26th Annual Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway
January 17-20, 2020
Below is a list of everything you need to arrive safely, happily and ready to enjoy the weekend, including how to book our special rate to extend your stay. Please read this carefully even if you’ve attended before so you don’t miss anything.
Arrival Logistics for Friday, January 17
- 4:00 p.m. or later: You may check in at Seaview anytime after 4:00 p.m. When you arrive, you can pull up to the main entrance where the bell service will help you unload. You can then pull around to the free parking area or leave your car with valet parking for $13 per day (or $6 per day for commuters).
- 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.: Stop by the Eisenhower Room (New location!) between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. to pick up your Getaway materials. The Eisenhower Room is located to the left of the front desk, through the Coastal Grille.
- 5:00 p.m. option: Sharing Room – This unhosted, informal setting offers the opportunity to share your writing with fellow participants.
- 6:00 p.m. options:
- First-time Participants Session – New to the Getaway or haven’t attended in a while? Plan to attend “Meet, Greet & Ask” to meet other writers who are new to the Getaway, take a tour and ask any questions you might have.
- Writers’ Happy Hour – Look for others wearing Getaway name tags and introduce yourself.
- 7:00 p.m.: Opening Program – Reception, Book Swap and Orientation. The menu features traditional reception snacks and a cash bar. If you have a hearty appetite, consider eating dinner beforehand. The formal program will begin around 8:00 p.m.
- If you arrive between 7:00-9:30 p.m., ask the front desk to direct you to the Bayview Ballroom, where the opening program will be. You can pick up your Getaway materials at the table near the ballroom entrance.
- If you arrive after 9:30 p.m., please check in and pick up your Getaway materials on Saturday morning between 8:30-8:45 a.m. at Getaway Central (New Location: next to Salon A, on the way to breakfast in Salon B/C).
- If you have registered for one of the Friday workshops, Algonquin-style or the New Year, New You workshop, we will email you by January 14 with suggested arrival times and locations.
Weather Alert
The Getaway will NOT be cancelled! If the forecast looks threatening, consider arriving a day or two early at the special reduced rate mentioned below. If you are delayed for any reason, weather or otherwise, please contact us and plan to arrive Saturday, as you can still benefit from most of your weekend.
Cancellation policy reminder (as published in The Fine Print)
- On or before Nov. 20 — 100% refund minus a $50 processing fee
- Nov. 21-Dec. 10 — 50% of total refunded
- Dec. 11-31 — 50% credit for future Getaway
- Jan. 1 or after — Sorry, no refund will be issued
- Change Fee ($25) will be charged to switch your workshop, room package, tutorial(s), add-ons and/or payment method after Dec. 10
What to Bring
- Notebook and writing paper.
- Medications, toiletries and personal items.
- Dress is casual.
- Bring an extra sweater to layer. New Jersey can be chilly in January and one of the ballrooms requires a quick (5-second) outdoor walk through a breezeway.
- If you smoke, bring a warm coat. Seaview is completely non-smoking.
- Cash, checks or credit card for the Bookstore, Seaview’s 24-hour Grab & Go Market and Saturday night’s dinner out.
- A credit card to swipe at check-in for incidentals.
- Cash for a housekeeping gratuity.
- Optional:
- A laptop and printer are not necessary, but if you bring them, free wi-fi internet access is available in many parts of the hotel. (There is a business center equipped with a printer. Details below.)
- Book(s) to be signed by Special Guests Yusef Komunyakaa and Denise Duhamel and/or other faculty.
- Item to trade at the Friday night Book Swap: The swap is an informal way to share books and literary magazines. They’ll be placed on a table where you can drop off your items and pick up whatever strikes your fancy. Feel free to bring an item to share, but you won’t get it back, so bring only what you can live without. (And no, you certainly don’t have to be published in them.)
- Appropriate clothing and gear if you plan to swim, participate in yoga, go for a nature walk, work out, play golf, get dressy for AC or the Getaway Disco, etc.
- New this year: Every guest room has a refrigerator and a Keurig. Bring extra K-cups and any snacks and beverages you might want.
- Most Getaway workshops don’t require you to bring any writing with you. However, if you have signed up for an Algonquin-style workshop, a session with our special guests, or a tutorial, you may bring previously-written work with you. If you would like to participate in an Open Mic or an informal “Sharing Room” session, bring a short piece of work (or a poem or two), 3 minutes maximum.
- You are also welcome to bring musical instruments to perform at any of the open mics.
Getaway Bookstore
Getaway Bookstore Hours: Sunday, 4:30-8:15 p.m. and 10:00-10:30 p.m. (New extended hours!) Cash, check and credit cards accepted!
How to sell your items: If you have books, CDs or crafts you would like to sell at the Getaway Bookstore, bring up to 10 copies of each item. We will sell them on consignment for a 20% fee. Instructions will be in your Getaway materials. Payments and unsold items will be returned on Monday. Please plan to pick up your items before you leave.
Crafts: The bookstore will sell handmade crafts including jewelry, knitted items and more. Bring yours along if you wish to sell your crafts. The same 20% consignment fee will apply.
Extending your Getaway
- Come early or stay longer. The rate for extra nights for the 2020 Getaway will be $97/night plus taxes and fees (single or double occupancy, no meals included).
- You’ll be able to stay in the same room throughout your whole visit.
If you would like to extend your Getaway, please email Beth Williams, Group Reservation Manager, beth.williams@dolce.com. Identify yourself as a Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway participant who would like to come early or stay longer. Include your name, email, phone number and the date(s) you would like to add. It may take her up to two business days to reply, so please be patient.
Printing
Seaview has a 24 hour Business Center which will allow you to print for free. You’ll need to use your room key to access it, so commuters will need to team up with those staying over. New this year: Your Getaway materials will include instructions on how to print using getawayprinting@gmail.com. If you bring a USB drive, you may also use it to transfer your document to print on Seaview’s computers.
- Most workshops have a 12:00 p.m. deadline for turning in work to print, and the Business Center will be very busy then. Please plan accordingly and be patient.
- To keep things flowing in the Business Center, it will only be possible to print from 11:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday—no writing, typing or browsing.
Location, Directions, Public Transportation, Etc.
Visit our location page for comprehensive travel recommendations.
If you get to the area before check-in begins, consider stopping by Historic Smithville or driving the loop around the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Both are just minutes away.
Carpooling to the Winter Getaway
Use our carpool board to connect with others looking to share rides and expenses. Don’t wait until the last minute! The sooner you post, the more likely you are to find someone to share a ride with.
Schedule
You’ll receive a copy of the schedule as part of the Getaway materials you receive Friday night, but you can view the tentative schedule here.
Additional Program Information
- Meals:
- Meals will be served buffet style with a variety of choices including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free options.
- Your tuition includes the Friday evening reception, lunch Saturday and Sunday, and dinner Sunday.
- Additional meals included for those with room packages: Breakfast Saturday-Monday and 1 additional lunch (Monday)
- The weekend will wrap up on Monday with the Closing Program: a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a farewell lunch (included for participants with a room package, and able to be added by commuters for $26 per person). Refresh your memory of the schedule.
- Like to be active? We’re offering sunrise yoga all three mornings at 7 a.m. Bring loose fitting clothes and a yoga mat or towel.
For Poetry & Advanced Poetry Workshop Participants
Workshops
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, all the poets will gather for about an hour to discuss a packet of poems. Then Peter will give you a prompt and send you off to write. Your new poem will be photocopied over lunch and delivered to your workshop in the afternoon. You will workshop your poem for Monday’s session orally. You will get to work with a different workshop leader each day, and you’ll find the locations of your afternoon workshops in the folder you’ll receive on-site. Refresh your memory of how it all works.
For those registered to work with Special Guests Yusef Komunyakaa and Denise Duhamel, you may workshop the morning’s assignment or bring a poem you wrote before the Getaway (30 line maximum). Either way, we’ll copy it for you over lunch.
Tutorials
If you indicated when registering that you would like to take advantage of a one-on-one poetry tutorial, please note that it will take place Saturday or Sunday afternoon between 4:40-7:00 p.m. You will have the opportunity to select your 20 minute slot at the start of our Saturday morning session. Some people like to get feedback on a poem they are still working on; others bring one they think is finished. Either is fine.
Please look at our tutors’ bios ahead of time:
- Emari DiGiorgio
- Kenneth Hart
- Christine E. Salvatore
- Gretna Wilkinson
- Paul-Victor Winters
Contact Info
- If you have any questions prior to January 16, please call us at 609-626-3594 or email info@wintergetaway.com.
- If you have a last-minute question or emergency on January 16 or 17, leave a message for us at 609-626-3594 or email info@wintergetaway.com.
*Please travel safely! The biggest risks you take should be with your imagination.*