This year’s Go Back and Fetch It! program kicked off at the ARC Retreat Community in Stanchfield, Minnesota where fellows from across the Twin Cities gathered for rest, reflection, and creative renewal.

ARC is a quiet, welcoming space surrounded by woods and walking trails, perfectly designed to step away from the noise, slow down and reconnect with ourselves as writers and as a community. With help from hospitality coordinator Jennifer Joy, we settled in, shared meals, and set our intentions for the year ahead.

Finding Stillness | Friday

As Friday afternoon gave way to evening, fellows gathered for dinner before opening orientation. The session began with a conversation on Black literary histories and traditions, grounding the group in the lineage of those who have written before. We reflected on the work of Lucille Clifton, the spiritual inspiration for this year’s program.

The night’s first exercise, “Why I Write,” invited each fellow to reflect on the purpose behind their craft, and to ask “what calls us to write?” Through Clifton’s Spirit Writing Deck, participants explored those questions through her poetic words drawn at random.

In a fitting turn of synchronicity, every guest room at ARC had a copy of the Minnesota Women’s Press—featuring none other than Dralandra Larkins on the cover, an alum from last year’s Go Back and Fetch It! cohort and the author of Before I Lie. It was a funny coincidence, as Jennifer Joy shared that she’d simply been moved by the publication and ordered copies for each room. Still, it served as a beautiful reminder of the program’s burgeoning legacy, and how our stories, though they may be separate, are always connected.

Writing in Motion | Saturday

Morning came slow and peaceful, with the scent of coffee and pine drifting through the lodge. The first workshop, guided by Ash Wynter, centered on a meditative practice of spontaneous writing. Fellows wrote without pause, and without conscious thought, then cut their words into fragments. These fragments were gathered into meaningful containers. Through a quiet meditation, each participant reassembled their scattered words into new forms, creating poetry in chaos.

After lunch, Minnesota Poet Laureate Junauda Petrus led the afternoon workshop, grounding the group in self-reflection through a series of check-in questions. Participants were invited to name the book, song, or poem that stirs their creativity; to consider what their mind, body, and spirit need to feel nurtured; to recognize who in their lives truly sees them; and to imagine what an artist’s day might look like if it honored rest and joy as much as output.

As evening settled, the group reconvened for dinner and a round of Book Commercials - short, heartfelt presentations where fellows highlighted books by Black authors that hold personal meaning. Afterward, there was time for stargazing and an open mic where fellows shared intricate poems, fun stories, and stirring memoirs.

Intention and Legacy | Sunday

Sunday morning, after breakfast, fellows gathered once more to set our intentions for the year. Each writer voiced a promise to themselves and to their craft before departing.

The weekend at ARC marked the beginning of a new season. For some, it was a homecoming.

Go Back and Fetch It! continues to grow, shaped by the writers who carry it forward and the mentors who nurture its flame.