The World Is My Classroom

05/13/2026

Looking to give your writing a jump start? Let us be your writing cheerleaders! “Gathered Voices: A Writing Retreat” is a unique opportunity to build community with writers in a location off Hawai’i’s beaten path. Join poet and author Audrey T. Williams, M.F.A. and other experts to delve into your writing in a welcoming setting. Williams will help writers explore symbolism and metaphor as an engine for emotional movement on the page in her workshop “Symbolism, Connection, and Healing: Writing Nature’s Gift.” Explore more at WritersAcrossOceans.com.

Know someone who you’d like to invite to this retreat? Tag them in the comments below or visit the webpage to join our mailing list!

05/08/2026

The book I stayed up until 2 am reading last night..."The Henna Artist" by Alka Joshi. I just loved it and I love a book where things work out for people - even though you do get a little stressed for them during the story. Plus, some of the characters that start out terrible earn their redemption. "The Henna Artist" tells the story of two sisters - although their relationship is very mother-daughtery due to their age gap. The one sister Lakshmi is trying to teach the other, Radha, about the world and how to succeed in it and the other sister is passionately resisting. Reminded me a lot of parenthood. Part of a trilogy so I look forward to reading the other two in the Jaipur series.

05/07/2026

Have you been thinking of joining "Gathered Voices: A Writing Retreat," but haven't signed up yet? Here is your sign! In honor of Mother's Day and Writers Across Ocean founder Karka Brundage teaming up with her mother, American Book Award winner Kathryn Waddell Takara, who will be a guest speaker at the retreat, Writers Across Oceans is offering 10% off your registration through Mother's Day. use code MOTHER10.

05/06/2026

Gathered Voices: A Writing Retreat
June 9-14, 2026
Waimea, Hawai’i

✅Quiet place and time to write
✅Expert advice
✅Motivating & productive workshops
✅Writing community
✅Mindful feedback
✅Scenic location

Looking for a different kind of retreat? Join guest author Marcella Bell of “The Rodeo Queen” and “The Wildest Ride” in her workshop, “Where Your Draft Becomes Your Work: The Power of Revision.” Bell will share lessons learned in taking first drafts to final pieces.

📖Thinking of a writer who needs a getaway? Share this post or sign up for the newsletter at WritersAcrossOceans.com. 🖋️🌊

04/29/2026

Meet Dr. Allison Francis - poet, playwright, author - and one of the expert writers leading a workshop at “Gathered Voices: A Writing Retreat” this June in Waimea, Hawai’i. She will be hosting a workshop on character development and shaping tone. Click on the images to learn more and visit WritersAcrossOceans.com for retreat details.

Know someone who you would love to attend this retreat with? Tag them in the comments or click on the arrow to send them a DM!

04/27/2026

Had an amazing time at World Music Fest with Mbira Renaissance at New Village Arts.

Wrote this little piece listening to the last song...

I left my youth there
My belief in destiny
My belief in true love
And happily ever afters.
There on another continent
On the sandy beaches
and the unpaved dirt motorways
I left my heart
somewhere in the city
Let it fly in the wind
on the back of a zemijan

But play the drums for me
Sing for me
Play the beat
To make me
remember
the idealist
the optimist
who breathed in the tropics,
swallowed the heat of that city
and made it home.
Play that beat
that gets me dancing
gets me smiling again --
Laughing
the way I laughed
when we were young -
And the world was full of hope.
We knew no limits
to our lives
to our friendships then.
And we were bound
by the sound
of the music
on the air
permeating.
Take me there.

04/22/2026

Imagine summer camp, but for adult writers. We'll be sharing rooms, swapping ideas, collaborating on projects, getting motivated with writing workshops and diving into our creative interiors. Join us for "Gathered Voices: A Writing Retreat" June 9-14 in Waimea, Hawai'i. This is a rare opportunity to see a different side of Hawai'i that most people never visit and to make new writing friends! Click the pics to learn about the writing workshops and visit WritersAcrossOceans.com to learn more.

04/16/2026

Virginia Woolf wanted a Room of One's Own, I think writing is better WITH A COMMUNITY! Need some time away from your family to hunker down and work on a writing project? This writing retreat in the rarely visited plains area of the big island of Hawai'i is an amazing opportunity to join an intimate group of writers in honing our craft! Lead by the incomparable Karla Brundage of West Oakland to West Africa, who has been helping writers collaborate and build bridges around the world, the retreat features daily workshops by a talented group of experts who will be guiding writers through different aspects of the writing process. Swipe to see a preview of a few of the speakers and workshops highlight and visit WritersAcrossOceans.com for full retreat info!

04/13/2026

Read this book last year - it was fantastic and so full if 90s nostalgia - remember music zines?

📚 We’re already halfway through Carlsbad Reads Together, our annual citywide book club but there’s still plenty of time to join in.

📖 Start reading our adult selection Stay True by Hua Hsu and ✨ join us April 23 at 6 p.m. at Dove Library for a special evening with the Pulitzer Prize winning author. 🖋️
Carlsbad City Library