Fiction Writers Retreat at Akwaaba

Testimonials

“If I had to describe my experience at the Kweli writers retreat in one word, I would say it was affirming! Laura's choice of the Akwaaba Philadelphia bed and breakfast was wonderful. As soon as I arrived at Akwaaba, I felt the warmth, calm and joy of being in a space intentionally curated for Black folks. Similarly, Laura herself exuded the same warmth and kindness, when I met her. As a new writer going into my very first writing retreat, I was nervous! Any sense of unease was almost immediately quashed after talking to Laura. Within the first few minutes of meeting her, she told me that my writing was strong and that "the sky is the ceiling," a quote that I now have pinned on my vision board. I was grateful for the one-on-one time I had with Laura. She was incredibly patient and thorough in her feedback. The short stories/experts and articles she shared to highlight some of the points she made in her feedback were great, and I will probably be going back to those resources for a long time to come.

I am grateful to Laura and Kweli, for giving me the opportunity to participate in this invaluable and transformative retreat.”

Haddy Gassama

“This has just been the most amazing three days with Laura, with Kweli, and the lovely Akwaaba in Philadelphia. What I have really appreciated is the generosity in which Laura has engaged with my work, with the intention on the page, and the insight that she has offered and shared about the work and how to really think critically about my own work, and of course just getting to interact and learn more about the craft, dialogue, voice, character of my own work.

I think the light that has been shed on the work that I have been living with, that fresh perspective, has really helped me dig deep into my own craft and the choices I make on the page. This has been such a unique and beautiful opportunity to take a step away the rest of my life and really just carve out some space to focus entirely on craft and my work. I really appreciate this opportunity. It is the first time that I have been able to do something of this nature. Kweli’s platform has been absolutely essential to help me think through a lot of the thematic areas that I have been grappling with. The way I came to this retreat through workshops with Kweli, the festival, and learning from all of the amazing people that Kweli is able to bring together, has been one of the best things that I have been able to engage with over the past couple of years.”

Qursum Qasim