Zibby's Scottsdale Retreat

November 1st to 3rd | Scottsdale, AZ

A note from Sarah Sawyer:

"The first person I met on my way to the Zibby Retreat in Scottsdale was Betty Cayouette, who arrived at my gate in Boston at six a.m. on a dreary, cold Friday morning and immediately delighted me with her humor, her wisdom, and her uncanny ability to navigate airport lounges. I know nothing about Betty’s area of expertise, BookTok, but as a high school teacher, I had a lot of questions, so I peppered her with my ignorance as we waited for our flight. Hours later, we were poolside at the beautiful Scottsdale Princess, continuing our conversation under the shade of the palm trees as we waited for the retreat to begin.

Learning about Betty’s life and work was the first sign that the weekend would be full of the joy of rejuvenation and, most importantly, connection.

I felt that joy repeat itself many times over the course of the weekend. At the Poisoned Pen bookstore event, I had the chance to meet readers of The Undercurrent and answer their incredibly thoughtful questions about its meaning and origins. At dinner at the Canal Club, I laughed with Annabelle Monaghan while I drank a signature “Undercurrent” cocktail dreamed up by the incomparable Graça Tito. During the various panels, I heard stories that made me rethink the role of creativity in our otherwise ordinary days. All these small moments were built on a collective desire to build connection through the power of language. When I found myself in the airport on the way back to Boston, I couldn’t help wishing that I had just one more day to soak in the sunny landscape of Arizona and the wisdom of my fellow retreaters. Now that it’s over, though, I am left with real gratitude that I got to experience a brief but “invincible summer” composed of a community of open-hearted, generous, and loving readers."

Zibby's Palm Springs Retreat

September 20th to 21st | Palm Springs, CA

A note from Ava Dellaira:

"I drove out of Los Angeles to our retreat in Palm Springs, exhausted from pub week travel, followed by a few sleepless nights with my daughter, who had a fever. The smell of surprise desert rain and Lara Love Hardin’s voice narrating her audiobook kept me going. When I walked into the lobby of the beautiful Kimpton Rowan in Palm Springs, I was greeted by Graça, Zibby, and their whole team, and I was instantly happy to be where I was. As all of the guests convened for happy hour on a terrace with a stunning view of the San Jacinto Mountains, my tiredness gave way to a sense of warmth, excitement, and renewal that stayed with me all weekend.

Graça’s care in planning our weekend was evident in the beauty of the settings and the deliciousness of the food, but most of all, the retreat was marked by magic—the magic of connection. Conversations with people who’d been strangers moments before took on the intimacy reserved for dear friends. In both book talks and casual conversations over delicious shared meals, we spoke of our griefs, our dreams, our children, our projects, our love of books, and all the ways that they transform lives. When our group descended on The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs, we gobbled up all of the copies of the books by authors attending the retreat. I felt so seen and supported by this group of women who came together from all different parts of the country and world!"

Photo credits: One Sock On Photography

Zibby's Asheville Retreat

April 12th to 14th | Asheville, NC

A note from Amy Lin:

"I believe we all found our place here. I believe in our love of books, in dog-earing pages, in slipping a book into a bag for luck, in receipts as bookmarks, in underlining sentences without a ruler, in fountain pens, in the way a book opens to you just as you open to it. I believe in chocolate stores and general stores and bookstores. 

In the gusty gale that carried us through the doors of Malaprop’s. In the warm glow of the books that were waiting on the shelves. In the white gleam of the pavilion we gathered within. In the photographs of us together.

I believe we might have been lonely or hopeful or grieving or uncertain or giddy or peaceful or anxious or heartbroken. I believe this was the place to be everything you are. I believe we were open. I believe in celebrating each other. I believe in sudden kinship. I believe in big talk as small talk, in dinners and brunches and drinks shared over warm wooden tables, in deep conversations blooming between each moment, the friends we made instantly, the bonds that told us: we are here together, together we are here.

I believe in Asheville’s Blue Ridge Mountains, the warm brick buildings, the music on every corner, the way we all may have arrived caught in our own weariness and worry only to be swept up into the company of people so good-sweet, so heart-wide, so soft-place that we found ourselves at ease, found ourselves immediately inside the kind of laugh we did not expect to make, a small but mighty wave of joy that carried all of us along, that still holds all of us together."

Zibby's Austin Retreat

February 2nd to 4th | Austin, TX

A note from Julie Chavez:

"When Zibby, bearing the brunt of a brutal winter virus, asked me to step in and host the Austin retreat, I didn’t need time to consider before messaging back with a response: Of course. I didn’t hesitate because I’m fortunate to know that book people are the best people. But what surprised and delighted me during our weekend was the way each and every attendee brought their full self to the retreat. 

We were present and were able to take a break from busy lives and careers and families to lavish some of our precious attention on ourselves. We strolled through bookstores and discussed our favorite titles, our TBR lists, and our dreams; we enjoyed meals and laughter and companionship. It was a celebration of connection, and the memories and joy fit easily into my suitcase to take home. (The books I bought were a different story, but I made those fit too.)"

Zibby's Miami Retreat

November 17th to 19th | Miami, FL

A note from Alisha Fernandez Miranda:

"I never need an excuse to go to Miami (especially in the winter), but the Zibby Retreat weekend exceeded even my (high, sunshine-deprived) expectations. Two days and nights focused on our shared love for books, creating community, and celebrating the 40th anniversary of the legendary Miami Book Fair left me with a full heart, satisfied belly, and even, dare I say, a light tan.

The Zibbyverse, as I fondly refer to it, is full of fascinating people from all corners of the country (and world—our retreat featured visitors from Europe and Down Under) who are united in our desire to create deep connections around the joy of reading. This weekend, we were all VIPs. We did rooftop yoga and bonded over candlelit dinners, walked along the beach with our flip-flops in hand, and sashayed passed the velvet ropes to our private suite at the Book Fair and the author’s party at the Standard Hotel that followed (despite the many custom cocktails, I still didn’t have the guts to say hi to writer celebs like Dave Barry). Sunday rolled around way too quickly, but we all departed back into the sunshine with the same question: when can we come back?"

Zibby's Wine Country Retreat

September 22 - 24 | Solvang, CA

An excerpt from the LA Times article by Deborah Vankin:

"The bus ride to the Danish village of Solvang, where we’ll be staying, is an animated, IRL version of Owens’ motto — “Stories are best when shared” — which appears on the tote bags full of snacks that she’s given us for the trip. The roar of conversation on the bus is near-deafening and constant. Most of these women — who have traveled from the Midwest and the East Coast, with several from the L.A. area and one from Japan — have just met and they launch into intimate story sharing, a merry if passionate sound that forms the cacophonous backdrop of the next three days. Some of the travelers have books cracked open on their laps, and they flip through pages or pass the book to their seatmate."Click here to read the rest of the article!"

An excerpt from the LA Times article by Deborah Vankin:

"The bus ride to the Danish village of Solvang, where we’ll be staying, is an animated, IRL version of Owens’ motto — “Stories are best when shared” — which appears on the tote bags full of snacks that she’s given us for the trip. The roar of conversation on the bus is near-deafening and constant. 

Most of these women — who have traveled from the Midwest and the East Coast, with several from the L.A. area and one from Japan — have just met and they launch into intimate story sharing, a merry if passionate sound that forms the cacophonous backdrop of the next three days. Some of the travelers have books cracked open on their laps, and they flip through pages or pass the book to their seatmate."

Zibby’s Charleston Retreat

April 28th to 30th | Charleston, SC

A note from Zibby Owens:

"It wasn’t just the setting. When I thought about hosting a retreat in Charleston, I knew people would go nuts over the quaint, historic, food-centric, congenial town. I could envision groups of women gossiping and giggling along the waterfront, walking through the market, and grabbing ice cream at Jeni’s. What I couldn’t have known was just how cohesive a group it would be. 

Readers from far and wide descended on the Emeline Hotel, bringing stories of loss, love, reinvention, creativity, and connection. They came from Little Rock, Minneapolis, Knoxville, Dallas, Atlanta, and beyond. They brought manuscripts and ideas, favorite books and fellowship. The women (and one man!) shared and laughed, discussed writing craft and swapped favorite books. And when we all spent time together in a bookstore, Buxton Books, it was like bringing Rolling Stones fans into the green room. These were, quite simply, fans of books and reading, all congregating to commiserate and create. And we all can’t wait to do it again."

Zibby’s Fierce Women Retreat

March 10th to 12th | Hampton Bays, NY

A note from Graça Tito:

"The inaugural Zibby Retreat was pure magic. Women from all walks of life gathered at the gorgeous Canoe Place Inn to celebrate books and the fierce women who wrote them. On the first night, we sat around the fireplace and defined what it means to be a fierce woman—brave, ambitious, kind—and knew immediately that we were surrounded by them. We shared stories (while sipping on the spicy, book-themed “Fierce Cocktail”) and felt inspired and uplifted. 

The rest of the weekend was an absolute blast—we laughed through Ann Garvin’s plot workshop, ate delicious brick-oven pizzas and flaky croissants, stretched to Tara Stiles’ soothing yoga voice, and bonded over our shared love of books. Tracy Chapman’s “Startin’ a Revolution” played behind it all. The perfect soundtrack for what happened that weekend. Put 100 women in a room together… and well, we’ll see what happens!"