6 DAY

IMMERSIVE

SONGWRITER'S

RETREAT

June 18 to 23

Mazunte, Mexico

Song as Self-Authorship. Music as Communal Ecology.
Wonder as Method.
Guided by Composer/Songwriter
 

Hope Littwin
Phd Candidate, Princeton University

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Rewilding the Creative Process

This retreat was born out of a simple desire: to create the kind of space I’ve needed as an artist—structured, serious, nurturing, and non-performative. A place to listen closely to yourself, to others, and to the pulse of the work.

 

Together we will

Reimagine: The role of the artist or writer is to help people imagine. 

Create: Learn to celebrate your own vision. 

Define: Together, we’ll remember that songs don’t just come from us, but through us—through our willingness to enter conversation with silence, the land, our bodies, and each other. Rooted in the lineage of experimental composers, movement artists, theater-makers, and producers who redefined what it means to compose, this retreat is a living space for shared authorship, deep listening, and communal expression.

Explore: This isn’t just time away to finish what you’ve already started. It’s a space for songwriters to reconnect with their voice, be in conversation with others who get it, and gently explore what wants to be written now—alongside the rhythm of the sea, the warmth of the sun, and the quiet magic of Mazunte. It’s a rewilding of the creative process—an invitation to become an instrument again.

 

Wonder As Method

My values as an artist and facilitator come from forming a Communal Ecology.

I believe that....

  • We explore our artistic selves by asking questions with a sense of wonder

  • Wonder Leads to Technique

  • An authentic voice develops through nurturing.

  •  Artists need the nurturing of community and the ability to create a solid structure from which to explore.

  • A song is a means of self authorship 

  

 With this retreat offering I bring my community building expertise to  create a spark of community that you can then maintain beyond our week together. We are international now and borders are transcended every day. We are creating an elastic, artistic, ever growing community of people who want to reimagine the world  

ITINERARY

6 Day Itinerary

Thematic Arc of the Week

I’m part of the learning community as well and I take feedback and continue to adapt the lessons to the particular group. These daily themes aren’t rules, they’re rhythms—touchstones to guide us through a dynamic arc of creative practice, community, and restoration. The days build on each other with room for the unexpected. You don’t have to arrive with something to prove. You just have to arrive ready to listen, write, and be witnessed.


 

DAY 1 

[ Arrival and Opening  ]

Loosen. Land. Begin again.


  •  We orient to the space and to each other, naming our intentions, creative hopes, and needs
  • Group agreements + mini “truth-telling inventory” to locate where your practice is right now

  • Gentle movement + freewriting to let the body arrive before the words

  • No expectations of output today. Today is for becoming porous.

DAY 2

[ Voice and Permission ]

Let the sound come from somewhere real.


  •  Embodied vocal work and improvisational games to get out of your own way
  •  Writing prompts from the “memory bank” and “emotional texture” archives
  •  Workshop on lyrical intuition vs. over-crafting — how to let a song breathe without letting it collapse
  •  We start sharing seeds, not songs—germs of ideas, phrases, textures

DAY 3

[ STRUCTURE and FEELING]

When instinct meets form, something clicks.


  •  Morning session on building out a song’s architecture: verse, chorus, pre-chorus, bridge, alternative forms
  •  Group exploration of how emotional arc lives inside musical shape
  •  One-on-one sessions begin: we zoom in on your process, blocks, and evolving goals

DAY 4

[ WITNESSING and WILDNESS ]

Let yourself be seen in the middle, not just the end.


  • Honest, supportive group feedback circles using the “tender + precise” model from Songwriters Lab
  • Somatic release + grounding to navigate vulnerability safely
  • Evening candlelit song share: fragments welcome, perfection forbidden

DAY 5

[ REFINEMENT & REVERENCE ]

Anchor something. Or let it stay unresolved—on purpose.


  • Craft clinic: lyric surgery, phrasing finesse, making small edits that unlock the whole song
  • Optional “Song Surgery” breakout pods with peer support
  • Evening ritual: each participant offers something—half a song, a full performance, a sonic prayer, a vow to keep going. You decide.

DAY 6

[ RETURN and CLOSING ]

What are you taking back? What are you releasing?


  • Closing circle: a final share, a letter to your artist self, or an intention for your next creative season
  • Final ocean dip, solo journal time, and a reminder that what you touched here is yours to keep
  • Optional: record a voice memo to your future self
TESTIMONIALS

In Their Words...

Hear from previous participants

"Gifted, knowledgeable, awe-inspiring, worth the investment!"

 

Janell, R
Pilates Instructor

"Nurturing guide, I'm listening more to my intuition, excellent teacher"

Cody, K
Freelance Artist

"Supportive environment, really rewarding, solid investment"

 

Brittany, L
Sound Healer

MEET HOPE

About Hope Littwin

Facilitator, Composer, Guide

I believe that learning begins with creative collaboration, and that artistic development flourishes in community. 

As a guide, I follow my curiosity. My guidance is reflective, adaptive and always looking for the thread that connects process with presence. 

As a facilitator, I approach composition as a relational practice, building spaces that encourage risk, honor individual voices, and nurture curiosity. I do not teach formulas—I offer frameworks, rituals, and provocations that allow collaborators to discover their own way in.

I am a facilitator of conversation; curator of experience, and investigator of sound and story. I come to this work as a composer, songwriter, producer, and performer who was raised in theater and dance before moving through the worlds of folk, classical, and experimental music. I hold three Masters degrees in music composition (from Columbia College Chicago, NYU, and Princeton University) and am currently pursuing my PhD in Music Composition at Princeton University.


I am happiest when I am in communion with my people (creative minds and generous hearts), discussing and creating work that is or seeks transcendent states of consciousness.


My original works are available for streaming on band camp and YouTube, my Albums can be found on Spotify/iTunes. Find me on instagram @hopelittwin

 

APPLY TO THE SONGWRITERS RETREAT

Immersive Songwriter's Retreat

ONE TIME PAYMENT

$1,800

payment only requested if accepted

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3 MONTHLY PAYMENTS

$600

payment only requested if accepted

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Included in the cost of the retreat ...

  • A retreat house on the beach (2 to a room, 3 rooms)
  • Daily programing guided by Hope
  • Breakfast, coffee/tea/snacks and Communal Dinner.
  • Community support of a small, engaged cohort
  •  Open exploration time and recommendations

Reflections from the Collective...

 
 
 
 
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Frequently Asked Questions

What Our Alumni Have Said

Get inspired… this could be you!

"Fuel your creativity"

Since joining the songwriter's membership, I’ve given myself more opportunities to fuel myself creatively and learned new strategies to do so.

if you put your energy into it you can learn a lot and accomplish a lot.

Becky, C

"Apply!! What a potent practice to be accountable to a group in this way!"

 “The process of writing songs was such multi-dimensional poetry -- it required such clarity in going deep with brevity. This approach has influenced the way I have approached so many other aspects of my life since then!

In this membership I learned that I want more lifetimes. I found the songwriting to be such a profound and unique expression. I also am much more clear about the distinct parts of the writing process, from the destination writing to drafting the verses to drafting the music to clarifying the hook and chorus and then to the process of refining. I appreciated looking at each of those steps.

Apply!! What a potent practice to be accountable to a group in this way!”

                      Gabriel, P

Theater Artist

"A nurturing guide on the journey to your own creativity."

Hope is a nurturing guide on the journey to your own creativity. ...this class allowed me to finally explore my own unique artistic voice. Songwriting is an amalgamous craft and Hope finds a way to gently ease you into exploring sound and trying new things...

If you’re wanting to push your boundaries and get more connected to your creative self, Hope would be an excellent teacher.

Cody, K

I hope to see you there 💓 

 

Here’s what to expect:
🌀 A short application form—10–15 minutes to complete
đź’Ś A personal response within 7 days
✅ If accepted, you’ll receive an invitation to complete your registration

Limited to 6 participants

This retreat is designed for a small circle of songwriters who are ready to go deep—into their voice, their creative practice, and into a shared process of listening, making, and becoming.

APPLY NOW