Writing Retreat

Paradise Valley, Arizona
April 14-18, 2025

A four-day, all-inclusive exploration designed for Black women to unlock, reframe, and write our stories while building
community and centering self.

Join us for a transformative four-day writing retreat in the serene beauty of Paradise Valley, Arizona. Designed for Black women, this retreat is an opportunity to shift how you see yourself and your writing while being creatively rejuvenated.

What to Expect.

This retreat serves aspiring and emerging writers of all levels and interests, whether you just enjoy the art of writing (any genre, any format), need an actionable roadmap to completing a specific writing project, or need support in clarifying how to tell your story. We will unearth opportunities to look at our identities as creatives and writers differently; identify blind spots, insights and new perspectives to support our writing projects; and explore nuances and textures of our individual stories.

You’ll also have ample free writing time, surrounded by the tranquility of the desert. Beyond writing, this retreat is an opportunity to connect meaningfully with a community of 10 like-minded Black women through shared meals, evening circles, and interactive moments of reflection. All retreat packages are all-inclusive of accommodation, ground transportation, meals, drinks, and retreat activities.

What People Are Saying.

“I've found that the most powerful type of facilitation is that which is rooted in our own abilities to create and forge direction for ourselves, and I sincerely appreciated Chloe's guidance as we walked those self-directed paths!”

— RETREAT GUEST, 2024

“Chloe truly created a space for each of us to lean into our voices and our stories. I have never attended a residency where I felt fully engaged and seen as a participant.”

— RETREAT GUEST, 2024

“Chloe has an impressive gift of breaking open any barriers of connection through her gentle spirit. Her cadence and way of being fully present, empathetic, and familiar disarm the worrier, the anxiousness, and the question of whether I am enough or if this is good enough.”

— RETREAT GUEST, 2024

About Chloe.

Host of the Root & Story retreat, Chloe Dulce Louvouezo is a seasoned creative and communications strategist, producer, author, and community curator. Originally from the Republic of Congo and raised in Niger and across the U.S., Chloe’s love for storytelling is rooted in illuminating the best of humanity through nuanced stories that both inspire and inform.

Chloe has written and produced compelling stories across written, stage, and film platforms to advance issues around gender equity, economic mobility, and mental health. She helps emerging writers, global organizations, and women leaders translate their work into powerful stories that advance narrative change and voices of under-represented communities through the lens of power and nuance. As an author, Chloe’s writing and speaking is driven by discourse on identity and healing. She released her debut book, Life, I Swear: Intimate Stories from Black Women on Identity, Healing, and Self-Trust, in 2021. In 2024, she was a resident facilitator with Rosemary’s House writing retreat in Sithonía, Greece.

Based in Washington, DC, Chloe is locally engaged as an appointee on DC Mayor Bowser’s Commission for Women, sits on the Global Africa Council for the Smithsonian National African Art Museum and is a founding board member of HURU and The Black Healing Collective.

The Details.

Immerse yourself in sisterhood, integrate restorative healing perspectives, and recommit to your creative visions. All retreat packages are all-inclusive of accommodation, ground transportation, meals, drinks, and retreat activities. Deadline to submit retreat applications is February 1, 2025.

  • We curate a group of 10 Black women that have complementary writing projects and retreat goals. For this reason, we invite you to submit an application with a writing sample and answer a few questions.

    • February 1 - Deadline to apply for the retreat.

    • Within 1-2 weeks of applying - All accepted guests will be notified and invited to book their spot.

    • March 1 - Booking window closes.

  • All retreat packages are all-inclusive of accommodation, ground transportation, meals, drinks, and retreat activities. This includes:

    • Writing exercises - 2-3 hour daily writing seminars, two optional guest speaker workshops, one-on-one office hours for personal mentorship

    • Food and beverage - Breakfast, lunch, and dinner for four days, including a wine tasting, private chef dinner, upscale dining, and cooking class

    • Self-care activities* - Yoga practice, sound bath class, Indigenous practice, personal massage

    • Off-site excursions* - Horseback riding, guided hiking at Camelback Mountain

    *Optional but included.

  • All retreat packages are all-inclusive of accommodation, ground transportation, meals, drinks, and retreat activities. See above All-Inclusive Activities section for more details. If guests wish to do their own off-site activities outside of the retreat program, they must pay out of pocket.

    • Private room package - $2,600

    • Shared room package (you + 1-3 roommates) - $1,900

  • Your trip begins as you fly to Pheonix, Arizona (PHX) on Monday, April 14. Once you land, a shuttle will transport you to the retreat home, where you can check in any time after 10:30 am on Monday. Lunch will be served at noon for those who have arrived before our first writing seminar begins at 2pm. A shuttle back to the airport will be arranged for departures on Friday, April 18 before 3pm. Roundtrip shuttle service is included in your retreat fee.

  • Luxury and convenience come together in this desert oasis. Our retreat home features a heated pool and hot tub, concierge service, fire pit, and a scenic view of the desert. This luxurious property is a short distance from the scenic Camelback Mountain hiking trails.

“Chloe was an excellent facilitator. She carefully and naturally guided conversations and exercises that were so beneficial to my writing. She also created a space where everyone felt they could speak freely and vulnerably, which is necessary when dealing with creating art. I'd attend any seminar/workshop from Chloe!”

— RETREAT GUEST, 2024