With the LMLC and bookstore to provide inspiration, we provide all-inclusive lodging, food, as much peace and quiet as you want, and the opportunity for camaraderie with other attendees. Just bring your laptop, pen and paper, or pencil and crayons.

But there’s more to this retreat than that. Writing can be an isolating activity, and there will be the opportunity to interact with and learn from the other writers attending the retreat — at meals, in the library of the hotel, or simply on the porch out front every evening. For decades, writers have been coming to workshops and other events in Archer City, and almost without fail, they have built connections with the other writers they have encountered there, forging lifelong contacts.

There are many retreats all around the country that serve the literary community. And if you’re looking for gourmet meals, wine lists, and pretentious lodging … well, you can find all that someplace else. Here we all stay and work at the historic, rustic Spur Hotel.

And while it may be hot outside, the Spur is cool and comfortable, and Archer City is a place where hundreds of writers have attended workshops that have proven transformative to their lives and careers. Those who’ve been there before know Archer City is a special place, where books live, and words matter.

You’ll have your own room with a desk, WiFi, access to a communal fridge, and a comfortable bed — nothing fancy, and no TV. Meals will be provided either in the hotel or Murn’s diner across the street.

Archer City, a small Texas town of about 1,600 people, is about a two-hour drive from Dallas or about a half-hour south of Wichita Falls. It has all the basics you might need. Above all else, we’ll create an environment that provides the time, space, and solitude for creativity and inspiration to flourish.

Quiet? Few distractions? Inspiration from a literary hero, in an important place in the literary landscape? The opportunity to gather with other writers at the end of the day? An experienced guide if you desire feedback or support? Air conditioning? Meals? Camaraderie (or commiseration!)? Whether you’re working on a novel, a short story, a book manuscript, a screenplay, a book proposal … and want to get away from the distractions of everyday life (the dogs, the kids, the phone, making dinner) to read and WRITE without interruption … We’ve got all that covered!

So … What do you want to write?

Cost is $3,000 with 10 nights lodging and all meals included. Arrive Friday, June 26, and depart Monday, July 6.

Glenn Stout is the author, editor, or ghostwriter of more than 100 books for both the adult and juvenile audience, including biographies, current events and history, as-told-to third person narratives, memoirs and oral histories. He has written dozens of (mostly successful!) book proposals for himself and consulted on many others. His books include The Selling of the Babe, Nine Months at Ground Zero and Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Changed the World, released as a feature film by Disney+ in 2024,

starring Daisy Ridley. Glenn has previously taught at the narrative writing workshop at the Archer City Story Center and has given workshops on book proposals and other aspects of writing for the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, the Brattleboro Literary Festival, the Midwest Literary Festival, the Get Lit Literary Festival, and others. In his 40-plus-year career as a professional writer and author, Glenn has also written dozens of nonfiction narratives, published poetry and fiction, and edited hundreds of nonfiction narratives for both private clients and for print and digital outlets. He serves as a writing coach and consultant for fiction, narrative nonfiction, and book proposals.

Questions? Contact Glenn Stout at glennstout@fairpoint.net. For more see www.glennstout.com.

For hotel questions or questions about Archer City, contact Kathy Floyd at kfloyd@lmcmurtrylitcenter.org.