Windbreak House

Celebrating 24 Years of Writing Retreats! (founded 1996)

In the center of the nation, deep in the grasslands of western South Dakota, essayist and poet Linda M. Hasselstrom grew up as an only child on a family cattle ranch homesteaded by a Swedish cobbler in 1899.

Today she invites you to benefit from a writing retreat on that same ranch. Come to the house where she discovered the Great Plains outside her windows, where she began to write the poetry and non-fiction books that have established her as one of the strongest voices on behalf of the prairie.

Linda holds a BA in English and Journalism, an MA in American Literature, and has been a teacher of writing for more than 45 years. She has hosted writing retreats at her ranch since 1996.

Not a writer but a reader? Enjoy Linda's vivid descriptions of her life and work on the ranch, as a writer, and as an advocate for the preservation of the prairies and the people and wildlife who inhabit them.

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Meet Linda on Youtube

For a brief introduction to Linda, her ranching life, her books, and the writing retreats, watch this Two-Minute Summary on Youtube. You've read her words-- now hear her voice and see her ranch and writing retreat.

Write Now, Here's How --- Insights from Six Decades of Writing

A dedicated and experienced writer leads the reader through forty entertaining essays that define six decades of writing challenges. Reading this book, you will feel as though you have joined Hasselstrom in the quiet privacy of her writing retreat, where dozens of writers have found their voices. You will learn what Winston Churchill has to do with persistence, and how walking can become a vital part of your writing. What is the most efficient way to monitor your valuable writing time? How can you organize your writing space-- no matter how small-- and your writing days? Hasselstrom explains how writers can begin to see the invisible, and leads you into meditations that will help you create a writing retreat in any busy week. With Hasselstrom's guidance, your writing will grow and bloom like wild pink roses along a dusty gravel road.

Click here to read the "All About the Book" webpage for Write Now, Here's How.

Write Now, Here's How --- Lame Johnny Press, 2020
(301 pages; size 6 x 9)
$19.95 -- paperback

You may purchase a signed copy from me for the cover price plus $5 media mail shipping & handling

Linda M. Hasselstrom
PO Box 169
Hermosa, South Dakota 57744

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I've made the hard decision to cancel all Writing Retreats this year due to the pandemic. I miss the camaraderie that develops as I work closely with writers on their favorite project through the retreat week.

We can still work together on your manuscript or poetry through Writing Conversations by Email. It's a good way to sample the kind of help I can give you at a retreat, without having to leave home.

Although I have just published a new book, all my 2020 public appearances scheduled to promote the book have been canceled. You can learn about my books and other work through this website. And you can read my posts on Facebook and my blog, where I write about western life and the craft of writing.

For more information about my past and future events, see the Where in the World is Linda M. Hasselstrom? page on this website.

Read my blogs and sign up for a free subscription at Notes from a Western Life.

Find Windbreak House on Facebook and enjoy a lot of writing humor and inspiration, interspersed with photos and stories about my work, the Writing Retreats, and other writing-related content.

Windbreak House Writing Retreats and Online Writing Conversations by eMail.

If you would like to spend some time writing at Windbreak House see the Writing Retreats Page for all the details you need to know about applying for a writing retreat (working with me) or a solitary retreat (recharge your creativity and enjoy uninterrupted writing time) once this pandemic is under control.

Meanwhile, we can still have some productive writing fun together online. See the Online Writing Help Page for complete details on how to sign up for a Writing Conversation by eMail.

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Stories About Writing Retreats

Susan wrote a blog about her January, 2016 writing retreat-- you'll get a few writing tips while you enjoy reading about her experience.
www.writingwyoming.com/2016/02/lessons-from-writing-retreat

And I have a blog series about writing retreats.
Six Steps to a Successful Retreat at Windbreak House
Create Your Own Writing Retreat at Home

"Windbreak House Writing Retreats 20th Anniversary" series -- posted in December 2016 and January 2017
2016 was the 20th year I conducted writing retreats at my ranch home. Read this ongoing series of blogs for stories, photos, and many quotes by writers taken from the Retreat House journals.

Part 1 -- Beginnings
Part 2 -- Evolution
Part 3 -- Guidelines
Part 4 -- The People
Part 5 -- The Writing

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