary in Mid June, and worked on several paintings based off of the local bird activity. After 10 minutes of my first hike I was planning on coming back- the area was so peaceful. I spent the week painting and wandering the 9 miles of trails following birds and taking in the variety of flora and fauna.

The residency workspace was in the Carriage House on the second floor. The space had three large tables, a standing easel, two bookshelves, good lighting, and a large barn door which slid open for air flow and some natural light. There is also another room on the second floor that was tastefully decorated, had A-C, a writing desk, and couches / chairs for lounging and reflection.

I slept in the lodge which is a historic summer home (built in 1903) with nine bedrooms on the second floor. The first floor had a large kitchen, a dining room with two large tables, and a living room with different nooks for reading and down time. Two full bathrooms. There are also two porches which were great for down time. I shared the space with two artists in residence as well as several interns who were performing field research in the area. Nice relaxed setting.

The staff were warm and accommodating. Cool community.

Again, I had a great time. It was uncharacteristically hot with no AC when I was there, but that isn’t the norm.

Scott P.

Lacawac’s Artist’s Residency Listed on:

Organization of Biological Field Stations