LAURA MUNSON

New York Times Bestselling

Author, Teacher & Speaker 

Founder of Haven Writing Programs

Join Laura Munson at her world-renowned, Haven Writing Retreat

Join writers just like you who have a burning desire to get words onto the page. 

Welcome To the Home of Haven Writing Retreats & Workshops!

A Thriving Community of Writers

After almost a decade of doing this work, what was originally the Haven Writing Retreat has evolved into a variety of programs and a thriving community. It supports you where you need to be met, and can carry you through to publication if that is your goal.

Everyone, at Every Level

Haven attracts people from every demographic, gender orientation, and nationality, and at every level of their creative journey. It all begins with Haven I, which is a stand-alone program. After you become a Haven I alum, a world of possibility presents itself to you.

Haven Nest

Interested in getting support but can’t make it to Montana for a retreat? My online writing community, Haven Nest, is open for enrollment twice a year. Learn more here.

In Discussion with Terry Tempest Williams

It took three days to finally come out of the trance of speaking heart language with one of my literary heroines and writer sisters, Terry Tempest Williams.

I go into this trance when I write. I have never gone into it when I do speaking events. I have only partial memory of the words I spoke but it went past words for me. And I finally watched the video and saw, amid her elegant questions, true and pure joy in me…being seen by such an absolute woman.

Having my book land in her heart when she had so much to do with healing my fiction years ago. It was one of the honors of my life. If you haven’t read her, you must. She is one of the most powerful voices of our time.

Thank you, Terry. Thank you, Changing Hands bookstore. Support indie bookstores! Authors, support one another!

Thank you to Changing Hands Bookstore for presenting this virtual authors event.

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Laura-Munson's Haven Writing Programs

Willa’s Grove is now available on Kindle and in Paperback!

“WILLA’S GROVE”

Three women, from coast to coast and in between, open their mailboxes to the same intriguing invitation.

Although leading entirely different lives, each has found herself at a similar, jarring crossroads. Right when these women thought they’d be comfortably settling into middle age, their carefully curated futures have turned out to be dead ends.

The sender of the invitation is Willa Silvester, who is reeling from the untimely death of her beloved husband and the reality that she must say goodbye to the small mountain town they founded together. Yet as Willa mourns her losses, an impossible question keeps staring her in the face: So now what?

Struggling to find the answer alone, fiercely independent Willa eventually calls a childhood friend who happens to be in her own world of hurt-and that’s where the idea sparks. They decide to host a weeklong interlude from life, and invite two other friends facing their own quandaries. Soon the four women converge at Willa’s Montana homestead, a place where they can learn from nature and one another as they contemplate their second acts together in the rugged wilderness of big sky country.

Already have the book? Download the book club questions here. 

ORDER “WILLA’S GROVE” FROM YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE,

OR ANY OF THESE BOOKSELLERS:

Laura Munson Haven Writing Workshop
Laura Munson Haven Writing Workshop
Laura Munson Haven Writing Workshop
Laura Munson Haven Writing Workshop
Laura Munson Haven Writing Workshop

So Now What?

Laura reads from her book,”Willa’s Grove” for Boulder Bookstore.

“You know… we’re all fluent in this language. In the language of community. And yet we so rarely speak it. It really is our mother tongue.”

Praise for “Willa’s Grove”

“Women have always searched for community during life’s critical crossroads, but it’s the rare novel that nails the tone and tempo of what it feels like to embed with kindred spirits and share stories, joys, and fears from the heart. Every reader will relate to this beautiful story in powerful and personal ways. I cherished my time with Willa’s Grove, sitting in this circle of women who, by the end, felt like best friends.”

– Lee Woodruff

#1 New York Times bestselling author of “In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing”

“I love this wonderful novel about women, friendship and our deep-rooted need for community.  Laura Munson has created a memorable and deeply relatable character in Willa Sylvester.  You’ll want to give this book to your best friend the minute you finish reading it.”

– Ann Leary

New York Times bestselling author of “The Good House”

“Willa’s Grove is the book my heart needed right now. When I finished it, I held it to my chest and took a long, deep breath. It’s a love letter to female friendships, to the power of vulnerability, to the strength of community, and to daring to live authentically. An absolute must-read.”

– Julie Barton 

New York Times bestselling author of “Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself”

As Seen On . . .

Read Laura’s Most Recent Blogposts

Laura Munson Haven Writing Workshops

So you want to be a writer. Good! Your writing journey all starts with Haven I Writing Retreat. Once you become a Haven I Alum the opportunities expand to include Haven II Writing Workshop, Haven III Book Editing, and the Writers in Residence program.

There are a variety of writing programs. Find out which is  for you.

Learn how to write from the comfort of your home. Offered twice a year. 

Contribute to Someone’s Future by Donating to the Haven Foundation

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