UD students invited to apply for 3rd Annual Creative Writing Retreat at Bergamo Center
(Photo via @bergamocenter Instagram)
Michael Oliss | News Editor
University of Dayton students from any major with a passion for writing are encouraged to apply for the “You Can Write!” Creative Writing Retreat, a three-day, two-night event designed to help writers focus on their craft.
Supported by a gift from Liz (Mund) Ryan, 1981, and Jamie Ryan, 1982, the retreat will take place Feb. 6-8 at the Bergamo Center in Beavercreek. 12 students will be selected to attend at no cost, with lodging, meals and snacks provided.
The retreat will be led by novelists and UD English department faculty members Katrina Kittle and Meredith Doench, who both teach novel-writing courses. Applications are due Nov. 14, and recipients will be notified by Dec. 1.
“It was a joy literally to retreat from the world and immerse ourselves into our writing for a brief time,” Kittle said. “I loved getting to know the students and their writing better and to share our dreams and fears about our writing lives. I would have absolutely loved this weekend as a student.”
Doench said the experience allows students and professors to connect as writers.
“There’s nothing like stowing away from life for a weekend and diving into your creative work,” Doench said. “Working with students on their writing projects is always inspiring, and the retreat allows us the space to connect not only as professors and students, but as writers.”
Students who previously attended described the retreat as inspiring, encouraging and fun.
“The retreat allowed me to step out of my comfort zone in a space that was open to endless creativity,” said Elizabeth Bialon, an education intervention specialist major.
Creative writing major Rachel Smith called the retreat “an incredible opportunity to escape the daily chaos of campus and reconnect with my passion as a writer.”
For English graduate Mia Prisby, the retreat’s sense of community stood out.
“This was one of my favorite activities at UD, and the community of writers that I met will carry on even after I graduate,” Prisby said. “This writing journey helped shape the way I view writing.”
English major Alex Arrington said the retreat helped him overcome a creative block.
“I needed an excuse to get back to my story and come to terms with the difficult realization that it needed to take a new direction,” Arrington said. “Sharing that experience with a community of similarly minded people helped me more than I expected.”
Now in its third year, the retreat will include fiction craft instruction, writing sessions, prompts, one-on-one guidance and opportunities to share work. Afterward, participants will receive full scholarships to attend the 2026 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, courtesy of the UD Alumni Association.
The retreat’s name is inspired by legendary humorist and UD alumna Erma Bombeck ’49. Her English professor, Brother Tom Price, S.M., once encouraged her to keep writing with three words that became her lifelong mantra: “You can write.”
The Ryans, an alumni couple from Columbus, created the retreat to give current students the same encouragement Bombeck once received.
“We want to help cultivate confidence and spark a fire in students,” said Liz Ryan, a retired teacher and former English major.
For more information about the retreat, contact Katrina Kittle at kkittle1@udayton.edu or Meredith Doench at mdoench1@udayton.edu.
For information regarding the Biennial Erma Bombeck Workshop, please refer to Teri Rizvi at rizvi@udayton.edu.