ADOPTEE VOICES INAUGURAL IN-PERSON WRITING RETREAT
"Expressing Yourself"
Dumas Bay Centre in Federal Way, Washington
March 5-7, 2027
For years, members of the Adoptee Voices community have been asking for an opportunity to gather together in person. At last, it’s time to step out of the constraints of our Zoom windows and spend meaningful face-to-face time with fellow adoptees who understand the many emotions and complexities of adoption from the inside. Together, we’ll make space for honest storytelling, creative exploration, and the many ways adoptees express themselves and their lived experiences.
Our inaugural retreat is designed to support community, creativity, conversation, time in nature, and rest. There will be hugs (consensual). There will be laughter. There will probably be tears (the healing kind). There will be many ah-ha moments.
The weekend will include a blend of:
Guided writing sessions
Small-group sharing opportunities
Reflective and generative prompts
Free writing and quiet time
Optional community connection activities
Time for rest, walks in nature, and informal conversation
While some sessions will focus on craft and storytelling, others will center emotional exploration, reflection, and community connection.
We hope you will join us. We can’t wait to connect and write with you.
Join us at the Dumas Bay Centre, located only 14 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Federal Way, Washington.
Set on 12 acres, Dumas Bay Centre embraces nature and beauty — a place where you can write and relax amid the panoramic splendor of the Puget Sound. With an unimpeded view of the majestic Olympic Mountains, pathways that meander through tall pines and lush moss, and an array of birds and wildlife to watch, tranquility and inspiration will abound.
This schedule is intended to offer a general sense of the retreat flow and may evolve as planning continues.
POTENTIAL SESSIONS
Adoptee Voices facilitators Sara Easterly, Alice Stephens, Kate Murphy, and Natasha Tripplett will lead a variety of interactive sessions throughout the weekend.
During registration, you will have an opportunity to indicate which sessions interest you to help shape our inaugural retreat programming. Some of our initial ideas include:
- Memory-Mining for Adoptee Memoir-Writing
- Written On Our Skins: Tattoos and Adoptee Narratives
- The Art of Grieving for Emotionally Moving Storytelling
- Adoption Synchronicities
- Writing Authentic Adoptee Kid-Lit
- Essay/Short Story Revision Workshop (for adoptee-writers with a completed first draft)
- Nature Walk-N-Write
- The Hero’s Journey and Your Adoptee Character Arc
- Autofiction Your Life
Not all of these sessions will be offered, and additional sessions may be added as planning continues. The final retreat schedule will be announced closer to the event.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Friday Evening Social
Hang together, agenda-free, in the fine company of adoptee-writers you’ve known (or will know by weekend’s end). Published authors are invited to showcase, sell, and sign their books for all eager to celebrate and support adoptee voices.
Friday @ 8:30 pm
PROSE & POETRY SHARE
All are invited to share a piece of writing during our final night together. It will be similar to the grand finale in our writing groups, only better, with an energized room and open mic feel!
Saturday @ 7 pm
BOOK PARTY FOR
ALICE & MEREDITH
If you can extend your stay, please join us after the retreat for an off-site celebration with Alice Stephens for the release of her historical novel, The Twain: A Tale of Nagasaki. and Meredith Seung Mee Buse for the releae of her picture book, Emily Minji Makes Kimchi (illustrated by Jenn Kocsmiersky).
Sunday @ 4 pm
Most of Dumas Bay Centre’s accommodations are single rooms with a twin bed and half bath, and shared shower stalls located down the hall.
A limited number of double rooms are also available, either with two twin beds + a sink, or a full bed + sink. Shared bathrooms/shower stalls are located down the hall.
Sleeping rooms will be on one of two floors in the building without elevators. There are a few ADA ground floor rooms available if stairs will be an issue for you.
We collect participant preferences during registration, but specific room types cannot be guaranteed. We will do our best to accommodate requests; however, participants requesting a single room may be assigned to a double room if single rooms are unavailable. Adoptee Voices will provide rooming requests and participant preferences to the venue, and Dumas Bay Centre will make all final room assignments based on availability.
Retreat pricing is the same, regardless of room preferences and assignments.
EARLY-BIRD TUITION
Available for the first 25 registrations or through August 15, 2026 (whichever comes first).
Pay in Full: $950
Includes a $350 non-refundable deposit.
Payment plan
- Reserve your spot with a $350 non-refundable deposit, followed by 3 monthly payments of $200 each.
- Payments will be billed on the 1st or 15th of each consecutive month, beginning at least 14 days after registration.
REGULAR TUITION
Beginning August 16, 2026 or after the first 25 registrations (whichever comes first).
Pay in Full: $1,200
Includes a $450 non-refundable deposit.
Payment Plan (available through September 15, 2026)
- Reserve your spot with a $450 non-refundable deposit, followed by 3 monthly payments of $250 each.
- Payments will be billed on the 1st or 15th of each consecutive month, beginning at least 14 days after registration.
- Final balances must be paid by December 1, 2026. (The final installment date may be adjusted to ensure all balances are paid in full by December 1, 2026.)
Please note that the final balance will reflect WA State Sales and Use Tax: 6.5% Local City/County Sales and Use Tax: 3.8%.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Adoptee Voices is pleased to offer two half scholarships for the retreat.
Scholarship applications are due July 15, 2026, and recipients will be notified by July 20, 2026. Additional information can be found on the application.
Because scholarship funding is limited, we encourage those who are able to attend through the standard registration or payment plan options to do so.
Cancellation Policy
Because retreat planning and venue commitments take place well in advance, the following cancellation policy helps ensure the retreat can move forward sustainably for everyone involved.
- The registration deposit is non-refundable, except in the event the retreat does not meet the minimum registration threshold by August 15, 2026 and is unable to move forward, in which case all deposits and payments made to date will be refunded.
- Cancellations made between August 16, 2026 and October 1, 2026 are eligible for a 75% refund of remaining payments.
- Cancellations made between October 2, 2026 and December 1, 2026 are eligible for a 50% refund of remaining payments.
- Cancellations after December 1, 2026 are non-refundable.
If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another participant with prior approval from Adoptee Voices. Transfers are subject to approval by Adoptee Voices based on retreat capacity and administrative considerations, and must be completed by February 1, 2027.
If unexpected circumstances arise, please reach out. Clear communication is always appreciated.
In the event of retreat cancellation due to force majeure, all payments will be refunded except for non-recoverable expenses already incurred (e.g. non-refundable venue or vendor deposits or payments). Force majeure provisions supersede all other cancellation and refund terms.
PAYMENT PLAN AGREEMENT
Participants selecting a payment plan are reserving a retreat space with a non-refundable deposit and committing to pay the remaining retreat balance according to the payment schedule associated with their registration option.
The registration deposit is non-refundable except as otherwise provided in the Adoptee Voices Writing Retreat Cancellation Policy.
Remaining payments will be invoiced by email according to the applicable payment schedule. All retreat balances must be paid in full by the stated payment deadline. Participants are responsible for ensuring that invoices are paid by their due dates, even if an invoice email is missed, filtered, or not received.
If a payment issue arises, participants are expected to communicate with Adoptee Voices as soon as possible. Failure to make scheduled payments or respond to payment-related communications may result in cancellation of registration in accordance with the Adoptee Voices Writing Retreat Cancellation Policy.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
The Adoptee Voices writing retreat is designed for adult adoptees who are looking for meaningful creative time, connection, reflection, and shared experiences in a supportive environment. While the retreat is open to writers at all levels, if you are new to writing about adoption, we encourage you to sign up for one of our online writing groups first.
Adoptee Voices facilitators Sara Easterly, Alice Stephens, Kate Murphy, and Natasha Tripplett will lead a variety of interactive sessions throughout the weekend.
During registration, you’ll have an opportunity to indicate which sessions interest you to help shape our inaugural retreat programming.
We are not offering a commuter option for this retreat. Sharing the full experience together, including overnight stays, helps foster the trust, connection, and sense of community that are central to the retreat experience.
To support the group experience, the retreat is open to registered adoptee participants only.
We’ll collect your dietary preferences and requests during registration, and will do our best to ensure that your needs are met.
The venue does not allow for outside food, but does make exceptions for anyone with special dietary needs. There is a community refrigerator available if needed.
Please contact the event organizer.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Retreat pricing is the same, regardless of whether assigned to a single or double room.
Yes, if you indicate a preference for a double room during registration, you will be able to request a specific roommate (as long as they also request you). You may also indicate if you’d like us to match you with someone.
We will do our best to accommodate roommate requests, though we cannot guarantee all requests.
Retreat pricing is the same, regardless of whether in a single or double room.
Single rooms come with a private half bath (sink, toilet), and share nearby showers with others rooming in the same wing. Shower stalls are equipped with curtains for privacy.
Rooms with two twin beds, or one full bed, come with sinks in the room, and share nearby bathrooms and showers with others rooming in the same wing.
Guest rooms are located on two floors in a building without elevators. If stairs are difficult for you, please request a ground-floor ADA-accessible room.
All sessions and meals take place on the ground level.
TRAVEL-RELATED
The retreat will be located at the scenic Dumas Bay Centre, located on the Puget Sound in Federal Way, Washington:
3200 SW Dash Point Rd
Federal Way, WA 98023
253-835-2000
Travel to and from the retreat city and venue location are not included in registration costs.
You’ll want to fly into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Unless you are extending your trip, please plan to arrive in Seattle no later than 2 pm on Friday, March 5, 2027 and depart no earlier than 3 pm on Sunday, March 7, 2027.
Until we know that we have met the minimum registration threshold (no later than August 15, 2026), we ask participants to wait before making non-refundable travel arrangements. We will provide an update at that time and, assuming the retreat moves forward as planned, encourage everyone to book travel then.
An optional post-retreat book celebration for Alice Stephens and Meredith Seung Mee Buse will take place after the retreat concludes on Sunday. If you would like to attend, you may wish to schedule a late-night departure or fly out the following day.
Please note that Dumas Bay Centre lodging ends at 11 am on Sunday, March 7, 2027, and additional nights at the retreat venue are not available. If you plan to stay longer and would like help identifying nearby hotels or Airbnb options, feel free to let us know.
Dumas Bay Centre is located about 14 miles from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, accessible via Uber/Lyft or rental car.
The Link Light Rail is also an option. The 1 Line operates seven days a week and connects from the airport to downtown Federal Way. Trains run roughly every 8 minutes during peak hours, every 10 minutes during daytime, and every 15 minutes at night. The fare is a flat $3 regardless of distance traveled. The Federal Way Downtown Station is only 4 miles from Dumas Bay Centre, for a more cost-effective Uber/Lyft ride.
During registration, you will have an opportunity to opt into a WhatsApp group (linked to your cell phone number) to coordinate travel plans and ride shares with other retreat attendees.
If you’re traveling from out of town and considering extending your visit before or after the retreat, the Seattle/Tacoma area offers plenty of opportunities for quiet reflection, exploration, good food, bookstores, waterfront walks, and time in nature.
We’ll share a list of optional recommendations closer to the retreat date for anyone interested.
REGISTRATION & PAYMENTS
Registration is open now for the March 2027 retreat. Because space and early-bird tuition rates are limited, we encourage early registration if you know you’d like to attend.
Tuition includes two nights’ lodging at Dumas Bay Retreat Centre in a single or double room, five meals, four sessions led by Adoptee Voices facilitators, as well as an opening social and poetry and prose share.
In order to preserve the intimate, community-centered experience that makes Adoptee Voices gatherings special, the retreat is intentionally limited to 40 participants.
Early Bird Tuition: $950
Regular Tuition: $1,200
Early-Bird pricing is available for the first 25 registrations or through August 15, 2026 (whichever comes first). Please review the Tuition section for complete details.
The deposit secures your place in a very limited-capacity retreat and allows us to confirm venue and planning commitments well in advance.
Yes. We know that attending a retreat can require planning and budgeting, so payment plans are available to help make participation more manageable.
Payment plans are available through September 15, 2026. Final balances must be paid by December 1, 2026.
To reserve your spot through the payment plan option:
- A non-refundable deposit is required at registration.
- The remaining balance is divided into monthly payments.
Invoices are scheduled on either the 1st or the 15th of each month, depending on when you register, and are due upon receipt. Your first installment will be scheduled at least two weeks after registration. Please review the Tuition section for details.
Absolutely. You’re welcome to pay off your remaining balance at any time.
If a payment issue comes up, please reach out as soon as possible. We understand that life happens, and communication is always appreciated.
Unpaid balances may result in cancellation of your reservation if arrangements have not been made in advance.
Beginning  October 1, 2025, a Washington State law (ESSB 5814) went into effect that applies sales tax to all cultural organizations. Under the law, classes, seminars, and workshops are considered live presentations subject to sales tax, whether they take place in person or online. Retail sales tax collection is based on the location where the customer receives the service (destination-based sales tax).
Adoptee Voices is pleased to offer two half scholarships to the retreat, with two retreat spaces reserved accordingly.
Scholarship applications are due July 15, 2026, and applicants will be notified by July 20, 2026. Scholarship recipients will receive 50% off the early-bird tuition rate, regardless of whether early-bird registration remains available at the time awards are announced.
Please note that we may receive more applications than we are able to fund. If attending the retreat is important to you and you are able to register without scholarship assistance, you may wish to register early rather than wait for the scholarship process to conclude.
Because scholarship decisions will be made before the early-bird deadline, applicants who are not selected may still have an opportunity to register at the early-bird rate if spaces remain available. Early-bird tuition is available through August 15, 2026 or until the first 25 registrations are filled, whichever comes first. As a result, we cannot guarantee that early-bird spaces will still be available at the time scholarship decisions are announced.
Because retreat planning and venue commitments require advance planning, refunds are limited after certain dates. Please read through the Tuition section for the full cancellation policy.
You should receive a confirmation email within two hours after registering.
If you do not receive the email after two hours, please contact the event organizer to ensure your registration has gone through, and to receive a copy of the confirmation email.